Study Guide For Honours Second Year. Paper code (221103). W.Bake
Songs of Innocence and of Experience Study Guide
With Songs of Innocence, published in 1789, Blake introduced a new method of printing his own books. Blake would print his poems by hand onto copper plates, illustrate each poem with drawings, and then color the prints by hand. Blake claimed to have received this idea from the spirit of his recently deceased brother Robert. Most of Blake’s work from that point on was printed using this method.
Blake moved to Lambeth from London in 1790, the same year he published his prose work, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. This time also marks his shift from career as professional engraver to a more meditative writer as he developed his own mythology. His work expressed his belief that freedom and independence, including sexual freedom and independence from authority, were paramount. In 1794, Blake published Songs of Experience, which contrasts with the childlike naivety of his earlier Songs of Innocence. Songs of Experience brings in a dark and cynical tone that laments the destruction of innocence by modern society. The following year he republished both volumes together as Songs of Innocence and of Experience, essentially creating a single volume of poetry that has persisted in this form up to the present day.
William Blake published his second collection of poetry, Songs of Innocence, in 1789. He published it with the accompanying illustrative plates, a feat accomplished through an engraving and illustrating process of his own design. The publication of Songs of Innocence began his series of “Illuminated Books,” in which Blake combined text and visual artwork to achieve his poetic effect. Blake always intended the poems of Songs of Innocence to be accompanied by their respective illustrations, making analysis of the texts alone problematic at times.
While ostensibly about the naivety and simplicity of innocent youth, Songs of Innocence is not merely a collection of verses for children. Several of the poems include an ironic tone, and some, such as “The Chimney Sweeper,” imply sharp criticism of the society of Blake’s time. Although clearly intended as a celebration of children and of their unadulterated enjoyment of the world around them, Songs of Innocence is also a warning to adult readers. Innocence has been lost not simply through aging, but because the forces of culture have allowed a hope-crushing society to flourish, sometimes at the direct expense of children’s souls.
Songs of Experience followed five years later, bound with a reprinting and slight revision of Songs of Innocence. Songs of Experience has never been printed separately from the former volume, and Blake intended it as a companion piece to the earlier work. The same method of engraving plates to illustrate the poems is used in Songs of Experience.
Songs of Experience allows Blake to be more direct in his criticism of society. He attacks church leaders, wealthy socialites, and cruel parents with equal vehemence. Blake also uses Songs of Experience to further develop his own personal theological system, which was portrayed as mostly very traditional in Songs of Innocence. In Songs of Experience, Blake questions how we know that God exists, whether a God who allows poor children to suffer and be exploited is in fact, good, and whether love can exist as an abstract concept apart from human interaction. Blake also hints at his belief in “free love” in this volume, suggesting that he would like to dismantle the institution of marriage along with all other artificial restrictions on human freedom.
Both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience contain poems that are interdependent. A critical reading of “The Lamb,” for example, is impossible without also reading the “Introduction,” “The Shepherd,” and “Night” from Songs of Innocence. Its meaning is further deepened when reading “The Tyger” from Songs of Experience, and vice versa.
Taken as a whole, Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience offer a romanticized yet carefully thought out view of nature, God, society, and religion from a variety of perspectives, ultimately demanding that the reader choose the view he or she finds most compelling from among the myriad voices of the poems.
#Songs of Innocence and of Experience Character List
*the Shepherd
Blake's primary persona in Songs of Innocence, the Shepherd is inspired by a boy on a cloud to write his songs down. The Shepherd writes of Innocence, about lambs and the Lamb, about nature, and about the experiences of children. The Shepherd is intended as a (biased) view of the world from a more naive perspective than Blake himself holds.
*the Bard
The Bard is Blake's persona for several poems in Songs of Experience. More worldly-wise than his counterpart, the Shepherd, the Bard is also more a craftsman of words than is the rustic singer. The Bard also has a prophetic voice and claims to see past, present, and future all the same.
*Tom Dacre
One of the few named characters in Songs of Innocence, Tom Dacre is the young boy who cries at night after a hard day as a chimney sweeper. He eventually sleeps and has a dream of an Angel, who reassures him that his present suffering will end one day, and that he will be welcomed into an afterlife without pain.
*the Little Black Boy
A character from the poem of the same title, the Black Boy is used by Blake to critique "hope for the future" religious and social beliefs and also to point out the flaws of racism. The Little Black Boy at first dislikes his dark complexion in contrast to the white English boys, but is assured by his mother that all outward appearances will fall away one day, leaving only the pure (but white) souls to enjoy the love of God.
*the School Boy
The School Boy typifies the desire of youth to be outdoors without restrictions, despite the confines of institutionalized education. He speaks of the drudgery he must undertake to be in school and compares it to the wonders he might experience outside on a summer's day.
*the Lost Little Boy
A recurring character (possibly different characters), the Little Boy who is lost appears in two poems from Songs of Innocence and in one poem in Songs of Experience. In each case, Blake uses the character to point out the failure of parents and of society to meet the needs of the children, and also the harm which blind religious devotion often entails. In Songs of Innocence, the Little Boy is rescued by God and finds comfort with his mother; in Songs of Experience he is discovered by a Priest as he questions his apprehension of God, and he is eventually burned alive for his alleged heresy.
*the Lost Little Girl
The Lost Little Girl appears in Songs of Experience as a counterpoint to the "Little Boy Lost" of Songs of Innocence. She is pursued by her parents through the desert in which she wanders, but a lion and a lioness find her and bring her to their cave for safety. The poem suggests that they may have killed her in order to free her from her earthly suffering.
#Songs of Innocence and of Experience Glossary
abstract
Thought or idea apart from concrete reality; having to do with non-material realities or truths.
Thought or idea apart from concrete reality; having to do with non-material realities or truths.
Albion
Albion is the ancient name for Britain. Blake tends to use it ironically, recalling the "glory days" of the Empire and alluding to the reign of King Arthur while drawing attention to the moral and social blights affecting his country.
Albion is the ancient name for Britain. Blake tends to use it ironically, recalling the "glory days" of the Empire and alluding to the reign of King Arthur while drawing attention to the moral and social blights affecting his country.
ale
Alcoholic drink similar to beer, but darker and heavier and with a more bitter taste.
Alcoholic drink similar to beer, but darker and heavier and with a more bitter taste.
bereaved
Having experienced loss, usually of a loved one, but the loss may also refer to loss of material items or abstract qualities.
Having experienced loss, usually of a loved one, but the loss may also refer to loss of material items or abstract qualities.
dell
A small, wooded valley.
A small, wooded valley.
eschatological
Having to do with the "end times" as foretold in Biblical prophecy.
Having to do with the "end times" as foretold in Biblical prophecy.
gambol
To skip about in a playful manner.
To skip about in a playful manner.
green
In the context of William Blake's poetry, a "green" is a grassy area forming the common of a village.
In the context of William Blake's poetry, a "green" is a grassy area forming the common of a village.
hallowed
Set apart for use by God or a religious institution representing God.
Set apart for use by God or a religious institution representing God.
harlot
A prostitute.
A prostitute.
hearse
A vehicle used to convey the coffin of a deceased person from the place of ceremony to the burial ground. Blake uses it ironically when he describes a "marriage hearse."
A vehicle used to convey the coffin of a deceased person from the place of ceremony to the burial ground. Blake uses it ironically when he describes a "marriage hearse."
hoary
White, as if covered by frost.
White, as if covered by frost.
innocence
The state of naïveté or lack of religious knowledge that comes before an understanding of sin and evil through experience.
The state of naïveté or lack of religious knowledge that comes before an understanding of sin and evil through experience.
irony
The use of language to convey a meaning opposite to the one ostensibly stated.
The use of language to convey a meaning opposite to the one ostensibly stated.
manacles
Chains used to bind prisoners.
Chains used to bind prisoners.
materialism
Philosophical thought in which only the measurable physical world is held to exist or be of importance.
Philosophical thought in which only the measurable physical world is held to exist or be of importance.
nature
In Blake's poetry, nature is a living, sentient thing that possesses qualities embodied in the world at creation, and which nature has been slower to lose than human beings have. The natural state of man is one full of joy and free from the restrictions of man-made authorities.
In Blake's poetry, nature is a living, sentient thing that possesses qualities embodied in the world at creation, and which nature has been slower to lose than human beings have. The natural state of man is one full of joy and free from the restrictions of man-made authorities.
parson
A Protestant minister or pastor.
A Protestant minister or pastor.
reason
The capacity of human beings to think, often placed in opposition to imagination or emotion.
The capacity of human beings to think, often placed in opposition to imagination or emotion.
symmetry
The balanced and well-proportioned arrangement of the parts of a whole item or creature.
The balanced and well-proportioned arrangement of the parts of a whole item or creature.
#Songs of Innocence and of Experience Themes
The Destruction of Innocence
Throughout both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, Blake repeatedly addresses the destruction of childlike innocence, and in many cases of children's lives, by a society designed to use people for its own selfish ends. Blake romanticizes the children of his poems, only to place them in situations common to his day, in which they find their simple faith in parents or God challenged by harsh conditions. Songs of Experience is an attempt to denounce the cruel society that harms the human soul in such terrible ways, but it also calls the reader back to innocence, through Imagination, in an effort to redeem a fallen world.
Throughout both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, Blake repeatedly addresses the destruction of childlike innocence, and in many cases of children's lives, by a society designed to use people for its own selfish ends. Blake romanticizes the children of his poems, only to place them in situations common to his day, in which they find their simple faith in parents or God challenged by harsh conditions. Songs of Experience is an attempt to denounce the cruel society that harms the human soul in such terrible ways, but it also calls the reader back to innocence, through Imagination, in an effort to redeem a fallen world.
Redemption
Throughout his works, Blake frequently refers to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. While he alludes to the atoning act of Christ Crucified, more often Blake focuses on the Incarnation, the taking on of human form by the divine Creator, as the source of redemption for both human beings and nature. He emphasizes that Christ "became a little child" just as men and women need to return to a state of childlike grace in order to restore the innocence lost to the social machinery of a cruel world.
Throughout his works, Blake frequently refers to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. While he alludes to the atoning act of Christ Crucified, more often Blake focuses on the Incarnation, the taking on of human form by the divine Creator, as the source of redemption for both human beings and nature. He emphasizes that Christ "became a little child" just as men and women need to return to a state of childlike grace in order to restore the innocence lost to the social machinery of a cruel world.
Religious Hypocrisy
In such poems as "Holy Thursday" and "The Little Vagabond," Blake critiques the religious leaders of his day for their abuse of spiritual authority. The men who should be shepherds to their flocks are in fact reinforcing a political and economic system that turns children into short-lived chimney sweepers and that represses love and creative expression in adults. Blake has no patience with clergy who would assuage their own or their earthly patrons' guilt by parading poor children through a church on Ascension Day, as in "Holy Thursday" from both sections, and he reserves most of his sharpest verse for these men.
In such poems as "Holy Thursday" and "The Little Vagabond," Blake critiques the religious leaders of his day for their abuse of spiritual authority. The men who should be shepherds to their flocks are in fact reinforcing a political and economic system that turns children into short-lived chimney sweepers and that represses love and creative expression in adults. Blake has no patience with clergy who would assuage their own or their earthly patrons' guilt by parading poor children through a church on Ascension Day, as in "Holy Thursday" from both sections, and he reserves most of his sharpest verse for these men.
Imagination over Reason
Blake is a strong proponent of the value of human creativity, or Imagination, over materialistic rationalism, or Reason. As a poet and artist, Blake sees the power of art in its various forms to raise the human spirit above its earth-bound mire. He also sees the soul-killing materialism of his day, which uses rational thought as an excuse to perpetuate crimes against the innocent via societal and religious norms. Songs of Experience in particular decries Reason's hold over Imagination, and it uses several ironic poems to undermine the alleged superiority of rationalism.
Blake is a strong proponent of the value of human creativity, or Imagination, over materialistic rationalism, or Reason. As a poet and artist, Blake sees the power of art in its various forms to raise the human spirit above its earth-bound mire. He also sees the soul-killing materialism of his day, which uses rational thought as an excuse to perpetuate crimes against the innocent via societal and religious norms. Songs of Experience in particular decries Reason's hold over Imagination, and it uses several ironic poems to undermine the alleged superiority of rationalism.
Blake was not opposed to intelligent inquiry, however. In "A Little Boy Lost" from Songs of Experience, Blake admires the boy's inquiries into the nature of God and his own Thought, even as he sharply criticizes the religious leaders of his day for demanding mindless obedience to dogma.
Nature as the Purest State of Man
Like many of his contemporary Romantic poets, Blake sees in the natural world an idyllic universe that can influence human beings in a positive manner. Many of his poems, such as "Spring," celebrate the beauty and fecundity of nature, while others, such as "London," deride the sterile mechanism of urban society. Blake's characters are happiest when they are surrounded by natural beauty and following their natural instincts; they are most oppressed when they are trapped in social or religious institutions or are subject to the horrors of urban living.
Like many of his contemporary Romantic poets, Blake sees in the natural world an idyllic universe that can influence human beings in a positive manner. Many of his poems, such as "Spring," celebrate the beauty and fecundity of nature, while others, such as "London," deride the sterile mechanism of urban society. Blake's characters are happiest when they are surrounded by natural beauty and following their natural instincts; they are most oppressed when they are trapped in social or religious institutions or are subject to the horrors of urban living.
The Flaws of Earthly Parents
One recurring motif in both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience is the failure of human parents to properly nurture their children. The "Little Boy Lost" is abandoned by his earthly father, yet rescued by his Heavenly Father. The parents of "The Little Vagabond" weep in vain as their son is burned alive for heresy. Both mother and father seem frustrated by their child's temperament in "Infant Sorrow." This recurring motif allows Blake to emphasize the frailty of human communities, in which the roles of mother and father are defined by society rather than by natural instincts, and to emphasize the supremacy of Nature and of divine care in the form of God the Father.
One recurring motif in both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience is the failure of human parents to properly nurture their children. The "Little Boy Lost" is abandoned by his earthly father, yet rescued by his Heavenly Father. The parents of "The Little Vagabond" weep in vain as their son is burned alive for heresy. Both mother and father seem frustrated by their child's temperament in "Infant Sorrow." This recurring motif allows Blake to emphasize the frailty of human communities, in which the roles of mother and father are defined by society rather than by natural instincts, and to emphasize the supremacy of Nature and of divine care in the form of God the Father.
Social Reform
While much of Blake's poetry focuses on leaving behind the material world in favor of a more perfect spiritual nature, his poetry nonetheless offers realistic and socially conscious critiques of existing situations. Both of his "Chimney Sweeper" poems highlight the abuse of children by parents and employers as they are forced into hazardous, and potentially fatal, situations for the sake of earning money. Both "Holy Thursday" poems decry the overt display of the poor as a spectacle of absolution for the wealthy and affluent. "The Human Abstract" points out that our virtues are predicated on the existence of human suffering. Although Blake is certainly more spiritually than practically minded, the seeds of social reform can be seen in the philosophy underlying his verses: innocence is a state of man that must be preserved, not destroyed, and the social systems that seek to destroy innocence must be changed or eliminated.
While much of Blake's poetry focuses on leaving behind the material world in favor of a more perfect spiritual nature, his poetry nonetheless offers realistic and socially conscious critiques of existing situations. Both of his "Chimney Sweeper" poems highlight the abuse of children by parents and employers as they are forced into hazardous, and potentially fatal, situations for the sake of earning money. Both "Holy Thursday" poems decry the overt display of the poor as a spectacle of absolution for the wealthy and affluent. "The Human Abstract" points out that our virtues are predicated on the existence of human suffering. Although Blake is certainly more spiritually than practically minded, the seeds of social reform can be seen in the philosophy underlying his verses: innocence is a state of man that must be preserved, not destroyed, and the social systems that seek to destroy innocence must be changed or eliminated.
Songs of Innocence and of Experience Quotes and Analysis
Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee?
"The Lamb"
"The Lamb"
Blake's rhetorical question to the lamb leads him to answer that he who is called by the name of the lamb (the Lamb of God, i.e. Jesus Christ) created not only the lamb, but also the speaker of the poem and all good things in the world. The lamb's tender and meek qualities are offered as evidence of these same qualities in God.
When my mother died I was very young,
And my father sold me while yet my tongue,
Could scarcely cry weep weep weep weep.
So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.
"The Chimney Sweeper"
And my father sold me while yet my tongue,
Could scarcely cry weep weep weep weep.
So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.
"The Chimney Sweeper"
This introductory stanza to "The Chimney Sweeper" alludes to a practice Blake found abhorrent: the use of small children to clean chimneys throughout London. The dangers involved, not to mention the squalid living conditions and the potential for life-shortening respiratory diseases, offended Blake to such an extent that he dedicated two separate poems to explaining the children's plight. Blake intended that this romanticized profession be understood for what it was, the selfish exploitation of children for the good of the urban machine.
For Mercy has a human heart
Pity, a human face:
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.
"The Divine Image"
Pity, a human face:
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.
"The Divine Image"
Blake takes time in Songs of Innocence to explore the nature of virtue. Mercy, pity, love, and peace are excellent ideals, but they are nothing without human beings to perform them. Blake here argues against making such virtue abstract, and instead urges his readers to see that virtue is a practice of human beings in which they reflect the image of their Creator.
'Twas on a Holy Thursday their innocent faces clean
The children walking tow & two in red & blue & green
Grey headed beadles walk'd before with wands as white as snow
Till into the high dome of Paul's they like Thames waters flow.
"Holy Thursday"
The children walking tow & two in red & blue & green
Grey headed beadles walk'd before with wands as white as snow
Till into the high dome of Paul's they like Thames waters flow.
"Holy Thursday"
Blake describes the children marching "two & two," evoking both the Sunday school image of Noah's Ark, in which the animals are led into the safety of the Ark, and the image of a military parade, in which the "Grey headed beadles" make sure the children keep formation. This description with its bright colors of red, blue, and green stands in ironic contrast to the abject poverty of the children, and to the hypocrisy evident in their being made a spectacle in order to assuage the guilt of their wealthy benefactors as they are forced to show devotion to God.
O! he gives to us his joy,
That our grief he may destroy
Till our grief is fled & gone
He doth sit by us and moan
"On Another's Sorrow"
That our grief he may destroy
Till our grief is fled & gone
He doth sit by us and moan
"On Another's Sorrow"
The "he" of this poem is God, who shares his joy with humanity to help it endure its sorrow in this world. However, as he shares his joy, he also takes upon himself humanity's grief; hence, he sits by mankind and moans along with it as it suffers, and will do so until man's suffering comes to an end.
Hear the voice of the Bard!
Who Present, Past, & Future sees
Whose ears have heard,
The Holy Word,
That walk'd among the ancient trees.
"Introduction"
Who Present, Past, & Future sees
Whose ears have heard,
The Holy Word,
That walk'd among the ancient trees.
"Introduction"
Similar to a classical evocation of the Muse, this introductory poem to Songs of Experience demands that the reader listen to the poet. This poet is also a prophet, who is able to see present, past and future. Underlining his divine authority are the next two lines, in which the Bard is said to "have heard" the Holy Word as he walked among "the ancient trees," a reference to the Garden of Eden. Although he can see all time, he has only heard the Word of God in the past. One can infer that he no longer hears the voice of God in the present, nor will he in the future.
Is this a holy thing to see,
In a rich and fruitful land,
Babes reduced to misery,
Fed with cold and usurous hand?
"Holy Thursday"
In a rich and fruitful land,
Babes reduced to misery,
Fed with cold and usurous hand?
"Holy Thursday"
In this poem from Songs of Experience, Blake draws attention to the contradiction between poor children and a rich society. He asks how children can be allowed to starve and suffer in a country as prosperous as England. He further demands to know how the Ascension Day ritual of parading the poor children through St. Paul's Cathedral on Holy Thursday is in any way pleasing to God. His questions are sharp and require that the reader acknowledge the hypocrisy of the situation.
And because I am happy, & dance & sing,
They think they have done me no injury:
And are gone to praise God & his Priest & King
Who make up a heaven of our misery.
"The Chimney Sweeper"
They think they have done me no injury:
And are gone to praise God & his Priest & King
Who make up a heaven of our misery.
"The Chimney Sweeper"
As with most of the Songs of Experience versions of his poems, Blake directly criticizes the religious and social systems that would build upon a foundation of suffering children. The little boy keeps a brave face on his plight for the sake of his parents, so that they will not understand the horror of his praising a God, priest, and king who have so enslaved their own child.
Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
"The Tyger"
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
"The Tyger"
The complementary poem to "The Lamb" from Songs of Innocence, this poem instead seeks to infer the qualities of God from one of his more dangerous creations. The speaker again asks questions in a form of catechism born from nature, but this time the gentleness of the lamb is replaced by the ferocity of the predatory tiger. The speaker asks what power would dare to create or control the tiger, and the answer is that God is in some ways more dangerous and frightening than the vicious creature he has created.
I wander tho' each charter'd street,
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.
"London"
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.
"London"
Blake's dissatisfaction with the urban blight of large cities, and particularly of London, is made obvious in this poem. Both the streets and the river are "charter'd" or planned out; every means of travel is controlled and directed by some master planners. However, although there is structure here, there is no hope. Everyone the speaker meets shows evidence of weakness and sorrow on his face, and the city is in fact a trap for the souls of men.
Comments
Post a Comment