Obviously the most prevalent theme is religion. Frequent allusions to Adam and Eve, Heaven and Hell, and God are evident of this. Blake refers to God or the Poetic Genius in All Religions Are One. He also reflects on the similarities between other religions.
As all men are alike
(tho’ infinitely vari
ous) So all Religions:
& as all similar have
one source,
The true Man is the
source, he being the
Poetic Genius.”
I take this to mean that if all men come from the one (Adam), who is made in the image of “the true Man,” therefore they are all the same. I could also so someone take it to mean that all religion leads back to the Poetic Genius (God).
More predominant, I believe, is the theme of innocence or innocence lost.
Obviously we see this in the Songs of Innocence and Experience. Blake contrasts the innocence of the lamb and the tiger. In The Lamb, Blake questions “Little Lamb who made thee/ Dost thou know who made me.” Then, in The Tyger, Blake asks “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?” This raises an interesting question. Is God also responsible for the “bad things” in the world? Is it God who makes the things that cause us joy as well as the things that cause us pain?
This brings to mind another question, what/who is responsible for the loss of innocence? Is it man or the Man?
Debbie,
ReplyDeleteGreat picture to illustrate your post! You raise some good points here, and touch the surface of several issues worth exploring. I think you would be more successful if you focused on either "All Religions are One" or "The Lamb" and "The Tyger." Blake is really too complex to allow you to do a good job of discussing both subjects, and your post seems rushed and cursory as a result. As a general rule, try to "say more about less": pick a smaller topic that you can delve into in more depth and detail, rather than a broad topic about which you can only generalize.
My interpretation of Blake's poems is that no matter what your view on something you should accept it. Going along with All Religions are One in the sense that everyone resembles the fact that they men all come from one, but embrace different religions.
ReplyDelete