Innocence and Experience Essay - 1422 Words

As a new way to criticize the Romantic period, desperate times call for desperate measures and it did through the use of children’s point of view in Romantic poetry. A period of fifty years called Romantic period included the French Revolution, the American Revolution and wars of national independence in Europe. William Blake, one of well known Romantic poets, commented on his society by viewing it through the child’s eyes in the two sets of ‘Songs of innocence and of Experience’. It is said that ignorance is a blessing but not according to William Blake. Blake has another meaning to ‘Innocence’; He refers innocence to ignorance. This means that innocence is corrupted and full of naivety. It is the ignorance of corruption, of the real†¦show more content†¦First, the two versions of â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† discuss serious problems about religious beliefs in 1800. Back in 1800, there have been misuses of church spiritual power to gain profits out of people’s misery. On the surface, the innocence version of â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† tells of a young boy, who works as a chimney sweeper, get a visit in his dream by angel consoling and promising him God as a reward and an afterlife of freedom if he works and does not complain. The consolation is means to justify the end. The angel is saying what the boy needs to hear to send him back to his work happy. But underneath that mask lies a much deeper meaning. There is symbolism, the words â€Å"angel† and â€Å"God† symbolize to the ch urch. The child is referred as a â€Å"lamb† to be sacrificed in the name of religion. Basically, if you follow church’s rules, obeyed the law and kept your mouth shut, you will be church’s most favorite slave. There are many contrasted words for example â€Å"white† and â€Å"black†, â€Å"dark† and â€Å"bright†. This contrast is a method to manipulate child’s mind promising him a better future but in reality he is building church’s future. There is some kind of irony in the last line. Along with irony comes a threat, a threat which child’s naivety failed to realize. â€Å"The Angel whoShow MoreRelatedThe Unification Of Innocence And Experience1933 Words   |  8 PagesThe Unification of Innocence and Experience Many peer-reviewed sources believe it is â€Å"essential† to understand the historical contexts of William Blake’s lifetime in order to accurately interpret Songs of Innocence and of Experience (Blake 23). I present opposing questions to this theory: (1) why is it necessary to try and adopt a perceptional adaptation of Blake’s historical perspective in order to comprehend and interpret his work; (3) is Songs of Innocence and of Experience a timeless work ofRead MoreThe Delicate Balance Between Innocence And Experience1159 Words   |  5 PagesThe Delicate Balance between Innocence and Experience William Blake’s â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† in his Songs of Innocence is a literary masterpiece that is still relevant and impactful in the modern world. In lovely form and description, Blake explains the atrocities and hardships of the Industrial Age in a poem suitable for school-age children and with the beautiful simplicity that only a writer like Blake could produce. The Songs of Innocence is a look into the purity and wonderful outlook on lifeRead MoreRossetti Manuscripts and Innocence and the Songs of Experience1873 Words   |  8 PagesRossetti Manuscripts and Innocence and the Songs of Experience Innocence and the Songs of Experience, and the poems from the Rossetti manuscripts, are the poems of a man with a profound interest in human emotions, and a profound knowledge of them. (Grant, Pg 507) These two famous books of poetry written by William Blake, not only show mens emotions and feelings, but explain within themselves, the childs innocence, and mans experience. A little over two centuries ago, William BlakeRead MoreWilliam Blake in Contrast of Songs of Innocence and of Experience1452 Words   |  6 PagesEN 222-Intro to British Lit. II April 21, 2012 William Blake in contrast of Songs of Innocence and of Experience William Blake, an engraver, exemplified his passion for children through his many poems. 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Overall, Blake’s worksRead MoreBlake – Songs of Innocence and Experience: the Chimney Sweeper813 Words   |  4 Pagesengraver, who wrote two groups of corresponding poems, namely The Songs of Experience, and The Songs of Innocence. Songs of Innocence was written originally as poems for children, but was later paired up with The Songs of Experience, which he wrote to highlight what he felt were society’s most prominent problems. This essay will be focusing on ‘The Chimney Sweeper.’ Firstly, I’ll look at The Chimney Sweeper from Innocence. The poem uses the ‘A A B B’ rhyming scheme, i.e. young, tongue, weep, sleepRead More Blakes Portrayal of Creation in Songs of Innocence and Experience1890 Words   |  8 Pagesis, for Blake, the manifestation of the divine. The Songs of Innocence and Experience deal with life and the move, in particular, from youth to age. Creation is an extremely important aspect of life [being its beginning], whether the subject is creating or being created. As religion plays an enormous part in all of Blakes poetry, we can expect creation to have some biblical resonance as well. Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience portray creation ? as they portray most themes ? in entirelyRead More The Condition of Youth in Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience2679 Words   |  11 PagesThe Condition of Youth in Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience are collections of poems that utilize the imagery, instruction, and lives of children to make a larger social commentary. The use of child-centered themes in the two books allowed Blake to make a crucial commentary on his political and moral surroundings with deceptively simplistic and readable poetry. Utilizing these themes Blake criticized the church, attacking theRead MoreAnalysis of Blakes Songs of Innocence and Experience Essay1889 Words   |  8 PagesBlakes Songs of Innocence and Experience (1794) juxtapose the innocent, pastoral world of childhood against an adult world of corruption and repression; while such poems as The Lamb represent a meek virtue, poems like The Tyger exhibit opposing, darker forces. Thus the collection as a whole explores the value and limitations of two different perspectives on the world. Many of the poems fall into pairs, so that the same situation or problem is seen through the len s of innocence first and then experienceRead MoreWilliam Blake s Innocence And Experience Analysis Essay1529 Words   |  7 PagesIsha Fidai Amber Drown English 2323 14 September 2016 William Blake s Innocence and Experience Analysis The Romantic Era was a movement in literature that began in the late seventeenth century throughout the eighteenth century that was mainly influenced by the natural world and idealism. Romanticism was predominantly focused on emotion and freedom emphasizing individualism. Formed as an uprising against neoclassicism, romanticism was more abstract, focusing on feelings and imaginations, instead