William Blake: Visionary Poet, Artist, and Engraver
William Blake: Poet, Artist, and Visionary
William Blake (born Nov. 28, 1757, London, Eng.—died Aug. 12, 1827, London) was an English engraver, artist, poet, and visionary.
Early Life and Divine Inspiration
Blake was born over his father’s modest hosiery shop at 28 Broad Street, Golden Square, London. His life and work were profoundly influenced by his spiritual beliefs.
In 1802, Blake wrote to his patron William Hayley, “I am under the direction of Messengers from Heaven Daily & Nightly.”
Read MoreTimelines of Infidelity: A Synopsis of Billie and Othello’s Tragedy
Act 1
Harlem, 1928
Billie and Othello discuss his infidelity with an unnamed white woman.
Harlem, Present: The Breakup
Billie lives in a walk-up at the intersection of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Boulevard in Harlem, NY. She is emotionally and intellectually broken because her husband, Othello, has left her for a white colleague named Mona. Billie is supported by her landlady, Magi, and by Amah, her sister-in-law (her brother Andrew’s wife), while she writes and lives as a shut-in.
Southern US,
Read MoreAnalyzing Poe’s ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’: Vocabulary and Comprehension
Vocabulary and Synonyms for “The Tell-Tale Heart”
- Disturbed, annoyed, troubled: VEXED
- Careful, cautious, leery: WARY
- Boldness, daring, brazenness: AUDACITY
- Withheld, repressed, held back: REFRAINED
- Forcefully, passionately, furiously: VEHEMENTLY
- Smoothness, politeness, fine manners: SUAVITY
- Gestures, wild movements, spasms: GESTICULATIONS
- Scorn, ridicule, contempt: DERISION
- Sharp, sensitive, severe: ACUTE
- Intelligence, smarts, good sense: SAGACITY
Reading Comprehension Questions
- Why does the narrator decide
Key Movements and Authors in American Literary History
Early American Literature and Colonial Foundations
Colonial Beginnings (1584–1660)
- 1584: Walter Raleigh receives a patent from Elizabeth I (failed attempt at colonization).
- 1607: Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in Virginia. Governed by John Smith (associated with Pocahontas).
- 1660: Renewal of interest in colonization.
Puritanism and Early Writers
William Bradford: Separatist and governor. Fled first to Holland. Author of Of Plymouth Plantation.
Puritanism: A religious reform movement in
Read MoreKey Themes and Techniques in Modern American Literature
Robert Frost: Poetic Art and Themes
Analyzing “Fire and Ice”
Robert Frost’s “Fire and Ice” is a very short poem, yet it conveys a deep and serious message. In the poem, Frost discusses two ways the world might end — through fire or through ice. The “fire” symbolizes intense feelings like desire, passion, and greed. The “ice” represents emotions such as hatred, coldness, and apathy. What makes this poem powerful is how Frost uses very simple language to discuss profound and serious
Read MoreThematic Analysis of Miguel Hernández’s Poetry and Style
Structure and Chronology of Miguel Hernández’s Poetry
The collection of poems by Miguel Hernández is composed of 165 poems divided into 14 books, arranged in chronological order and thematically related. These books include:
- Poetry Loose I
- Perito en lunas (Expert on Moons)
- Moons Cycle Environment Expert [This phrase refers to the context of Perito en lunas]
- Poems published in Gallo Crisis and Silves
- Poems belonging to the cycle Violated Silva
- Silva Violated
- Your Fingerprint Image
- The Ray That Does Not