William Blake's oeuvre/chef-d'oeuvre

The Lamb by William Blake

I would like to focus on one of the romantic theme in this poem. I would call it the “research toward spiritual truth.” No later than in the introductory passage, we can notice a serious relationship between this poem and some of the scriptures in the Bible:
“Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?”
This poem begins with a child asking a “little lamb,” “who made thee?” I did not just mention a “person” as if it could have been an adult or a kid. You might have noticed that this question is filled with child-like amazement. That same sentiment can be felt further in the poem (line 11-12). Blake starts off with a question that could seem commonplace or even trivial but “Who made thee?” is a question that all of us have asked ourselves at some point in our life. The question, of course, has taken different forms and has been in philosophers’ writings for decades. Blake would answer that a human being could only exist because “The architect” has made him or her. In this poem, Blake leaves no doubt in his reader’s mind that somebody made everything. It is a delicate question, “who made thee?” Who is “the who?” It must be some sort of higher power. It can neither be a random event nor an impersonal individual. Blake is convinced that someone created the lamb and the child as he mentions:
“Little Lamb I'll tell thee! He is called by thy name, For he calls himself a Lamb; He is meek & he is mild, He became a little child:”
This small poem demonstrates how well Blake knew the scriptures. I find it very reassuring for Christians because it points all of them to Jesus Christ, who has given them everything. Blake shows great respect and more importantly, thankfulness to God in this poem. We can imagine he was very much into both religion and the importance of God in human’s life.
Also, I wanted to compare “The Lamb” to one of Blake’s other poems, “The Tyger.” Those poems show two opposite ends: the ultimate good and the contrasting evil facet of human existence. It could also, in a more specific way, respectively compare the naive childhood to the corrupted adult world. Blake became attached to the idea that true innocence does not exist without experience, this last one being itself transformed by the creative intensity of one’s imagination. These differences can be seen through not only the meaning of the poem, but also through word choice and imagery. The first metaphor that appears to the reader comes right from reading the title. Most people perceive a lamb as being a sweet animal above suspicion. The poem describes the lamb as having “a tender voice”(7) and being “meek and mild” (15). The lamb can not possibly hurt someone. However, the “tyger” is a fierce and cruel creature. Its “fearful symmetry” (4) makes the animal seem so striking. These two contrasting animals first set the mood for the poems. When reading these two poems more carefully, I noticed a difference in them just by their sound. In “The Lamb,” the lines flow together very smoothly and peacefully. An air of purity “floats around” this poem. However, even though both poems use couplets to create that logic of rhythm and continuity, the more frequent questions that are asked in “The Tyger” makes it seem more demanding. This leads into a more energetic word use.

William Blake's “The Chimney Sweeper,” written at the start of the French Revolution, describes the deplorable condition of life of young boys during this time period. Parents, often, sold their boys who were five or six years for the only purpose of cleaning chimneys because of their petite size. These children were, of course, exploited and lived a miserable existence that was, however, socially tolerable at the time. Blake shows the wrongness of this acceptance through poetic devices such as point of view, symbolism and a surprising irony that he seems to perfectly control. Blake expresses his poem in first person, as a young chimney sweeper. This gives his piece a more profound sincerity because he wants to make himself and the reader feel like chimney sweepers for the length of the poem. In addition, using first person creates a deeper sense of compassion in the reader. “When my mother died I was very young and my father sold me while yet my tongue could scarcely cry…” This sympathy allows the reader to realize not only how these children lived, but also how they felt and how they got their childhood “taken away” from them.
Blake also uses symbolism to convey a clear message of how immoral the situation was for these young boys. Most of this symbolism appears to be about death. That definitely adds a dark frame of mind to his oeuvre. For example, Blake writes “So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.” Those boys were exposed to the harmful side effect of “soot.” Its inhalation made them ill and, in most cases, damaged their lungs. Starting in line 10, the poem switches around to flirt with a beam of hope. For when Blake writes “As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight! That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, & Jack, Were all of them lock’d up in coffins of black, And by came an Angel who had a bright key, And he opened the coffins and set them all free;” Blake’s words show dreams and hopes for the sweepers.

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

I was really happy to actually read about a topic that has been for us, French citizens, a tremendous source of hope and talent (political talent, writing talent) even though the best writers (Philosophe du siecles des lumieres, Age of Enlightenment, such as Voltaire, Diderot, Montesquieu, or again Rousseau) of the time flourished beforehand coming up with the same ideas that have been “yelled” during the French Revolution (Liberte, Egalite Fraternite meaning liberty, equality, brotherhood). Because the French Revolution illuminates the biggest contrast our country has ever witnessed, it is a part of our history that can not be forgotten or overlooked. Philosophical evolution, or upgraded cultural living, along with social disparities or tyrannical monarchy created a strange spectacle to be a part of. However writers at that time could not have hindsight enough about the French Revolution yet, as Samuel Taylor Coleridge mentions (last line of the introductory paragraph p.36). Historians, later on, will be much more logical and dispassionate about that period. For my first entry regarding the thoughts and problems encountered during the French Revolution, I wanted to talk to you more about Helen Maria Williams as I thought she had a very interesting point of view on that period of French history. She was in the heart of what has been known as some of the most agitated and “terrifying” years of France. In her “Letters Written in France, in the Summer of 1790,” she describes how complicated it was to judge the Federation at the time. By stating, “How am I to give you an adequate idea of the behaviour of the spectators? How am I to paint the impetuous feelings of that immense, that exulting multitude?” Williams was attempting to transmit to her friend back in England a thought of how connected together by such an important cause people in the Federation were. She writes a description of the procession she witnessed in the most precise manner I have ever seen but what shocked me the most was how she depicted the scene at the Bastille Prison as it was a place you could only have nightmares of. She sees prisoners as people being kept captive, hostage of such a repressive system. You can feel a bit of regret, remorse, and compassion in her text especially when she mentions: “and to these regions of horror were human creatures dragged at the caprice of despotic power.” I find that sentence very intense, even to the point of giving me goose bumps!!
The second passage I wanted to focus on was the very thoughtful and complicated definition of liberty, that principle that is so important to human nature, given by Mary Wollstonecraft (bottom of page 57). She is aware that liberty was just a concept that has not been really understood nor fully grasped by anyone in France at the time. One of her main questions would resume to: How can leaders, heirs to a throne rather than chosen by the people, not respect who they are in charge of to the point of betraying their rights? Thirst for unconditional power might be the answer to that question…

Honest to Blog

I am Ivan Besancon. I am graduating in the summer with a Finance and Management degree. I came to Mercer University from France to play for the tennis team. Because I had to take an English class to complete my core, I chose this course since I believe it will give me a broader understanding of English literature and to some extent the English language itself. I am a little anxious about the fact that English is not my first language; therefore, I will probably struggle. However, I am definitely up for the challenge and have a thirst for knowledge.