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.” These visions were the source of many of his poems and drawings. He further stated in 1804 that he was “really drunk with intellectual vision whenever I take a pencil or graver into my hand.”
Profession and Religious Views
Blake’s profession was engraving, and his principal avocation was painting in watercolors. But even from boyhood, he wrote poetry.
Blake was christened, married, and buried by the rites of the Church of England, but his creed was likely to outrage the orthodox. Blake was a religious seeker but not a joiner. He loved the world of the spirit and abominated institutionalized religion.
William Blake once wrote that “mental things are alone real.” This belief is reflected in both his life and his work. Blake was a visionary who used the images that came to him to create innovative poetry and striking artwork.
Major Artworks
- The Angels Hovering Over the Body of Christ in the Sepulchre, c. 1805
- The Ancient of Days, 1794
- Adam Naming the Beasts, 1810
- Newton, 1795–c. 1805
- Blake’s Cottage, c. 1804–10
Literary Works and Historical Reception
Blake is the author of exquisite lyrics in Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794), and profound and difficult “prophecies,” such as:
- Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793)
- The First Book of Urizen (1794)
- Milton (1804–c. 1811)
- Jerusalem (1804–c. 1820)
In the early 21st century, Blake was regarded as the earliest and most original of the Romantic poets, but in his lifetime, he was generally neglected or (unjustly) dismissed as mad.
Analyzing Blake’s Contrary States of the Human Soul
Blake wrote his landmark Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience to explore “the two contrary states of the human soul”.
Literary Analysis Concepts
- Symbol: A person, place, object, or action that represents itself and something beyond itself. Symbols can often represent more than one thing. For example, the lamb that is the subject of Blake’s poem “The Lamb” symbolizes innocence, gentleness, and Jesus Christ. Blake uses symbols to express important ideas and evoke associated emotions.
- Reading Skill: Compare and Contrast Poems: When analyzing the poems, consider:
- Word Choice: Look for descriptive words, and note how they are used to emphasize characteristics of the subject.
- Ideas: Identify common or contrasting ideas expressed in the poems.
- Tone: Notice the author’s attitude toward the subject.
Songs of Innocence: Poem Analysis
“The Lamb”
Reading Purpose: Think about what God, the lamb, and the speaker have in common.
Background: William Blake first published Songs of Innocence in 1789. Blake conceived the state of “Innocence” as a state of genuine love and trust toward all humankind accompanied by a belief in Christian doctrine. “The Lamb”, from that collection, has often been read as a statement of Christian faith. However, Blake’s other writings show Christ not as a “meek” and “mild” lamb with which the speaker identifies but as a fighter against injustice. The speaker’s viewpoint is thus an incomplete representation of Blake’s beliefs and just one aspect of Blake’s worldview.
Key Themes:
- God is savior.
- First part presents questions; second part presents answers.
- The poem is calm, soft, and serene, representing innocence, gentleness, Christ, and love.
“The Chimney Sweeper” (Innocence)
Reading Purpose: Think about whether the ideas expressed would have offered comfort to a poor chimney sweeper.
Background: In Blake’s London, buildings were heated by coal or woodburning fireplaces, and every building had at least one chimney that required regular cleaning. Poor children often did this hazardous work because they could fit into the narrow chimney passages. Desperate for money, some poor parents sold their children to “masters” who managed—and often mistreated—crews of young sweepers. In this poem, Blake speaks for these children who were forced into the backbreaking labor.
Key Themes:
- God is savior; innocence is exploited.
- Children are sent to work and are abused.
- Tom Dacre symbolizes an innocent boy pushed to work.
- People exploit their innocence and put them “into the wall.”
- Angels appear as salvation and freedom (religious faith). Tom’s dream represents life.
“The Little Boy Lost”
Reading Purpose: Think about how the speaker in the poem feels.
Background: Blake saw the world as a set of signs and symbols representing religious ideas. The symbols in his writings tend to have many different meanings.
Key Themes:
- Represents going astray or losing the connection with God (the father).
“The Little Boy Found”
Reading Purpose: Think about what the poem is saying about the power of God.
Background: Blake’s poetry and art show his fascination with the Bible and his struggle to find answers to questions that bothered him, such as: What is the source of evil in the world? Can evil be overcome? Blake came to believe that good must actively oppose evil.
Key Themes:
- God represents the father.
- Symbolizes the way God appears in the life of the lost child.
Songs of Experience: Poem Analysis
“The Tyger”
Reading Purpose: Think about what the tiger might symbolize.
Background: While almost everyone agrees that “The Tyger” is one of the most powerful of Blake’s Songs of Experience, there has been much disagreement about the poem’s central symbol. One possibility is that the tiger represents a strong revolutionary energy that can enlighten and transform society—a positive but dangerous force Blake believed was operating in the French Revolution.
Key Themes:
- First part presents questions; second part presents answers.
- Symbolizes the power of nature, burning fire, and something dangerous and fearful.
“The Chimney Sweeper” (Experience)
Reading Purpose: Think about how the tone of this poem differs from that of “The Chimney Sweeper” in Songs of Innocence.
Background: Blake believed that no one should go hungry in a land as wealthy as England. This sweeper does not accept oppression and poverty. He recognizes the people who sold him into a life of hard labor.
Key Themes:
- The tone is marked by disillusionment and recognition of injustice, contrasting with the religious hope found in the Innocence version.
“The Sick Rose”
Reading Purpose: Think about what the Rose represents, and why the Rose is sick.
Background: Though a firm believer in Christianity, Blake thought the English Church encouraged passive obedience and acceptance of oppression among citizens. Recognition of this social agenda marks what Blake called the state of “Experience,” a disillusionment with human nature and society. “The Sick Rose” is a powerful expression of this disillusionment from Songs of Experience.
Key Themes:
- The rose is described as ugly, brown, dry, and smelling bad (metaphorically).
- Symbolizes sadness, depression, and the loss of innocence due to everyday problems.