What I enjoy about William Blake's poetry is that they possess opposites. The Songs of Innocence and Experience and to an extent The Marriage of Heaven and Hell showcase the yin-yang aspect of life.
In The Lamb, an older speaker addresses a "little lamb" (line 1). The lamb possesses all the innocence and youth, and the speaker guides the lamb. The speaker tells the lamb who made him (line 13-16). The creator is Jesus Christ. The speaker tells the lamb that his creator is called by "thy name," and Jesus is commonly known as a lamb (line 13). Thus creating a link between the lamb and Jesus. Both are "meek" and "mild" (line 15). Their meek and mildness represents their power in innocence. Innocence expresses its power through humility. The meek lamb is humble because it knows little of the world. He must be taught about the world while Jesus comes to teach the world. However both retain an innocence. This innocence is their power in life. It allows for them to accomplish their tasks without having to power in the traditional sense.
To counter The Lamb, Blake writes The Tyger. The Tyger is a traditional representation of power. The Tyger has all the experience and lacks the innocence. Therefore, the poem is more complex than The Lamb. Nothing is plainly spoken, the reader has to comprehend the metaphors to grasp the meaning of the poem. The metaphors lead to a better understanding of God and the power of God.
"When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?" (line 17-20)
The metaphor establishes that God created the world, but asks if God is pleased with the work he has done. Is God happy with the experienced or does he prefer the innocent? After all, God sent Jesus so his creations would turn away from their wrong doing and follow him. However, not all the creations follow Jesus which leads to the last question "did he who made the Lamb make thee?" (line 20). This question addresses the experienced and if they are living the way God would want for them to live. Are they living in a way that pleases God? The last question acts as a self-reflection for the audience to examine themselves and fix the areas of life that displease God. The experienced should look for a way to retain or regain the innocence of the lamb, even though it is impossible for them to lose their experience.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteGood comparison and contrast in your observations on these two paired poems. I think your previous post on Burke, however, did a better job of presenting the textual evidence to support your interpretations. There, you quoted and demonstrated close attention to a specific passage, while here at times you do not provide evidence to illustrate and support your claims about the poems. That missing step is crucial, however, in establishing your credibility and persuading your reader of your interpretation.