William Blake s Songs Of Innocence And Experience

William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, printed in 1794, â€Å"represents the world as it is envisioned by what he calls ‘two contrary states of the human soul’† (Greenblatt, 1452). This collection of poetry is accompanied by pictures, which create a mutually reliant relationship that allows for complete understanding of Blake’s works. â€Å"To read a Blake poem without the pictures is to miss something important: that relationship is an aspect of the poem’s argument† (1452). Overall, Blake’s works in Songs of Innocence and Experience provides a greater understanding into human life. Through poetry, Blake juxtaposes the innocence of childhood with the corruption of adulthood. Thus, his work allows the reader to see situations from a double-sided lens of innocence and then of experience. These two perspectives, known as the â€Å"two contrary states of the human soul†, are independent and each poem is accompanied by another poem; the poem â€Å"â€Å"Infant Joy† is paired with â€Å"Infant Sorrow† and the meek â€Å"Lamb† reveals its other aspect of divinity in the flaming, wrathful â€Å"Tyger†Ã¢â‚¬  (1456). In Songs of Innocence, published in 1789, celebrates the innocence and untainted nature of childhood but it also doubles as a warning to adults. It warns them that the corruption of society and culture is to come and in Songs of Experience, a state of being that encompasses the loss of childhood vitality and corruption caused by social and political influence. The â€Å"innocence† and â€Å"experience† that BlakeShow MoreRelatedWilliam Blake s Innocence And Experience Analysis Essay1529 Words   |  7 PagesIsha Fidai Amber Drown English 2323 14 September 2016 William Blake s Innocence and Experience Analysis The Romantic Era was a movement in literature that began in the late seventeenth century throughout the eighteenth century that was mainly influenced by the natural world and idealism. Romanticism was predominantly focused on emotion and freedom emphasizing individualism. Formed as an uprising against neoclassicism, romanticism was more abstract, focusing on feelings and imaginations, insteadRead MoreWilliam Blake Had A Strict Standard On How His Poems Should1431 Words   |  6 Pages William Blake had a strict standard on how his poems should appear. In his poems, he was not very concerned with grammar or spelling, even though he was writing in a time much after the official English language had been created. 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