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Because he believed that that creation followed a cosmic catastrophe and a fall of spiritual beings into matter, Blake discusses Gnosticism, a multi-faceted religious movement that has run parallel to mainstream Christianity (Friedlander, 1999). Unlike most other Gnosticizers, Blake sees the world as a wonderful place, but one that would ultimately give way to a restored universe. For Blake, the purpose of creation is as a place for personal growth, in preparation for the beginning of our real lives. While the natural world contains much that is gentle and innocent ("Songs of Innocence"), those who are experienced with life ("Songs of Experience") understand that life can be terrible and frightening.
Blake's poem, "The Tyger," which finishes without an answer, is basically about our own experience of not getting a completely satisfactory answer to the important question of faith. It is aklso about having our reason overwhelmed at once by the beauty and the horror of the natural world. "When the stars threw down their spears / and watered heaven with their tears" is the most difficult part of "The Tyger."
According to Friedlander (1999): "For Blake, the stars represent cold reason and objective science. (They are weaker than the Sun of inspiration or the moon of love. Their mechanical procession has reminded others, including the author of "Lucifer by Starlight," of "the army of unalterable law"; in this case the law of science.) Although Blake was hostile (as I am, and as most real scientists are) to attempts to reduce all phenomena to chemistry and physics, Blake greatly appreciated the explosion of scientific knowledge during his era. But there is something about seeing a Tyger which you can't learn from a zoology class. The sense of awe and fear defy reason. And Blake's contemporary "rationalists" who had hoped for a tame, gentle world guided by kindness and understanding must face the reality of the Tyger."
The Tyger" poses a question: who could have dared to create a beast as terrifying as the tiger? (Blunt, 1959) Blake compares the creation of...
William Blake was born in London in 1757, the son of a hosier. He attended a drawing school and was subsequently apprenticed to an engraver from 1772-9, before attending the Royal Academy as a student from 1779 to 1780. During this time he made his living as an engraver, producing illustrations for the book trade, and was also composing and illustrating his own poetical works. He married Catherine Boucher in
William Blake Although he was misunderstood and underappreciated throughout his lifetime, William Blake and his work only truly became influential after his death in 1827 (William Blake, 2014). Although he is best known for his poetry, Blake also created a significant amount of art work and other publications throughout his life. Despite the fact that his work found no profound audience during his life, Williams Blake was nonetheless a visionary, whose
He saw that there could be no innocence if one could not acquire experience and knowledge later. This is also true of the kind of art Blake executed. Engravings are drawings made up of lines. It is not possible to remove the lines and have any art left, because that is what his style art does: it divides blank space. Without the blank space, there can be no lines.
1) Technically, the work consists of several poetic devices: Alliteration: Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright -- Frame Thy Fearful Symmetry. Apostrophe: Use of apostrophe directing speaker's prose to the tiger. Metaphor: The tiger has "eyes of fire" Anaphora: Repetition of "What" at the beginning of sentences or clauses (What dread hand, what the chain, etc.) Allusion: The immortal hand or eye (God or Satan, Creation or Destruction; Distant deeps or skies; the underworld, heaven. The overall theme of
William Blake was one of Britain's greatest poets. His long history of mental illness also makes him one of England's most colourful and interesting literary figures. He lived his life in poverty, in the company of his devoted wife, and created a great deal of controversy due to his unconventional views on religion and rationalism. He was born on November 28, 1757 in London. Blake's parents were James, a hosier, and Catherine.
1. First stanza: "Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?" IV. Body paragraph III: Contrast with Tyger A. Ironically, the lion is "commonly known as the protector of the Lamb," (Damon & Eaves 242). B. The lion is "often associated with the Tyger, for they are both forms of wrath: the lion is spiritual wrath, inspired by pity…while the Tyger's blind wrath is purely emotional," (all Damon &
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