Archetypes Used In William Blake's Poems
A Look at William Blake’s Archetypes Used in His Poems
Blake’s Deep Poems William Blake, a poet, painter, and printmaker, once stated, “To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour” (William Blake). He often opens our minds to deeper thought in his pieces. Blake wrote two pieces called Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Within these two topics, Blake wrote many stories/poems that demonstrate the personality of innocence and experience. Both topics open our minds and forces us to look deeper into the text to see archetypes provided. William Blake’s “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” both model one of the pieces and opens our minds up into deeper thought. William
Blake’s Songs of Innocence includes the poem “The Lamb” that models the essence of purity. The first stanza of the poem is descriptive; the profound question “ Little Lamb who made thee?” (Line 1, Blake) is a simple question that makes the child look and think about a deeper meaning that all humans have about creation. Although the answer is revealed as a riddle, it shows the child’s confidence in the simple Christian faith and the innocent teachings of the religion. The second stanza of the poem contains an explanation and a spiritual side. The lamb in the story symbolizes Jesus Christ and models the values of gentleness and peace, “He is meek and he is mild” (Line 15, Blake). These characteristics are often how children think of Jesus/nature. This poem shows what William Blake saw as the positive aspects of the Christian belief, but fails to account for the suffering and evil in the world. Blake’s piece Songs of Experience includes the poem The Tyger which makes the reader wonder if the same creator that made a gentle lamb made a fierce tiger. Blake compares the tiger to a blacksmith and the fire they work with. Blake describes seeing fire in the eyes of the tiger. Each stanza asks questions about the tiger’s creation, but every question refrains to the initial question “What immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry?” (Line 3&4, Blake). What divine creature dared to handle the fire and challenge to make such creature? Blake ponders the thought of once the tiger’s horrible heart “began to beat”, how the creator found the courage to continue and finish the project? The speaker wonders once the job is done “Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” (Line 19&20, Blake). Could the one who created a fierce, dangerous, powerful tiger also make a gentle, soft lamb? The poems, each belong to one of Blake’s pieces, give a perspective on religion that includes the good/clear and the terrible. Together, the poems give a deeper thought to the reader than either one does independently. The poems complement each other and allow the reader to think deeper into Blake’s pieces. Asking questions pertaining to religion, nature, and creation. Although the two pieces focus on innocence and experience, Blake’s poems give a good instance of how he stands somewhere outside both perspectives. The Lamb and The Tyger, both poems by William Blake, opens the reader’s mind up into deeper thought to look at different perspectives of religion. Blake used archetypes or different animals to look at the views of religion and question creation. The idea of innocence and experience are very different, just like a lamb and a tiger. Within the animal choices Blake used, the reader can see and understand that the “animals” apply to everything in life. There is always a gentle, soft side to every situation in life just like there is a dangerous, fierce side as well.
Blake’s Deep Poems William Blake, a poet, painter, and printmaker, once stated, “To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour” (William Blake). He often opens our minds to deeper thought in his pieces. Blake wrote two pieces called Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Within these two topics, Blake wrote many stories/poems that demonstrate the personality of innocence and experience. Both topics open our minds and forces us to look deeper into the text to see archetypes provided. William Blake’s “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” both model one of the pieces and opens our minds up into deeper thought. William
Blake’s Songs of Innocence includes the poem “The Lamb” that models the essence of purity. The first stanza of the poem is descriptive; the profound question “ Little Lamb who made thee?” (Line 1, Blake) is a simple question that makes the child look and think about a deeper meaning that all humans have about creation. Although the answer is revealed as a riddle, it shows the child’s confidence in the simple Christian faith and the innocent teachings of the religion. The second stanza of the poem contains an explanation and a spiritual side. The lamb in the story symbolizes Jesus Christ and models the values of gentleness and peace, “He is meek and he is mild” (Line 15, Blake). These characteristics are often how children think of Jesus/nature. This poem shows what William Blake saw as the positive aspects of the Christian belief, but fails to account for the suffering and evil in the world. Blake’s piece Songs of Experience includes the poem The Tyger which makes the reader wonder if the same creator that made a gentle lamb made a fierce tiger. Blake compares the tiger to a blacksmith and the fire they work with. Blake describes seeing fire in the eyes of the tiger. Each stanza asks questions about the tiger’s creation, but every question refrains to the initial question “What immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry?” (Line 3&4, Blake). What divine creature dared to handle the fire and challenge to make such creature? Blake ponders the thought of once the tiger’s horrible heart “began to beat”, how the creator found the courage to continue and finish the project? The speaker wonders once the job is done “Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” (Line 19&20, Blake). Could the one who created a fierce, dangerous, powerful tiger also make a gentle, soft lamb? The poems, each belong to one of Blake’s pieces, give a perspective on religion that includes the good/clear and the terrible. Together, the poems give a deeper thought to the reader than either one does independently. The poems complement each other and allow the reader to think deeper into Blake’s pieces. Asking questions pertaining to religion, nature, and creation. Although the two pieces focus on innocence and experience, Blake’s poems give a good instance of how he stands somewhere outside both perspectives. The Lamb and The Tyger, both poems by William Blake, opens the reader’s mind up into deeper thought to look at different perspectives of religion. Blake used archetypes or different animals to look at the views of religion and question creation. The idea of innocence and experience are very different, just like a lamb and a tiger. Within the animal choices Blake used, the reader can see and understand that the “animals” apply to everything in life. There is always a gentle, soft side to every situation in life just like there is a dangerous, fierce side as well.