A comparison of the Use of Language between the Chimney...

A comparison of the Use of Language between the Chimney Sweeper from Songs of Innocence and Experience Even though, a hundred and seventy nine years later, lying in his grave, William Blake is still one of the best influences in poetry and even daily life today. Blake’s work, unrecognised during his lifetime, but now is almost universally considered that of a genius. Northrop Frye, who undertook a study of Blake’s entire opus, ‘What is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English Language.’ Blake was born into a middle class family in 1757. The bible, being one of the most worshipped yet most feared artefacts in Blake’s time, was his biggest influence in his work, and was to†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœSongs of innocence’ contains poems written from the perspective of children or written about them, children being a key meaning of innocence. In ‘The Chimney Sweeper from Songs of Innocence’ the whole thing is basically a summary of Blake’s hates, Child Slavery, Death and the Dark Side of Religion. It also includes a lot of description of black imagery, black representing the soot. In stanza one, it tells us the story of when the child (who is telling us the poem) is brought into life, and sold off when he could barely cry, and brought up into a life full of poverty, and poor living. Blake ends the first stanza with a very harrowing way, ‘so your chimneys I sweep and in soot I sleep.’ This line is supposed to make readers feel tense, as if to think, these children must have had a hard life. In the second stanza, Blake describes a young boy in the name of Tom Dacre, about how he cried when he got his head shaved, his hair ‘curled like a lambs back.’ The fourth line, ‘â€Å" Hush, Tom! Never mind it, for when your head’s bare, you know that soot can no longer spoil your white hair.†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This gives out a sense of a childish like security, full of pure innocence, yet strongShow MoreRelatedWilliam 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. Blake lived in London most of his life and many fellow literati viewed him as eccentric. He claimed to have interactions with angels and prophets, which had a great influence on his outlook of life. Blake believed all prominent entities, those being church, state, and government had become sick withRead 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 MoreEssay on Blakes The Songs of Innocence1353 Words   |  6 PagesBlakes The Songs of Innocence The Songs of Innocence poems first appeared in Blake’s 1784 novel, An Island in the Moon. In 1788, Blake began to compile in earnest, the collection of Songs of Innocence. And by 1789, this original volume of plates was complete. These poems are the products of the human mind in a state of innocence, imagination, and joy; natural euphoric feelings uninhibited or tainted by the outside world. Following the completion of the Songs of Innocence plates, Blake wroteRead MoreThe Notion of Duality of the Human Soul in William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience4371 Words   |  18 PagesWilliam Blake’s Songs Of Innocence And Experience Tembong Denis Fonge             Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience generally subscribe to the main stream appreciation that they present the reader with two states of the human condition - the pastoral, pure and natural world of lambs and blossoms on the one hand, and the world of experience characterized by exploitation, cruelty, conflict and hypocritical humility on the other hand. However, Blake’s songs communicate experiences that go beyond