As we heard from our previous presentation, in Exprerience love is not credited at all.
The narrator refuses the offer of sex, however, his wife, represented by the rose, turns her back on him, revealing the possessive jealous love that destroys true love.
Unselfish love cannot survive in Experience and this is shown in The Clod & the Pebble, in which unselfish love is trodden on by a material world. Despite the true harmony shown in poems, such as The Echoing Green, this is just passed off by Experience, which considers it to be both naÏve and foolish, as stated.
The Ecchoing Green, a place metaphor for the unity of all and God due to the harmony that is present, can be compared to The Divine Image, which writes of the "virtues of delight" and happiness. These, however, are discarded by Experience with poems, such as A Poison Tree and Infant Sorrow, which introduce the themes of sadness and revenge.
Innocence is often symbolised by happiness and this can be seen in The Introduction where the piper seems very happy as he is "piping down the valleys wild". He pipes his "songs of pleasant glee" when he sees a child, who is also happy, as shown with his laughter. The child is almost angelic as he is seen on a cloud and this vision of a child, represents the divine, as this is an angelic and heavenly vision of humans, which is only where the divine can be seen. The imagination for Blake is the divine and so this child is certainly a vision of an angel. Not only does the child represent innocence, but the piper then pipes "a song about a Lamb", lambs being both the Lamb of God and of innocence. Both these symbols of a lamb and child therefore represent both innocence and Jesus himself. General happiness and joy, is replaced by sadness and grief, while the unity of the divine and humans is replaced with a fear of God, as shown in The Little Girl Lost.
There are also many references to crying for joy, which can often be seen in the poems of Innocence, as it represents unadulterated happiness: "he wept to hear…he wept with joy…I stain'd the water clear." This seems to represent the emotion and actions of true innocence, despite the fact that crying is usually linked with pain and sadness. However, this is the emotion within experience, whereas in innocence it is of joy.
In the story of Adam and Eve, the overhanging trees represent, both fertility and protection. Both child and piper have a lack of sexual instruments, thus showing the innocence of Adam and Eve, before they ate from the apple, when such things were insignificant.
The overhanging tree representing protection, which is essential in Innocence with the naÏve and unknowing, can be seen on the plate for The Ecchoing Green, as it arches over the happy and joyous people. In this poem, Innocence can be seen both in the playing children and in the sounds of joy.
Youth and elders enjoy each other's company and in fact experience seems to bring out innocence in "Old John." The old seem to feel rejuvenated by the positive energy from the playful children, even though their youthful energy passed away when they "In our youth time were seen, On the Ecchoing Green." The general harmony of people together illustrates divine love and causes God to become alive, as is shown in the quotation: "God becomes as we are, that we may be as he is." The Ecchoing Green, a place metaphor for the unity of all and God due to the harmony that is present, can be compared to The Divine Image, which writes of the "virtues of delight" and happiness. These, however, are discarded by Experience with poems, such as A Poison Tree and Infant Sorrow, which introduce the themes of sadness and revenge.
Death is introduced only in Experience, as Innocence is not developed enough to experience this. The cynical view of Experience wipes aside Innocence in the view that it is far to simple, with little knowledge of reality and that which truly happens.
