William Blake as a Romantic Poet
Looking at two or more poems by William Blake consider what makes these works Romantic.
“Romanticism... is an international artistic and philosophical movement that redefined the fundamental ways in which people in Western cultures thought about themselves and about their world.” Blake was born into a state of social change an ‘Age of Revolution’ and his poetry certainly reflected his strong opinion of how society was being oppressed by political and cultural influences. He believed that the Industrial Revolution in particular created a mechanical environment which stripped humankind of their imagination, happiness and spirit, a society led by money, greed and power that no longer recognised the beauty that surrounded them in the form of nature and what had been God given. The Laughing Song(Songs of Innocence) is a lyrical poem that reflects Blake’s simplistic view of the wonder of nature and the joy it offers. He personifies aspects of nature such as “When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy” (line 1) and demonstrates that the beauty that God has created “When the painted birds in the shade” (line 9) can be compared to the power of our imagination. The comparison between these Gods given gift of beauty, which he intrinsically links to humanity by personifying nature, suggests that human creativity in on par with the spiritual power of nature itself. Another suggestion of the link between the power of imagination and the power of nature is in line seven and eight. “When Mary, Susan and Emily With their sweet round mouths sing ‘Ha,Ha,He!” Here he is possibly proposing that birdsong can be created by these girls, making them as special and no different to the creatures that sing around them. The intimation of intense joy that can be had in such an uncomplicated environment opens up the prospect of refuge and escape from the synthetic changes in civilisation.
Romantic Poetry endorsed the need for imagination, feelings and emotions, with emotion as the key
“Romanticism... is an international artistic and philosophical movement that redefined the fundamental ways in which people in Western cultures thought about themselves and about their world.” Blake was born into a state of social change an ‘Age of Revolution’ and his poetry certainly reflected his strong opinion of how society was being oppressed by political and cultural influences. He believed that the Industrial Revolution in particular created a mechanical environment which stripped humankind of their imagination, happiness and spirit, a society led by money, greed and power that no longer recognised the beauty that surrounded them in the form of nature and what had been God given. The Laughing Song(Songs of Innocence) is a lyrical poem that reflects Blake’s simplistic view of the wonder of nature and the joy it offers. He personifies aspects of nature such as “When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy” (line 1) and demonstrates that the beauty that God has created “When the painted birds in the shade” (line 9) can be compared to the power of our imagination. The comparison between these Gods given gift of beauty, which he intrinsically links to humanity by personifying nature, suggests that human creativity in on par with the spiritual power of nature itself. Another suggestion of the link between the power of imagination and the power of nature is in line seven and eight. “When Mary, Susan and Emily With their sweet round mouths sing ‘Ha,Ha,He!” Here he is possibly proposing that birdsong can be created by these girls, making them as special and no different to the creatures that sing around them. The intimation of intense joy that can be had in such an uncomplicated environment opens up the prospect of refuge and escape from the synthetic changes in civilisation.
Romantic Poetry endorsed the need for imagination, feelings and emotions, with emotion as the key
Bibliography: Jean-Jacques Rousseau Emile. 1762 Rhian Williams The Poetry Toolkit [ 3 ]. Jonathan & Jessica Wordsworth (ed) The Penguin Book of Romantic Poetry. Penguin Books, 2005 (VI. V. 360) [ 4 ] [ 7 ]. Jean-Jacques Rousseau Emile. 1762 [ 8 ] [ 9 ]. Jonathan & Jessica Wordsworth (ed) The Penguin Book of Romantic Poetry. Penguin Books, 2005 (vi. 367)