William Blake was a revolutionary author who was not afraid to express hie views in a time where criticism was a huge part of determining one’s life. Blake used his religious beliefs and his self proclaimed messenger to portray his thoughts in his poem. Poems such as ““The Tyger “, ““The Lamb “”, and “The Sick Rose “are classic examples of his work. William Blake was born in London, November 28, 1757. His father, James Blake, was a London hosier. His mother’s maiden name was Catherine Harmitage. William had three brothers and a sister.
His older brother took over his father’s hosiery business. His younger brothers were besaught with tragedy. John died young. The youngest, Robert, was dear to William, as he also had artistic leanings. He died of an illness at the age of 21. Another brother, Richard, died in infancy. He began his artistic career at an early age, as when he was 10, his father sent him to Henry Par’s drawing school in the Strand. In August 1772, he became an apprentice of Basire the engraver. For the next seven years, he learned the fine arts of engraving, etching, stippling and copying.
With his apprenticeship completed, he set out at 21 to earn his living as a professional engraver. Two years later, he met his future wife, Catherine Boucher, who was the illiterate daughter of a Battersea market-gardener. They married on August 18, 1782. She learned to paint and draw, but remained illiterate, and childless until her death in 1831. In 1783, he published his first volume of poetry, Poetical Sketches, for his friends. The next year, he started a print shop with a former fellow apprentice, but it soon failed. In 1788 he began to experiment with a new method of printing from etched copper plates.
In this process, both words and decorations were drawn on the copper plate with a resistant medim, and then the copper was etched with acid. The text and designs were then left in relief, and could be printed in any color. This Blake called “illuminated printing”, and was used by him to publish his works for the rest of his life. From the years 1793 to 1800, his creative output was greater than ever. Unfortunately, this great exertion seemed to have worn Blake out. Following numerous dissapointments, both in the recognition of his literary and artistic works, he entered into a stage of depression.
This period, in which even some of his close friends and acquaintances deemed him insane, lasted from 1810 to 1817. In 1818, Blake entered upon the last, and possibly happiest phase of his life. He finally began to gain the recognition he deserved, and befriended many famous English artists. Beginning in 1824, he began to suffer from symptoms of gallstones, which eventually caused his death on August 12, 1827. In ““The Lamb “”, Blake is describing the beauty of a lamb, and how ““The Lamb “” symbolizes God’s wonderful creations.
The first 8 lines of the poem list the attributes of ““The Lamb “” which Blake find so amazing, and how God was the one who gave them to ““The Lamb “”. Lines such as “Softest clothing, wooly, bright”, and “ Gave thee such a tender voice”, are intended to show how magnificent a creature ““The Lamb “” is. The next lines are intended to show ““The Lamb “” Blake knows who the creator is and will reveal it to ““The Lamb “”. He is most likely talking about Jesus Christ and how we are all lambs, a comparison often used in the bible. “He calls himself a lamb” and “ He became a little child” are lines that show the religious affect of this poem.
In The “Tyger” the first impression is of a mighty fearsome creature and what would dare create such a dangerous creature. Blake begins the poem by asking what could create such a dangerous but beautiful creature. He goes from body part to body part describing it vivid detail and describes with an undertone of fear. Line 15 Blake wonders if the being that created this tyger smiles when his work is done. Clearly Blake is asking if there was pleasure at all in creating such a dangerous but beautiful creature. There is a lot of descriptive language used, such line 5, “ Burnt the fire of thine eyes? ”.
Blake is comparing the eyes of a tiger to fire, which gives a fierce portrayal of the creature, which most likely is his intention. Hyperbole’s, metaphors, simile’s, and symbolism are used throughout the poem. Line 13, “ When the stars threw down their spears” is a hyperbole. Line 16 “Tyger! Burning bright” is also a hyperbole. Blake is using the same creator as he did in “““The Lamb “””, but rather than glorify ““The Tyger “” he makes it out to be a fearsome and dangerous creature. The poem “The Sick Rose” is so subtle that unless one really knows William Blake it is difficult to determine the religious tone of it.
However, Blake’s fascination with beauty is evident in this poem, and also his respect for God’s power when the rose is easily destroyed by a tiny worm. This poem uses hyperbole and metaphors also to give graphic images for the reader. “Robert Graves 1969 remarks (“Tyger, Tyger”) are singular at least because of their categorical decisiveness. Graves makes a wide and largely original survey of issues within ““The Tyger “”, discussing the poem’s meter, its editing, and even its “faulty workmanship. ” His conclusion is not about the poem, but about how the poem demonstrates that “Blake was certainly in . . . tate of schizophrenia at the time” of its composition.
It is a claim he also supports by citing its presence of tigers in the work of other tormented artists. ” Graves analysis comes down to most of his conclusions were on William Blake and how Blake’s view of himself as God’s messiah resulted in his writings. Almost every line ““The Tyger “ “has something to do with God creating some facet of a tiger, and the overall theme is glorifying god. Graves feels that Blake was obsessed in showing how connected his soul was with god, and in his work Blake tried to prove it by showing his clear understanding of God’s power with his creations.
Eric Murdoch depiction of “““The Lamb “”” is “ a kissup to an animal for an egotistical man who thought he was god himself. ” This poem was proof of Blake showing that he had a brilliant mind, but was delusional as well. In his own words, Blake feels he can tell an animal who created him, why he created him, and for what purpose his creation has in this world. The first several lines in ““The Lamb “” are asking the animal if it knows why it was created. Does Blake realize that the animal does not care why it was created?
This is simply a push to further his ambitions and help his own economic status. The church was a large influence, and by siding with the church, Blake hoped to become a household name such as Shakespeare. Its obvious from the preceding paragraph that not much was thought of Blakes work. However, the poems are well written and do paint vivid images and themes. Religion is a large role, and whether or not self interest and ambition had a role or not, ““The Lamb “” is still an excellent literary work. “The Sick Rose “is an effort to romanticize William Blake’s art. It’s short, succinct, and very subtle.
A hapless worm floating on the wind cruelly destroys a singular rose swaying in a garden. The reader is caught up immediately and follows the story from beginning to end, short as it may be. It has a catching theme, and is eloquent in its use of language, although the ending is depressing. Blake may have been going through a period of depression when he wrote this poem, his life was full of hardship and he was not a rich man at the time this poem was written. Line 7 and 8 talk about love being destroyed. Its possible Blake was going through difficulties in his love life and it reflected in this poem.
