Research
In spite of difference of soil and climate, of language and manners, of laws and customs, in spite of things silently gone out of mind and things violently destroyed, the Poet binds together by passion and knowledge the vast empire of human society, as it is spread over the whole earth, and over all time. The objects of the Poet's thoughts are every where; though the eyes and senses of man are, it is true, his favorite guides, yet he will follow wheresoever he can find an atmosphere of sensation in which to move his wings. Poetry is the first and last of all knowledge— it is as immortal as the heart of man. 4
The Romantic Age
William Wordsworth's quote is a strong gateway into instruction on poetry of The Romantic Age. Despite where we live or how we live, poetry transcends time and place and provides for the reader an understanding of human existence. Poets find inspiration all around; the poems penned are lasting and once the reader connects with the language, it is forever etched in the heart and soul.
Love may be the occasional subject of poetry or art from this time period, but the Romantic Age has little connection with what most of us consider "romantic." This movement was stronger in England and Germany than countries where most of the romantic languages were spoken at the time. Beginning in the 1770's and lasting through the nineteenth century as a reaction against Neoclassicism, Romanticism emphasizes imagination and emotion over reason and intellect. The earlier part of this movement runs parallel to both the American and French revolutions, which brought about political, social, and economic turmoil, as well as the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. 5
The basic tenets of English Romanticism are faith in the imagination, faith in the individual, interest in the past, and interest in nature. Thematic elements of Romanticism include emphasis on emotion and spontaneity of physical passion and the belief in the goodness of man in his natural state. The importance of individualism was stressed, as society revolted against political authority and convention. Stylistically, poets of this time period created wild writing dealing with exotic topics; contrasted and arranged objects asymmetrically, and seemed to be attracted to the melancholy and the cruel. 6
For Romanticism, imagination is considered the dynamic, active power for creating art that represents life not as it is, but perhaps to escape from reality in some way. Romanticism asks humans to understand differences and opposites in a world where previously Neoclassic rules were followed. William Blake is a true poet of the Romantic Age in that he condemned the traditional verse forms in his poetry. His inspiration came from his visions and he believed that individuals "don't want either Greek or Roman models if we are but just and true to our own imaginations." The Romantic poets value instinct, emotion, and intuition above all. 7
Poetry Terminology
There is a vast amount of poetic terminology to use when studying poetry. Students need exposure to most of these terms, but it is important that they are not overwhelmed with too many at one time. Also, rote memorization of these terms is not a goal; rather, students should learn how to recognize examples of these terms while actively reading and engaging with text. Focus on two to three terms per poem. For example, I discuss rhythm and imagery in "The Tyger." Using the document camera, I model annotations, marking patterns and vivid imagery throughout the poem. Once students are comfortable with selected terms, I add to the list. As we move through poetry instruction, I find that students begin to make connections and discoveries on their own.
I provide for students a list of poetry terms to be covered throughout the year. They are required to define each term and give a textual example using direct lines from various poems. This frontloading of information helps students begin to make connections between the device and how it is used in a poem. Sometimes, students benefit from hearing "real world" examples, either from familiar commercials or popular slogans. Terms used specifically for the study of Blake's poetry are discussed in the Classroom Activities section.
Historical Background
The English Industrial Revolution shaped much of artists' responses between 1760 and 1815 and Blake was no exception. Production of goods moved from the villages to industrial centers, causing disconnect with the traditions with which individuals were familiar. As manufacturing took over, men were forced to change the way in which they viewed their place in the economy. Working in villages allowed man to see his livelihood as a gift from nature. The village worker was master of his destiny, but dependent upon times of plenty or famine. As the Industrial Revolution progressed, Englishmen moved from cottage and village life to factory life. This shift made man more of an individual, separate from his family or the larger community in which he lived. 8
Brief Biography of William Blake
William Blake's poetry speaks to the time period in which he lived. His illustrations and poetry speak to the changes that occurred during the Industrial Revolution in England. His work is a part of the Romantic Age, yet his life lies in the Industrial Revolution. A self-taught, lonely, and awkward poet, he shattered the traditions of previous ideas in art and literature.
William Blake, who lived from 1757-1827, was self-educated except for the field of engraving, in which he was apprenticed from age fourteen for the next seven years. He did not attend public school, as public education was not available until nearly a century later, but was educated at home by his mother. Prior to his apprenticeship, Blake attended a drawing school, which would later fuel his many illustrations published during his lifetime. In 1779, he entered the Royal Academy, which allowed him to practice drawing from living models and to attend lectures and exhibitions. 9
His childhood was rather pleasant with only one well-known oddity: he had what one might call "visions." In G.E. Bentley's Blake Records, Bentley describes these visions as follows:
From his earliest childhood Blake saw visions. When he was four years old, God put his head to the window and set the child screaming, and once "his mother beat him for running in & saying that he saw the Prophet Ezekiel under a Tree in the Fields." Later, when he was eight or ten, one day as he was walking on Peckham Rye […] he saw 'a tree filled with angels, bright angelic wings bespangling every bough like stars.' Another time, on a summer morning he saw "the hay –makers at work, and amid them angelic figures walking. 10
Blake's interest in the opinions of others was merely to refute them at every turn. He lived and worked alone, with his wife Catherine whom he taught to read and write. As he worked to create illustrations for the writings of others, he gradually lost commissions because he turned these assignments into his own independent creation. He followed the Christian belief system, yet he hated churches; he was political yet he hated radicals. 11
Blake believed that every obstacle to the imagination was merely a fiction bred by the division man created within him. He rebelled against society; he disliked any formal sort of institution such as prisons, churches, money, morals, and anything "trendy" in opinion. Any restrictions that man felt within society came from within his own mind – what Blake called the "mind-forg'd manacles." Sin was not something he believed in, but he thought that man committed "intellectual errors." He mocked the ideas of good and evil because to him, men cannot be punished for "following their energies." 12
In his lifetime, William Blake created over 1400 designs and engravings for books, over 1000 prints and watercolors about biblical, literary, and historical subjects; and roughly 400 plates for his own "verbal-visual" books he dubbed "illuminated printing." 13
Brief Synopsis of "The Lamb" and "The Tyger"
"The Lamb" (Songs of Innocence) and "The Tyger" (Songs of Experience) portray two views of a creator. While the poems in Songs of Experience tend to have a darker tone, Blake is not trying to convince the reader that experience is inferior to innocence. Instead, he seems to suggest that each state within the individual reflects the incompleteness of the other. 14
Using simple diction, monosyllabic words and end-stopped lines, Blake creates a childlike simplicity for the reader in the poem "The Lamb." The couplets and repetitions beg the reader to sing the poem aloud. The speaker, a child, talks to the lamb, asks the lamb the question "Little Lamb, who made thee?" and answers his own question in a trustful way. The child accepts the Christian story he has been taught: that the lamb was created by Christ, Christ is known as a lamb as shown in the New Testament, and Christ is also "a little child" through his incarnation. Therefore, the child and the lamb are one with Christ. All are gentle and merciful. 15
While the main question in "The Lamb" is answered in "The Tyger," the central question, "Did he who made the Lamb make thee?" is left unanswered. The speaker, an adult, is not speaking to a tiger literally, but rather apostrophizing (this is an excellent opportunity to introduce apostrophe as a literary device). The imagery of the poem is fierce. Right away, the reader can imagine two eyes peering out from the darkness, glowing like fire. This imagery of fire is carried throughout with comparisons of the tiger to items such as "hammer," "chain," "furnace," and "anvil." The creator is the all-powerful smith, but, is this creator good or evil? Does the smith see what he has created? The tiger, in his awesomeness, arouses fear and admiration in the reader at the same time. Its "fearful symmetry," the burning of its eyes, its twisted sinewy heart, the "deadly terrors" of its brain all suggest beauty and ugliness, strength and violence. And if the tiger is awesome, then so must be his creator, who is described as "immortal" and "daring," "winged" and "strong." 16
What do the lamb and the tiger symbolize? After discussing both poems, students explore the range of meanings these symbols evoke. Using the ideas of innocence and experience, conversations should run towards concepts that involve good and evil, God's love and wrath, meekness and power, purity and sexuality, peace and war, or mercy and justice.
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