William+Blake

=Willam Blake=

William Blake was born on November 28, 1757 in London. Since he was the third of five children and his father, James, was only a hosier (someone who sells stockings or knit wear), William's family could only afford for him to learn the basics of reading and writing. (He did, however, attend Henry Par's school for one year.) For his entire life, Blake lived very close to poverty. As a child, he had a vivid imagination and often claimed to have seen visions of God or angels. Sometimes he told his family about conversations he had with his dead brother, Robert. His talent for art and drawing became increasingly obvious, and at age 14 he was apprenticed to an engraver. When he was 21 years old, he set out to find work for himself as a professional engraver. Four years later he married Catherine Sophia Boucher and published a book of his poems and drawings called //Songs of Innocence// (based on the world from a child's point of view). Although William and Catherine never had any children, their marriage was a very happy one, and they worked on almost all of his publications together. In 1800, William was commissioned by William Hayley to illustrate Hayley's //Life of Cowper//. Once when Blake was staying in Felpham, Suurey because he was working for a man there, a drunk soldier accused him of cursing the king. Blake was brought to trial for treason, but afterwards he was cleared of all charges when there failed to be enough evidence against him. On August 12, 1827, William Blake died and was buried in an unmarked grave at Bunhill Fields in London. Finally, in 1957, a memorial for Blake and his wife was created in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey, London.

Sadly, Blake's poems did not gain fame until years after he died. Even though he was among London's most intellectual people, he was thought to be insane by almost everyone--even his friends. In fact, in 1810 he spiraled into a severe depression from lack of public recognition. This lasted seven years. William Blake did not write only one genre, but he frequently focused on themes relating to good and evil, heaven and hell, and knowledge and purity. Unlike others of his time period, he loved the idea of sexual and racial equality, which was evident in his allowing his wife to help publish his books. When looking at the Bible, he favored the New Testament over the Old. He adored and examined the works of Heemskerk, Durer, Michelangelo, and Raphael, and he made up creatures which were inspired by the mythology of the Greeks and Romans. ​

Poems

 * =Poem= || =Personal Reaction= ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ==A Poison Tree==

I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water'd it in fears, Night & morning with my tears; And I sunned it with smiles And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright; And my foe beheld its shine, And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole When the night had veil'd the pole: In the morning glad I see My foe outstretched beneath the tree. || I believe this poem is beautiful, intense, and well-written poem. Some might think it is violent and cruel, and while I agree, I also think it paints an amazing picture of human nature. For me, it turns something vicious into something that is gorgeous and true.


 * __Poetic Devices:__** Symbolism
 * Tree bearing the apple represents wrath
 * Apple represents revenge
 * Water for the tree: fears and sadness
 * Sun for the tree: deceitful smiles

two lines rhyme.
 * __Rhyme Scheme:__** AABB (The first two lines of each stanza and the last

__**Explanation of Theme:**__ Hate is extremely powerful and if you allow your anger to grow by hiding it behind lies and smiles instead of talking about it, you turn into almost a different person. You become happy to see the person you are angry at get hurt. But if you had just talked about your anger, you would have released all of that hate and stayed a happy, loving person. ||  ||   ||   || I laid me down upon a bank, Where Love lay sleeping; I heard among the rushes dank Weeping, weeping.
 * ==The Garden of Love==

Then I went to the heath and the wild, To the thistles and thorns of the waste; And they told me how they were beguiled, Driven out, and compelled to the chaste.

I went to the Garden of Love, And saw what I never had seen; A Chapel was built in the midst, Where I used to play on the green.

And the gates of this Chapel were shut And "Thou shalt not," writ over the door; So I turned to the Garden of Love That so many sweet flowers bore.

And I saw it was filled with graves, And tombstones where flowers should be; And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds, And binding with briars my joys and desires. || To me this is a very grim poem but very sweet and innocent. It sounds like it comes from the point of view of a young child who doesn't fully understand death or the cruelty of some people and churches yet.

Poetic Devices:
 * Personification - When the poem tells of how the thistles and thorns told about how
 * they were driven out, this is personification because only humans
 * would be able to do that...not thistles and thorns.


 * Symbolism -
 * Garden of Love represents freedom and innocence
 * Chapel stands for the strict rules and laws of orthodox churches
 * Graves, tombstones, and priests in black gowns symbolize
 * the end of liberty and freedom

Rhyme Sceme: ABCB (The second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme.)

Historical Context: Blake wrote this poem to express his sadness at the ridiculous laws of the orthodox churches of his time. At church, no one was treated like an innocent child, but rather an adult, and so everyone is pressured to be perfect and obedient.

Explanation of Theme: It is important not to let your freedom be taken away from anyone, even from a church. ||  ||   ||   || My mother bore me in the southern wild, And I am black, but oh my soul is white! White as an angel is the English child, But I am black, as if bereaved of light.
 * ==The Little Black Boy==

My mother taught me underneath a tree, And, sitting down before the heat of day, She took me on her lap and kissed me, And, pointed to the east, began to say:

"Look on the rising sun: there God does live, And gives His light, and gives His heat away, And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive Comfort in morning, joy in the noonday.

"And we are put on earth a little space, That we may learn to bear the beams of love And these black bodies and this sunburnt face Is but a cloud, and like a shady grove.

"For when our souls have learn'd the heat to bear, The cloud will vanish, we shall hear His voice, Saying, 'Come out from the grove, my love and care And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice',"

Thus did my mother say, and kissed me; And thus I say to little English boy. When I from black and he from white cloud free, And round the tent of God like lambs we joy

I'll shade him from the heat till he can bear To lean in joy upon our Father's knee; And then I'll stand and stroke his silver hair, And be like him, and he will then love me. || To me, this is an amazing poem. Although slavery is a sad topic, Blake makes it a little happier by telling about how the slaves can still have hope, and I think that is great.

Poetic Devices:
 * Similes - "White as an angel" because it compares the whiteness
 * of an English child to that of an angel's using the word "as",
 * "Round my golden tent like lambs" because it compares
 * the black children to lambs by saying they both round the golden
 * tent and using the word "like"


 * Metaphors - "These black bodies and this sunburnt face is but a
 * cloud" because it compares the curse of black bodies and
 * sunburn to the curse of a cloud covering up the sunlight by
 * saying the black bodies and sunburn are a cloud


 * Symbolism - Shady grove represents a life of slavery and toil,
 * Golden tent symbolizes heaven

Rhyme Sceme: ABAB (The first and third and the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme.)

Historical Context: In this poem, Blake writes about the horrible life of slaves during his time and the hope of spending eternity with God that they always keep and pass on to their children. He also reflects his feelings that blacks are equal to whites and are all viewed as human beings in the eyes of God.

Explanation of Theme: If God gives you a life of struggle and hardship, continue to have faith and work hard and you will get to live with him forever up in heaven. ||  ||   ||   ||