William Blake Essay - 3149 Words

William Blake The poet, painter and engraver, William Blake was born in 1757, to a London haberdasher. Blake’s only formal education was in art. At the age of ten, he entered a drawing school and then at the age of fourteen, he apprenticed to an engraver. ( Abrams Stillinger 18). Although, much of Blake’s time was spent studying art, he enjoyed reading and soon began to write poetry. Blake’s first book of poems, Poetical Sketches, showed his dissatisfaction with the reigning poetic tradition and his restless quest for new forms and techniques ( Abrams Stillinger 19). Poetical Sketches, was followed by many other works including, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. These series were accompanied by etchings, which depict†¦show more content†¦The people of this time thought that God was above the world and independent of the material universe. They looked at humans as being flawed and weak based on the story of Adam and Eve. The Romantic period contrasted the b eliefs of the 18’th century. Romanticism stressed strong emotion, imagination, freedom from classical correctness in art forms and rebellion against social conventions (Romanticism 1). The main goal of the Romantics was to bring what they thought was a dead universe back to life and to add feeling. In addition, the Romantics saw the importance in writing poetry, which would express their beliefs and attitudes. The attitudes of the Romantics were a deepened appreciation of the beauties of nature, a general exaltation of emotion over reason and of the senses over intellect (Romanticism 1). The Romantics took their own feelings and brought them to life in their poetry. Traditional beliefs or formal rules of poetry no longer governed them. The Romantics not only held a greater ability to express themselves but they also possessed a greater sensitivity and a sense of optimism, which is prevalent in their work. Blake was one of the foremost poets in the Romantic Era. Blake valued the unattainable as much as the other poets of his time did. The main goal, although impossible to attain was, the Ideal, a state in which a perfect union between nature and human comprehension was accomplished ( Marcotte 16).Show MoreRelatedWilliam Blake As An Apprentice Essay1543 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Blake born in London on the 28th of November in 1757 to a hosier names James and Catherine Blake with six siblings and 2 died in early age. Blake spoke of having visions in his early childhood. He saw god putting his head to the window when he was at the age of four and around the age of nine, he saw a tree filled with angels while walking through the countryside. His parents notice that he was different from his other siblings and they did not force him to attend conservative school. BlakeRead MoreThe Tyger By William Blake1168 Words   |  5 Pagesevil has caused many people throughout time to question th eir God and the way the world is. William Blake’s compilation of poems called the Songs of Innocence and Experience questions the good and evil in the daily lives of human beings. This collection of poems includes The Tyger, a partnered poem in the series with The Lamb. Blake offers a new way of interpreting God through His creations in The Tyger. Blake demonstrates the fierceness of the tyger’s creator throughout the poem. The tyger is viewedRead MoreEssay on William Blake1879 Words   |  8 PagesWilliam Blake William Blake is one of England’s most famous literary figures. He is remembered and admired for his skill as a painter, engraver, and poet. He was born on Nov. 28, 1757 to a poor Hosier’s family living in or around London. Being of a poor family, Blake received little in the way of comfort or education while growing up. Amazingly, he did not attend school for very long and dropped out shortly after learning to read and write so that he could work in his father’s shop. The lifeRead MoreWilliam Blake Poet535 Words   |  2 PagesWilliam Blake is one of the most renowned poets in the history of English literature. Born to the owners of a hosiery shop on Broad Street in the center of London in 1757, William Blake developed into a toddler of extraordinary imagination. While only a young boy (around the age of four), he spoke to his parents of seeing angels playing amongst him, encountering visions of heaven and hell throughout London and the nearby countryside, and spotting God keeping a close eye on him during tasks and choresRead MoreWilliam Blake For this paper I choose to do a study of William Blake. I choose William Blake800 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Blake For this paper I choose to do a study of William Blake. I choose William Blake because I really liked some of his poems and he is considered one of the most renowned poets in English literature history. He liked to write poems that could be understood by the everyday man, because most of his poem were about the everyday man, but he refused to sacrifice his visions in order to become popular. His work combines a variety of writing styles, he is an artist, a lyric poet and a visionaryRead MoreThe Poetry of William Blake1806 Words   |  8 PagesThis essay will aim to show the relationship between Innocence and Experience in William Blakes Songs. Both Songs of Experience and Songs of Innocence serve as a mirror Blake held up to society, the Songs of Experience being the darker side of the mirror. Blakes Songs show two imaginative realms: The two sides to the human soul that are the states of Innocence and Experience. The two states serve as different ways of seeing. The world of innocence as Northrop Frye saw it encapsulated theRead MoreWilliam Poetry Of William Blake And William Wordsworth1980 Words   |  8 Pagesthe person. To some the definition is a time without any worry, to others, it is a more logical definition such as the period between infancy and adolescence. There are many versions of this definition, and this is seen in the poetry of William Blake and William Wordsworth. These two authors have different views on what it means to be a child and how they are portrayed in this era. Compared to now, Children in Blake’s eyes are seen as people that need guidance and need to be taught certain lessonsRead More William Blake Essay2131 Words   |  9 PagesWilliam Blake William Blake was born in 1757 during a time when Romanticism was on the rise. Romantic poets of this day and age, living in England, experienced changes from a wealth-centered aristocracy to a modern industrial nation where power shifted to large-scale employers thus leading to the enlargement of the working class. Although Blake is seen as a very skillful writer his greatest successes were his engravings taught to him by a skilled sculpture. Blake differed from other poets inRead MoreThe Lamb by William Blake Essay755 Words   |  4 PagesPoetry Essay COURSE # and TITLE: ENGL 102-D42 LUO: Composition and Literature SEMESTER OF ENROLLMENT: Fall D 3013 Thesis Statement: The Lamb written by William Blake is a beautiful spiritually enriched poem that expresses God’s sovereignity, His love for creation and His gentleness in care and provisions for those that are His . I. Introduction †¢ Author †¢ Little Lamb II. Question of creation †¢ Little Lamb who made you. 1. Provision of Needs Read MoreWilliam Blake s The Tiger Essay1314 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Blake was born in London in 1757 to James and Catherine Blake; an artisan and a craftsmen by trade, the parents taught young Blake to appreciate the finer and refined aspects of life—such a music, art (especially engravements and paintings), and the written word. Blake’s early life was filled with religious adventures; due to, the many apprenticeships he underwent through churches, where he learned the art of engraving and illustration. In 1783, Blake published his first collection of works;