Blake was born in London in 1757. He became a poet, artist and an engraver. He loved London very much, the sights, sounds and smells were a big inspiration to his poetry. William was a radical outsider. He rebelled against all institutions, schools, the church and the monarchy. He was religious but hated organized religion. Songs of Innocence was published in 1789. This was a collection of poems all about lambs, children and the happy things in live. Then he published a collection of poems called Songs of Experience, which was published in 1794.
These poems where about more adult things like religion, the way that adults had to work and the way that the industrial revolution came into the perspective. These two collections contain some of the best-known poems in the English language. Blake really explores the contradicting stakes of innocence and experience. The Lamb from Songs of Innocence and The Tiger from Songs of Experience demonstrate these contradictions excellently, effectively and very well. Songs of Innocence is a collection of poems that see the natural world without fear.
They are all written with the voice of a child. These poems are about a safe world, in which children can have the confidence in the beauty of the things in the world. The poems are based on the world of a child. An example of this poetry is The Lamb. This poem appeals to the child in us. The lamb is the most innocent of Gods creatures. The poem is written as if addressing a child. The rhyme scheme that is used in this poem is simple rhyming couplets. It’s like a nursery rhyme or like a lullaby.
The first verse of the poem asks questions, “Little lamb who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee? “. These words create images that are natural, soft and gentle. Words that are used to create these images are words like mead, delight, bright, softest, gentle, tender and rejoice. A loving god made and created the lamb. Created a simple, but beautiful natural thing. The second verse answers questions, “Little Lamb I tell thee”. The word “He” is used instead of God. God made the lamb. Jesus became the Lamb of God, “He became a little child”.
This is all very Christ like. God is presented in ordinary everyday things, “I a child and thou a lamb, we are called by his name”. The to lines at the beginning of the verse repeat and so do the two at the end. This makes it very song like. Songs of Experience is a collection of poems that explore the adult world. Experience brings cares, duties and responsibilities. Innocence cannot last forever, you have to experience politics, law and religion. An example of this kind of poetry is The Tiger. This is a very powerful poem.
Some words that are used to show this are, burning, immortal, fearful, hammer, chain, furnace, deadly and terror. The scheme that is used for this poem is symmetrical and has rhyming couplets. It is set out in six even verses. The poem talks to the tiger, asking it questions, “What immortal eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? “. He admires such a powerful creation. It must have been immortal. This poem gives very powerful images, “forests of the night burn the fire of thine eyes”, “twist the sinews”.
Some words that are used to describe the industrial or working part of this poem are hammer, chain, furnace and anvil. Words that suggest that the tiger is frightening are “fearful symmetry”, “burning bright” and “deadly terror”. I think that the tiger was created by god struggling to create beautiful things. It just shows that there is more then one side of God. God cannot only create good things in the world. The world has to be balanced out. If there were no industry where would we be today? People have to work for a living other vise they will die and after a while we would all die out.
