WHAT DO WE QUESTION?

RELIGION? (2)POLITICS? (1)SOCIETY? (1)HUMANITY? (2)

WILLIAM BLAKE

“If we use theIMAGINATION,

we see all things in the infinite”

One power alone makes the poet:

IMAGINATIONIMAGINATION (The Divine Vision)(The Divine Vision)

Known not just as a poet

But also as a PAINTER

Blake himself

Said to be ‘mad’, because his poems cry out against social problems like:

*Growing division between classes

*Wretched working conditions

* Child Labor

A Realization…

“Without contraries is no progression.”

The Lamb and The Tyger– Reflect “two contrary states of the soul”

which are both ESSENTIAL to humanity joy and sadnessjoy and sadness innocence and experienceinnocence and experience

Blake’s writings

Tended to show Christ as an active fighter against injustice, not a meek and mild lamb---

a common symbol for Christ---the speaker’s viewpoint is thus

an incomplete representation of Blake’s beliefs

Blake’s England

Cost of Living DOUBLED, while the average income only increased by 1/2

The profession: some spaces only 7 1/2

inches high and wide… therefore the small the child, and younger, the better.

Blake’s The Tyger

Blake believed:– He saw visions, and devoted his life to

worshipping God with his poetry and art.– Every object on earth had mystical and

spiritual meaning– This was represented by a strong

revolutionary energy… one that could not be comprehended by the speaker of the poem. Could be demonic or God-like.

QUESTION #1

What does the image of the tiger’s burning

in the first line suggest?

ANSWER #1

Images of fire hint at:

Animal’s Ferocity, Power, or Mystery

QUESTION #2

What is the effect of the speaker’s addressing the animal directly in line 4?

ANSWER #2

The use of APOSTROPHE:

produces the illusion of facing a tiger, making the poem more

immediate.

QUESTION #3

Why does Blake allude to the war in heaven?

ANSWER #3

The allusion makes the animal seem to be a symbol of something;

It adds greater meaning and drama to the poem.

Blake’s THE LAMB

Reflection of:– Biblical fascination– Struggles to find answers that profoundly

disturbed him, such as:Why do humans do evil? Why do evil people sometimes

prosper?Why does God allow innocent

children to suffer?

BIBLICAL REFERENCE

The LambExodus 12: Isrealites smeared

blood on their doors so the angel of God did not slay their firstborn sons.

Identified with the Passover feast of the paschal lamb in Jewish tradition.

QUESTION #1

How do the first two lines differ in ToneTone from those of “The Tyger”?

ANSWER #1

It is Gentle, Simple, Caring and Child-like…

as opposed to a fevered, clever or even perhaps fearful question to begin The Tyger

QUESTION #2

Whom do you imagine as the speakerspeaker in the poem,

and whom does the speaker address?

ANSWER #2

Perhaps a Child speaking with the Lamb

Perhaps a Parent speaking with a young child about a lamb.

Blake’s The Chimney SweeperThe Chimney Sweeper

Social Outcasts- the young sweeper

A discourse on the attitude of a society towards the Poor and Homeless

Only comfort, as displayed in Blake poem, resides in the belief that heaven awaits them at death

QUESTION #1

What do the “coffins of black” in Line 12 suggest besides literal death?

ANSWER #1

The dark confines of a chimney.

QUESTION #2

What is the Tone of the last line?

ANSWER #2

The last line is IRONIC; the best the boy has to look forward to, if he does his duty, is death.

Blake’s A Poison Tree

A discussion which leads to Blake’s description of

Unresolved Anger

QUESTION #1

What is the effect of the series of sentences all beginning with “I”?

Are there other examples of parallel sentence structure later in the poem?

ANSWER #1

The sentences seem emphatic and perhaps childish in their repetition and simplicity

Sentences starting with ‘And’

QUESTION #2

Do you agree with the poet’s remark in line 4 about the danger of hidden anger? Why or why not?

ANSWER #2

Yes: only way to get rid of anger is to express it

No: sometimes it hurts others feelings to express anger, so it may be better to wait until the anger is diffused.