Songs of Innoce by William Blake

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The distinguishing features of innocence and experience play a crucial role in William Blake’s written and illustrated work. Blake, born in 1757, paid special attention to the human life and its state of mind in his artistic endeavors (Blake Archive). Throughout all of his works, particularly in the Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, the reader consistently tries to decide which state of mind is preferable and how they differ. Unlike many authors, Blake provides illustrations for his work. In some cases, Blake’s illustrations serve the purpose of relaying ideas that are not readily apparent to the average reader in his written works. For a large amount of his work, the illustrations complicate the understanding of his written ideas of innocence and experience by the reader.
“The Ecchoing Green,” one of the first poems found in the Songs of Innocence, depicts an elder man named John amongst people similar in age as they watch children play upon the green. Blake begins the poem by depicting a natural scene including descriptions of the sun, bells, spring, birds and singing, images commonly associated with new life and birth. The poem depicts childhood as joyful and innocent but this state of being is not only confined to the children. In this poem, John experiences a second wave of innocence while enjoying the moments in front of him. Along with the other adults in the poem, throughout its length John reminisces about childhood and the moments he spent on the ecchoing green at play. Blake concludes his poem with
Till the little ones weary
No more can be merry,
The sun does descend
And our sports have an end:
Round the laps of their mothers,
Many sisters and brothers
Like birds in their nest
Are ready for rest,
A...

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...pth, especially when distinguishing between his ideas of innocence and experience. While looking at the illustrations that accompany the Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, the viewer can clearly see that Blake used care in creating distinct yet cohesive images to accompany his written work.

Works Cited

Blake, William. "Songs of Experience." Romanticism: An Anthology. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. N. pag. Print.
Blake, William. "Songs of Innocence." Romanticism: An Anthology. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. N. pag. Print.
Sayers, Janet, and Nanette Monin. "Blake's ‘London’: Diabolical Reading And Poetic Place In Organisational Theorising." Culture & Organization 18.1 (2012): 1-13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2013
"The William Blake Archive" The William Blake Archive. N.p., 14 June 2012. Web. 5 Oct. 2013.

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