Write on Blake’s Use of Symbolism.

Answer

Write on Blake’s use of symbolism. 

William Blake (1757-1827) is the senior poet of the Romantics.  At the same time, he was a painter and poet. He is famous and acclaimed basically for symbols and mysticism. There is hardly a poem in Blake’s collection of poems, “Songs of Innocence and of Experience” (1789), which has no symbolic significance.

Symbols of Blake’s Poetry: Symbol refers to the targeted meaning of the words that express deep meaning instead of surface meaning. According to the Oxford Dictionary, “A symbol is a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.” The “Songs of Innocence” symbols are particularly Biblical and depend on the “Songs of Experience.” Symbols of Blake’s poetry are illustrated here poem-wise.

The Tyger: The Tyger (1794) is a classic poem in its abundant use of symbols and images. The images here have special strength and freedom. The tiger represents the cruel and mastery side of God. The powerful beast symbolizes a fearful symmetry that is symbolically pervasive evil in the world and manifests as a manifestation of perfect power and beauty.

The forest of night represents ignorance, repression and superstition. To some, the forest symbolizes the world of experience, where many sterile errors conceal the path of truth and dim the light. The fire is the symbol of wrath. To Spenser, wrath is a fire. Milton wrote of flames as a sign of wrath awakened. The poem’s fire is found in lines one, six and eight.

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

What the hand, dare seize the fire? 

The Lamb: A deep religious feeling pulsates through the poem “The Lamb.” The lamb, the child, and Christ are identified in the poem as symbols of innocence. It bears the qualities of humility, gentleness and mildness. Christ is called a lamb owing to his humility and gentleness. The harmlessness of the lamb and the purity of the child’s heart manifest