Poetry by William Blake

William Wordsworth’s poem: ’Composed on the Westminster Bridge’ is a sonnet that describes London in the morning as the city is still asleep. The poem’s title: “composed on the Westminster Bridge” tells the reader that the Author is standing on the Westminster Bridge, in London and is describing the sights of the City that he can see from the Bridge. Wordsworth is fascinated by the city’s beauty. He says that the earth has nothing equal to show than this beautiful scene and that the one who…

Structurally, Blake composes the poem as a dramatic monologue utilizing an ABAB rhyme scheme and simple vocabulary. Much of the work uses an anapestic poetic meter, which is often characterized with childish cadence of literature. The composition therefore resembles perhaps a children’s hymn -- establishing the innocence of the boy which narrates it. Ergo, the very nature of youthful innocence is tied inextricably to the overall tone of the poem. Blake not only addresses the reader, but…

Symbolism is when a writer uses an object or sign in a physical form to represent an idea. The use of symbolism was popular in the Romantic period of literature from around 1800 to 1850. Nathaniel Hawthorne is known for his use of symbolism in his stories. In 1850, Hawthorne used this technique while writing The Scarlet Letter. He did this to make the reader think deeper about the story, and to make it have a figurative meaning. A symbol doesn’t always have to be an object or a sign, in the case…

inspiration, subjectivity, and the belief in the supernatural. Transcendentalism began in the late 1820s and was influenced by other movements such as Romanticism. Romanticism and Transcendentalism can be seen throughout the poems Thanatopsis, written by William Cullen Bryant, and Song of Myself, written by Walt Whitman, respectively. The tenets of Romanticism can be seen be analyzing Thanatopsis, Transcendentalism and its tenets are shown in Song of Myself, and both can be seen to be very…

In the poem “London,” William Blake uses imagery to elucidate political and religious corruption, condemning both church and state while accentuating the utter hopelessness and despair of the city’s prevailing social condition. This poem was written during the Industrial Revolution, when the changing times were leaving the poor behind to suffer. There was also great tension due to fighting with France that resulted from the French Revolutionary Wars. The overall experience provided by the…

The poems I have chosen to analyze are “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” by William Blake. Blake’s opinions about humanity are quite special as well as his visions of Christ and Christianity because he believed in God but not in the church. After reading and comparing the two poems, initially I thought Blake was trying to identify good and evil. Then I saw it more as describing Jesus as the lamb and the devil as the tyger. The Lamb of God being a well-known alias of Jesus made that determination fairly…

“The Chimney Sweeper” from “Songs of Innocence” by William Blake features the difficult situation that common people were going through. The title of this poem shows that it is happening during The Romantic Period in the 1800’s whenever the kids were forced to do backbreaking labor. In the late 1700’s, prices increased sharply and work became scarce (“Chimney Sweeper Background” 541 ). The poem presents how a child was sold and what his life was after that day that will scar him for the rest of…

WILLIAM BLAKE is a 22-year-old student at Quinnipiac University. William is about to finish his senior year student teaching. After graduation, William and his evangelical Christian girlfriend MARY plan to start a life together as public school teachers. William is a staunch conservative. He is enraged when President Obama is re-elected. William dreams of an America in which conservative, Tea Party Republicans dominate the political landscape. While William thinks and talks like a conservative,…

These poems tell of children whom yell “weep”, not because they are crying, but because they can not pronounce sweep. In two poems we are told similar stories of chimney sweeping children. But what differences can be found between the two children? In the poem of “Experience” the boy is yelling “weep” and while doing so he is asked by someone as to where his parents are and to their surprise they are at the church praying. On the other hand in the poem “Innocence” the boy is completely ignored…

In the first version of “The Chimney Sweeper” from the Songs of Innocence, the boy is having to become a chimney sweeper because it is a necessity. The child says, “When my mother died I was very young, and my father sold me” (1459). During this time, child labor was very popular, and his father sold him because they were in poverty. The second version of “The Chimney Sweeper” the child was more than likely forced to do the job because his parents made him. The child’s parent is very alive…