William Blake as the Contributor to the Foundation of English Literature

William Blake was a 19th-century writer who is known as an influential figure during the Romantic Age. Blake was born in Soho, London on November 28, 1757, to James and Catherine Blake. He had six siblings which two of them died during infancy. His parents saw him a little differently from his siblings and peers, so they homeschooled him. At a young age, Blake spoke of having visions of seeing God “put his head to the window” and while walking through the countryside he saw a tree filled with angels (“Blake”). He was accused of not being truthful.

About the age of twelve, William Blake began to write poetry. He did not get any formal education until he attended the Royal Academy around the age of fourteen. Authors, John Flaxman, and Henry Rusell played an important role in Blake’s writing ability. Some of William Blake’s most well-known poetry makes reference to religion and God. In 1789, he published his Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience in 1794 which include “The Lamb”, “The Tyger”, and “The Little Black Boy”. In the poems, William Blake speaks of a God or supernatural omnipresent being. It is unclear where Blake stands with his belief but it is clear that all three poems have the symbolism of Christianity.

“The Lamb”, has only two stanzas, each containing five rhymed couplets. There is repetition in the first and last line of each stanza. The poem is narrated by a child asking questions of curiosity about a lamb (1-3). “Who made the lamb? Where did the lamb come from? Who feed the lamb?” In the second stanza, the boy realizes, “For he calls himself a Lamb” (14), God made the lamb just like God made him. In the last two lines, “Little Lamb God bless thee. Little Lamb God bless thee”( 19-20) the boy is blessing the lamb as a creation of God.

“The Tyger” is comprised of six quatrains in rhymed couplets. The meter is regular and rhythmic which follows an AABB rhyme scheme. The narrator of the poem is a child who questions the creation of the Tyger, “What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry” (3-4)? The Tyger is such a dangerous animal that only a strong and powerful person could create such a great creation. “On what wings dare he aspire” (7)? This describes an angel. The poem doesn’t answer the question but leaves one to assume that it was the same being that made the lamb.

“The Little Black Boy” was written during the time of slavery. The poem is in heroic quatrains, which are stanzas of pentameter lines rhyming ABAB. The form is a variation on the ballad stanza. The little black boy is the narrator of the first two stanzas. This poem questions slavery and discrimination. For example, the line, “And I am black, but Oh! my soul is white,” (2) shows the degree of the boy’s awareness of people who are not tolerant of people from different racial backgrounds. Despite the boy’s black skin color, the boy feels that his soul is white. This refers to the boy’s soul being pure. Blake used the colors black and white to create imagery.

During slavery, black was bad and white stood for good. The boy tells the story of his mother gave birth to him in the southern forests of Africa. Also, how his mother taught him to read and write as well as lessons about religion. In the third, fourth, and fifth stanzas, the mother is speaking to her son about where God lives and how he provides for everything in the world. The mother is letting her son know that God cares for all no matter animal, human, black, or white. Everyone and everything has a purpose and matters in God’s sight. In the fifth stanza, Blake describes the body to the garment. Once the soul is ready for heaven, the body-garment is no longer needed. In the last two stanzas, the black boy is speaking again, “And round the tent of God like lambs we joy” (20). He is informing a white boy that they both will make it to heaven despite their skin color and be equals in God’s sight. This is symbolic of God’s love for black and white.

William Blake is recognized as one of the greatest contributors to English literature and art. He is regarded as a major British poet and artist. Blake died on August 12, 1827, in London. His works have wide usage of metaphors, similes, and personification which make his works colorful and engaging. Some examples of personification are in “The Lamb” the lamb as having clothing versus wool and having a “tender voice” (5-7). Also, in “The Tyger” the stars threw spears and cried tears (18-19). Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience which include “The Lamb”, “The Tyger”, and “The Little Black Boy” have similarities such as a child narrator and questions of curiosity about the creator which is grounded in their religious beliefs. In each poem, the child narrator represents innocence, meekness, and gentleness. The overall theme explores how the young innocently recognizes and accepts the presence of God.