William Blake

1
William Blake

• Married homebody
• I must create a system or be enslaved by another
  mans
• I will not Reason and Compare my business is to
  Create

2
William Blake (cont.)

• He and his wife did everything in making Songs of
  Innocence (1789)
• Writing
• Designing
• Printing
• Engraving

3
Blakes Poetry

• Songs of Innocence (1789)
• With Songs of Experience (1794)
• Innocence state of genuine love, naïve trust of
  Christian doctrine (felt English used church as
  social control)
• Experience profound disillusionment with society
  and human nature

4
The Tyger
ferocity and power

• Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
• In the forests of the night,
• What immortal hand or eye
• Could frame thy fearful symmetry
• In what distant deeps or skies
• Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
• On what winds dare he aspire
• What the hand dare seize the fire?

apostrophe addressing Tyger directly leads
to immediacy illusion of facing a tiger
5

• And what shoulder, and what art,
• Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
• And when thy heart began to beat,
• What dread hand? and what dread feet?
• What the hammer? what the chain?
• In what furnace was thy brain?
• What the anvil? what dread grasp
• Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

6

• When the stars threw down their spears,
• And watered heaven with their tears,
• Did he smile his work to see?
• Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
• Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
• In the forests of the night,
• What immortal hand or eye,
• Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Satan and angels losing war
Tyger symbol of some- thing greater?
Repeated Question? clues to answer God? Devil?
Man?
Dare, NOT Could.what is the effect?
7
The Lamb
What is the tone? and Tyger?

• Little Lamb, who made thee?
• Dost thou know who made thee?
• Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
• By the stream and oer the mead,
• Gave thee clothing of delight,
• Softest clothing, wooly, bright
• Gave thee such a tender voice,
• Making all the vales rejoice?
• Little Lamb, who made thee?
• Dost thou know who made thee?

What does creator give lamb?
Lamb literal? symbol?
Who is speaker?
8

• Little Lamb, Ill tell thee,
• Little Lamb, Ill tell thee
• He is called by thy name,
• For He calls himself a Lamb.
• He is meek, and he is mild
• He became a little child.
• I a child, and thou a lamb,
• We are called by his name.
• Little Lamb, God bless thee!
• Little Lamb, God bless thee!

Symbolism Who is He?
What happened to the lamb in the Bible? In
rituals?
9
Blakes Poetry

• Songs of Innocence (1789)
• With Songs of Experience (1794)
• Innocence state of genuine love, naïve trust of
  Christian doctrine (felt English used church as
  social control)
• Experience profound disillusionment with society
  and human nature