What have you understood, from reading the poems of William Blake?

The poem 'The Lamb', which is a symbol of innocence and is best read alongside The Tyger. The capital L in Lamb is something people believe Blake placed there to symbolise Jesus as the 'Lamb of God'. 'He became a little child', gives us an image of newborn which relates to Easter and springtime. Blake always uses references to nature as it is something so natural and effortlessly magnificent. 'Under leaves so green', 'skylark ad thrush', 'birds of the bush', 'green hill', 'grasshopper laughs', 'Besides, in the sky the little birds fly', ''And the hills are all cover'd with sheep.'' Nature is such a beautiful and innocent state and by using it Blake paints a visual picture with his words, which helps the reader grasp that image ideally to suit a specific poem.

In 'The Laughing Song', he paints a rural scene, a vivid image of woodland and a countryside setting ideal for this type of poem. Comparing both "The Chimney sweeper" from Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, the poems are both similar in subject with Blake using `The Chimney Sweep" in both to emphasise the miserable urban life of a chimney sweep during the industrial revolution. Appearing in both poems is the rhyming pattern of aabb, abab and four beat line rhythms producing the effect of a children's song, this is a technique used to accentuate innocence of the poem. The two poems are also similar that in which are being told from a child's point of view display one important difference. In the `innocence' poem the child is unaware of the implications that the story he is telling beholds. Where as in "experience" the child is a streetwise child of the slums creating a darker tone. In both `innocence' and `experience' we can see the contrast of each revealing the story of a chimney sweep. Putting audiences into shock revealing them to the evil of child labour that was throughout London during the Industrial Revolution. The `innocent' piece of writing is a brighter poem displaying the naive optimism of the child telling the story. Blake also reinforces the `cheerful' tale with his own moral `so if they all do their duty they will fear no harm'. Although the "innocent' piece of writing may seem a little more bright there is a dramatic irony in every serene statement, with dull evidence of the misery experienced by the child.

Throughout Songs of Innocence there is a vivid use of imagery "then down the green plain, leaping, laughing they run, and wash in a river and shine in the sun." This line clearly is explaining life after death for the children. When the sweeps are set free from their `coffins' this symbolises the deathlike confinement in the chimneys that the children clean being set free from their imprisonment. The angel in the poem also is a symbol. She may symbolise joy promising the boys a nice life but in this way she also promises their death. This also is another instance of imagery in the poem. There is also use of repetition at the beginning of each `Innocence' and `Experience' poem. In `innocence' the young boy telling the story attempts to say `sweep' but says `weep' `and my father sold me while yet my tongue could scarcely cry "'weep! `weep! `Weep!" this is an ironic comment on misery emphasising the neglect of the child also reinforcing the child being very young.

The Songs of Experience "The Chimney Sweeper" is a complete contrast to "The Songs of Innocence". In writing this song Blake wanted to express the social injustice of the relationship between the chimney sweep and his parents. It launches an attack on the hypocrisies of the parents and God. "Who make up a heaven of our misery" The anti-establishment expressed in this poem are the same as those that were being expressed in revolutionary France and among the radical groups of London. It is a very dismal poem with a grey mood anticipating the audience to sympathise with the child being neglected by its parents. There is use of metaphors "they clothed me in clothes of death" this expresses how the child has been betrayed by his parents, who put him to work as a sweep which would lead to him sickness and death at an early age. "A little black thing among the snow" is an impersonal narration presenting the abandoned little child, black from the soot of his labour in the snow. A small sad poem with great meaning that is being simply put across to the reader with great simplicity and ease.

Written about the city of London Blake's poem entitled "London" is a Song of Experience. Blake above all shows the evil effects of the Industrial Revolution on London. This poem is noting his imagination as he explores through the dirty streets of London. In writing this poem Blake wanted to communicate the dirty facts that the city was being taken to its inner death. Blake's intention was to startle the imagination. Blake voices himself in this poem allowing the people to see what London had become or what it was becoming. Throughout the poem the emotions remain dark and melancholy expressing the horrible surroundings. It evokes images of death, despair, grief and shame supporting the state in which London was at that time period. "London" is compromised of four stanzas each with an ABAB rhyming pattern. Blake's uses of words are very symbolic but colourless relating to the theme of the poem. Blake uses many examples of symbols throughout this poem; he created new symbols through his writing in order to protect his highly individual visions. Blake uses the symbol of the evil of Christianity, he writes about their abuse of power as he mentions `How the chimney sweeper's cry, Every black'ning Church appals' cleaning the soot out of the churches the chimney sweeper is a symbol of a lost child working in the soot and dirt of the church which itself is black with creed and crime.

Nurse's Song and Laughing Song both mention the word, 'green' and so does 'The Blossom'. Placed in innocence it refers back to nature a robin, sparrow, green leaves. A blossom is something growing just like a child so it symbolises something new, flourishing the spring and new seasons. It uses childlike simple language, ''Pretty, pretty robin, near my Bosom.' Read alongside 'The Sick Rose', from experience. The invisible worm in the poem destroyed the rose's innocence. My interpretation is that I think Blake is actually talking about himself and his 'secret love', of 'crimson joy', she is like a rose to him but she is ill and her life is being destroyed.

The short poems of Blake are like pebbles thrown into a pool, creating ripples which move outwards indefinitely, affecting everything they touch. At their gentlest they are like tendrils caressing the world, at their most violent like bombs smashing to smithereens the false structures of existing beliefs and opinions. Blake can thunder with the best, but he an also say no so quietly and subtly that the reader does not realize quite how much is being subverted. As a teenager living in today's society I can still relate to Blake's work and the meanings of his poetry it makes me think about the beauty of creation. I understand the magnitude of innocence and experience. His poems are inspirational and it captures one's imagination. It captures the innocence of the time it was written in. I have learnt about the two opposite natures and the different states of being, it shows you how the times have changed and today's children have many more rights, but nature in all its excellence and beauty is still there and will never change. It portrays realism and the hardship that not only the children of that time had to face but all the poor, under privileged people. He captured his time using realism and the drudgery. He shows us unspoilt innocence and its saddening and moving how innocence can never last! Although Blake was not very well known throughout his life, he became a part of history creating some of the most passionate poetry of all time. He was an artist of great ability creating amazing pieces of work with profound simplicity encouraging and inspiring people around the world. Exercising the minds of many of us still to this day!