The Romantic Era

William Blake’s “The Lamb” “The Lamb,” by William Blake, is from Blake’s Songs of Innocence. Through symbolism of Jesus Christ, rhetorical questions that resemble a catechism, and diction, Blake creates a poem that addresses Christian faith and attempts to answer the question as to “How did we get here?” The poem is made up of two stanzas, each containing rhyming couplets. This gives it a song-like quality, like a song a small child would sing. It is simple and easy to remember. The repetition of l’s and vowel sounds contribute to this effect, and also suggest the sound a lamb makes or the voice of a child.

Swift writes in "Gulliver's Travels", of a man named Pedro de Mendez who is a savior to Gulliver. These three authors show us how Christian views and Jesus are a part of life not just in the Bible but also in current society. Blake uses our questions about faith to emphasize the importance of Christ in our lives. Blake emphasizes the connection of which the child is naturally aware, when he writes, "I, a child, and thou a lamb, We are called by his name"(p.1289). The tone, however, is the genuine simplicity of a child's speech.

Gerard Manley Hopkins was a Victorian poet who frequently utilized symbols to demonstrate how God is evident in all living things. His allusions to God are evident in such works as: “Pied Beauty”, “Spring”, “The Windhover”, and “God’s Grandeur”. The purpose of this research is to examine the way in which Hopkins uses his terms inscape and instress to illustrate these allusions to God. Hopkins’s poetry demonstrates to the readers that seeing beyond the physical appearance of things, and recognizing God’s touch on all things allows for a deeper sense of appreciation, and makes them more beautiful. Hopkins’s poems are expressive of his view of nature and the correlating relationship between himself and God, and this pattern is obvious throughout his work.

This is a direct contradiction to the geocentric theory that the Church propagated at a point of time. Traces of the Bible are found in this poem too, in the use of words such as “lambs”. If one were to point at a trademark feature of Blake’s poetry, it would be the description of simple elements of nature in splendid, yet facile language with subtle echoes of concepts, events or people in Christianity and the Bible. His poetry uses images and illustrations to the effect that the readers are able to visually imagine the anecdotes and occurrences in the Bible and hence enjoy them better.

In literature, a lamb represents innocence and the biblical lamb represents Jesus Christ’s purity and innocent sacrifice. The innocence theme is dispersed between a child’s innocence and Christ’s innocence. “Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?” The first two lines of the first stanza present the poem’s child-like innocence theme. The speaker of the poems asks a child one of the most inescapable questions of life, “who made us,” followed by the answer to the question.

So, if you can understand the religion or nature used in the writings, you can understand the meaning of the other. When analyzing “The Tyger”, “The Lamb”, and The Lord of the Rings, it is important to understand the authors, so you can better understand their views on religion. William Blake, the author of the two poems, was baptized and raised a Christian in London. During his adult life he speculated on the corruption of the Church of England, and was eventually turned away from all organ... ... middle of paper ... ...son their writings are so closely similar is because they both mirror main characters and themes in the Bible. The portrayal of nature in both writings shows both individuals specific views on religion through symbolism of different pieces of nature, and leads to a better understanding of The Lord of the Rings, “The Lamb”, and “The Tyger”.

His description of the lamb states "Gave thee clothing of Delight -- Softest clothing, wooly, bright; - Gave thee such a tender voice". (Knopf, p.19) "Blake develops an elaborate personal mythology that underlies virtually all symbolism and ideas in his work" (Shilstone, p.223) Blake wrote this poem as though he was speaking directly to the lamb. He asks it, "Dost thou know who made thee? -- I a child & thou a lamb, --We are called by his name" (Knopf, p.19) At the time it was written, these lines probably held little or no significance. However, today, we see that Blake's phrasing brought much religious significance to the poem.

A significant theme in Samuel Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," is Christianity, which is portrayed through the Mariner’s epic journey. This text is set between the physical world and the metaphysical (spiritual world), similar to religious teachings found in the Bible. With the use of vivid descriptions and strong language in this ballad, moral lessons appear that connect both man and God in order to discover an innate bond and understanding. Though this tale is overwhelmingly bizarre and dark, the moral lessons taught are in line with central aspects of both the romantic period and the Christian religion. In Coleridge's ballad, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," many Christian ideals are represented throughout the treacherous journey of the Mariner, such as sin, forgiveness, and prayer.

Even though Rivers and Lewis differ on their approach to the Christian faith, both are able to convey the message of love that the Gospel has to offer. Both individuals were impacted by the love of Christ and they could not help but express that through the art of literature. Both individuals have proven the point that Christianity can be expressed in a wide range of art forms, including literature. Their efforts reflect a rigorous and biblical approach to the following question: can literature be used and used well for the glory of God? C. S. Lewis expertly shows his God-given ability to utilize his imagination and take the reader into a whole new world.

With this he brings religious significance into the poem. It the New Testament, Jesus of Nazareth is referred as God's Lamb. There are a few themes developed in "The Lamb." Blake describes the lamb as symbol of childhood innocence. He also questions about how the lamb was brought into existence, which mentions another theme of divine intervention and how all creatures were created.