An Analysis of a selection of poems by William Blake; a consideration of the contrasting states of innocence and experience.

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 An Analysis of a selection of poems by William Blake; a consideration

       of the contrasting states of Innocence and Experience.

      On November 28th, 1757, William Blake was born into an unprivileged family living in Soho, London. At a young age he became apprentice to an engraver and continued to work in this way for the remainder of his life. However, his greatest mission was as a poet and painter. Blake was driven be mystical vision, and in mind and on paper was a great visionary. His non-conformist attitudes towards life and his beliefs of the church and the society it upholds all contributed to a deep disliking o him by fellow writers.

       His poems and paintings can be seen to have more relevance today in a world where Innocence and Experience are so often found in the wrong place. He was ahead of his time. And in some respects is ahead of ours.

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       In his poems, Blake used the opposing states of Innocence and Experience to make contrasts between how life should be and how life is. He wrote two anthologies of poems entitled “ Songs of Innocence”, written in 1789, and “Songs of Experience” four years later in 1793 that explored the details of these states.

      Blake was keen to put across that in Innocence and Experience there came two meanings, of mind and of Situation. As with “The Tyger”, it was naturally a hunter and seen to represent evil, Blake saw it was born that ...

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