William Blake

I had trouble trying to disect Blake's poems. As warned, he is much more complex than he seems. The lighthearted poems about the lamb and playing in the green hills prove to entail much more than appears on the surface. I was easily fooled by this at first. His deep philosophical ideas and irony can be misconstrued or overlooked. Blake seems very connected to Christianity and is able to envoke very different responses to his writings. He seems to take obvious subjects and go beneath the surface. This was a challenge for me as I sometimes struggle looking past superficial aspects of writings.

Blake's Songs of Innocence appear to portray certainty and comfort, while the Songs of Experience appear to portray anguish, uncertainty, and doubt. I was intrigued that Blake included some of his poems in both sections of his writings. For example, The Chimney Sweeper can be viewed in two different ways. In the Songs of Innocence, Blake depicts the dream of little Tom Dacre who dreams of an angel that opens the coffins and sets free those plagued from the complications of chimney sweeping. Tom wakes from his dream and
"...was happy & warm
So if all do their duty they need not fear harm" (81).
It is to be assumed that these feelings of freedom and joy will be experienced after death.

In contrast, The Chimney Sweeper in Songs of Experience portrays a different picture. It shows unhappiness and bitterness because the child blames his parents for selling him into a life plagued with hardship and disease. He worries that because he does not complain that his parents do not know of his physical infirmities (89). I like how Blake took the same subject and depicted two different sides of the situation.

One of Blake's greatest contrasts is between the Tyger and the Lamb. When he discusses the Lamb, a picture of peacefulness is painted. To evoke this feeling, Blake uses words such as tender and mild (79). Blake asks the Lamb if he knows who made him. He reassures the Lamb and offers wisdom. When discussing the Tyger, Blake paints a dark picture opposite from the Lamb (88-89). Blake uses these two animals to compare two views of God. "The Lamb" shows the Lamb and a child as an image of God. God is seen here as a kind and loving God (79). On the other hand, in "The Tyger", God is seen as dangerous and wrathful (88-89). It is here that Blake poses the question, did the same God create both the tyger and the lamb? This evokes controversial feelings. Can God be both compassionate and frightening? I like that Blake does not offer a straightforward answer. This is a difficult subject that, perhaps, does not have one correct answer.

I was drawn to one part of Blake's poem "Proverbs of Hell":
"The tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction
Expect poison fromt he standing water.
You never know what is enough unless you know what is
more than enough" (99).
I was particularly intrigued by the last line. I am not sure if I know exactly what Blake is trying to convey here, but I think it may tie to the experience theme he so often displays. He definitely portrays a wisdom theme in this poem.

I found William Blake to be very deep and thought provoking. However, it was difficult to get past surface ideas. I think this is what Blake wants his readers to do though. He seems to want to evoke more philosophical thinking.