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Question: William Blake believed that "the good and abundant life consists in the sustained tension, without victory or suppression, of co-present oppositions." Choose two poems from his "Songs of Innocence" and two poems from his "Songs of Experience" and talk about how they represent sustained tensions or oppositions. Many times in these two volumes of poems there are clear opposites, like "The Lamb" in the Songs of Innocence and "The Tiger" in the Songs of Experience. So the task is to find poems like these.
Certainly, I'd be happy to help. In "Songs of Innocence," two examples of sustained tensions can be found in "The Chimney Sweeper" and "The Little Black Boy." In "The Chimney Sweeper," there is a tension between the innocence of the child and the cruelty of the world. The child is forced to sweep chimneys, a dangerous and degrading job, yet he still maintains his optimism and faith in God. This tension between the child's innocence and the harshness of reality is sustained throughout the poem. Similarly, in "The Little Black Boy," there is a sustained tension between the child's innocent faith in God and the realities of slavery and racism. The child believes that all people are equal in the eyes of God, yet he is acutely aware of the societal barriers that exist between him and his white counterparts. This tension is sustained throughout the poem as the child struggles to reconcile his faith with the reality of his situation. Moving on to "Songs of Experience," "The Tyger" and "The Sick Rose" both represent sustained tensions between opposing forces. In "The Tyger," Blake explores the opposing concepts of creation and destruction. The tiger is a powerful, majestic creature, yet it is also a fearsome predator that can cause destruction. This tension between the beauty and terror of creation is sustained throughout the poem. Similarly, in "The Sick Rose," there is a tension between love and death. The rose represents love and beauty, yet it is being destroyed by a worm, which represents death and decay. This tension between the life-affirming force of love and the inevitability of death is sustained throughout the poem. Overall, William Blake's poems use sustained tensions and oppositions to explore complex themes and ideas, and offer profound insights into the human condition.
March 19, 2023, 4:36 a.m.
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