FREE ESSAY ON EXPLICATION OF BLAKE

EXPLICATION OF BLAKE

The poetry of William Blake is renowned for its critique of society and injustice as well
as expressing strong religious influences. Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience
were written concerning the destiny of the human spirit and the differences between how
children and adults view and understand the world. Blake believed that man had the
potential to attain both wisdom through experience and joy through innocence. He admired
the innocence of children and thought that self-awareness could be realized through the
recapturing of the wonderment and imagination of a child. Songs of Innocence reflect that
innocence and joy. Songs of Experience were written to expound upon how the knowledge of
injustices, evils, and confusion arrive as a result of life experience. These poems focus
on understanding the evils and injustices of the world without becoming tainted by them
in order to gain an awareness of our true identities. 
Two of Blake's most well known poems are "The Lamb" from Songs of Innocence and "The
Tyger" from Songs of Experience. Each work contains elements relating to their themes.
"The Lamb" is written through the viewpoint of a child as a symbol of innocence analogous
to "The Tyger" as an example of experience. In "The Lamb", Blake discusses many points
pertaining to religion. The lamb is described as being meek, vulnerable, and harmless
when Blake says, "Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing, woolly, bright; Gave
thee such a tender voice" (lines 3-7). The picture of the lamb feeding "by the stream and
oe'r the mead" (line 4) suggests God's kindness in creation. We are reminded in the
second stanza that God, who created the lamb, is also like the lamb. "For he calls
Himself a Lamb. He is meek, and He is mild" (lines 14-15). After "He became a little
child" (line 16), Jesus became known as The Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of
the world. The innocence of the lamb is shown to be wholesome, good, and right, free from
the corruption of the world. 
"The Tyger" also deals with religious elements and creation asking, "Did he who made the
Lamb make thee?" (line 20). The first stanza asks the question of what kind of being
could be powerful enough to create "thy fearful symmetry" (line 4). Blake is amazed at
the complexity of the animal, "what art, could twist the sinews of thy heart" (lines
9-10), the power that caused its heart to beat, and at the formation of tiger's brain. We
cannot be completely positive of what the tiger represents, but with its fearsome
appearance and savage nature, the majesty and power of God's creation is manifested. The
tiger is terrifying in its beauty, strength, complexity, and vitality. The lamb is
obviously one of God's creations with innocence and meekness with which he must be
pleased, but Blake wonders whether He is as pleased with the tiger, "Did he smile his
work to see?" (line 19). The poem ends with the poet questioning not who "could" create
the animal, but who would "dare" to create such an animal. Because the tiger represents
experience, it can be inferred that experience is not something to be desired and is
evil. Through further examination we realize that experience, like the tiger, is to be
respected and revered, but not enjoyed. The wisdom that comes from experience allows one
to ponder life's mysteries, inherent complications and problems, injustices, and abuses
without becoming tainted by them while maintaining a state of innocence.
The Tiger and The Lamb are complementary due to their examination of dissimilar, almost
contradictory viewpoints. When analyzed together, we realize that there must be a union
of opposites where innocence and experience are fused. Simply returning to a state of
innocence and ignoring the lessons taught through experience is not sufficient for us to
become aware of our own identities, but recognizing and understanding the evils around us
without becoming tainted by them is how we achieve self-awareness.