The Songs Of Experience By William Blake - 1555 Words

In class, we spent time reading and analyzing the various texts of William Blake. Some of his well-known texts are known as the Songs of Innocence, as well as the Songs of Experience. In the Songs of Experience, one particular piece caught my attention: A Poison Tree. It was not given time to discuss in class, as it was paired with several other poems from both books. This lack of time was due to the many texts that we had to review in that single session, but it is a reading that I felt needed to be discussed this semester as I find it completely and totally Blake. The text is found well into the Songs of Experience, and it is only a mere sixteen lines long. A Poison Tree may be brief, but it is quite descriptive. In short, the poem tells of a friend and a foe and how the story-teller treats them both in a time of anger. The point of view is explanatory of his/her wrath and how it affects each party in the speaker’s life. The author makes a point to talk about how his enemy came to die. In my opinion, I think that the question whether the death of his foe is literal or more metaphorical can be questioned, but he spares no detail in the emotion during his plans of making his enemy no more. If we are lead to believe that the poem in its entirety is more of a metaphor than a literal translation, it would be lead to assume that the growth of the apple in A Poison Tree is nothing more than a symbolic visualization of the wrath the speaker is growing from the very beginningShow MoreRelatedWilliam Blake Songs of Innocence Experience1256 Words   |  6 PagesSweeper† Songs of Innocence amp; Experience analysis with, William Blake In 1794 William Blake’s work was known and published as a collection of poems that were put together as one book called Songs of innocence amp; Songs of Experience. In the collection Blake titles a poem, â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†, and this one is viewed in two ways: Innocence and experience. In the book of innocence Blake shows how poor innocent children are being abused and mistreated during this time era. In Songs of innocenceRead MoreSongs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake925 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Blake writes his poems in â€Å"Songs of Innocence and of Experience† in a manner of retrospective self-analysis. Blake writes, attempting to understand the differences and paradoxes that he has observed. In his poem â€Å"The Tyger†, Blake’s artful questioning of the paradoxes in creation is exemplified. Blake poses questions that he does not answer, however his purpose is almost certainly to come to terms with creation’s idiosyncrasies, and to come to a better understanding of existence. AlthoughRead MoreWilliam Blake in Contrast of Songs of Innocence and of Experience1452 Words   |  6 PagesEN 222-Intro to British Lit. II April 21, 2012 William Blake in contrast of Songs of Innocence and of Experience William Blake, an engraver, exemplified his passion for children through his many poems. Blake lived in London most of his life and many fellow literati viewed him as eccentric. He claimed to have interactions with angels and prophets, which had a great influence on his outlook of life. Blake believed all prominent entities, those being church, state, and government had become sick withRead MoreWilliam Blake s Songs Of Innocence And Experience1268 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, printed in 1794, â€Å"represents the world as it is envisioned by what he calls ‘two contrary states of the human soul’† (Greenblatt, 1452). This collection of poetry is accompanied by pictures, which create a mutually reliant relationship that allows for complete understanding of Blake’s works. â€Å"To read a Blake poem without the pictures is to miss something important: that relationship is an aspect of the poem’s argumen t† (1452). Overall, Blake’s worksRead MoreAnalysis Of The Songs Of Innocence And Experience By William Blake1208 Words   |  5 Pages London in the late 18th century was full of poverty and corruption, according to poet William Blake. It was a city with no hope for poor people, and the government and church did little to help this. Among the poor were children working in slave-like conditions to feed their families and going to charity schools. Blake puts these children at the center of his piece to show the hypocritical nature of the church and how innocent people are suffering from it. He takes on two angles from the same topic:Read MoreSongs Of Innocence And Of Experience By William Blake Analysis868 Words   |  4 PagesSongs of Innocence and of Experience is the foundation of the work of one of the greatest. English poets and artists. The two sets of poems reveal what William Blake calls â€Å"the two contrary states of the human soul.† In both series, he offers clues to deeper meanings and suggests ways out of the apparent trap of selfhood, so that each reading provides greater insight and understanding, not only to the poems but also to human life. Throughout this poem, the logic of this poem favors experience ratherRead MoreSongs of Innocence and Songs of Experience by William Blake Essay example1126 Words   |  5 PagesUpon reading William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, a certain parallel is easily discerned between them and Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Blake, considered a radical thinker in his time, is today thought to be an important and seminal figure in the literature of the Romantic period. Being such a figure he has no doubt helped to influence many great thinkers throughout history, one of whom I believe is Carroll. There are many instances throughout Carroll’sRead MoreThe Songs Of Innocence And Experience William Blake Analysis1751 Words   |  8 Pagesreligions have different gods, traditions, and ceremonies, but they all have one thing in common; people take different viewpoints of a religion to fit into their mindset. William Blake uses this idea to express how he believes people see Christianity and God. In his series named â€Å"The Songs of Innocence and Experience,† Blake creates the image of opposing views of similar situations. The poems show the views of the innocent and the experienced. The innocent takes on the roles to show how naivetyRead MoreSongs of Good and Evil1545 Words   |  7 Pagesall describe William Blake’s life (Greenblatt, Abrams, Lynch, Stillinger). Blake was born November 28, 1757 in London, England and his artistic ability became evident in his early years. Blake had a very simple upbringing and had little education. His formal education was in art and at the age of fourteen he entered an apprenticeship with a well-known engraver who taught Blake his skills in engraving. In Blakeâ €™s free time, he began reading writing poetry. At the age of twenty-one, Blake completed hisRead MoreEssay on Biography of William Blake1631 Words   |  7 Pagesinspire your work and success. William Blake was a famous artist, engraver and poet. However, it was not until 1863 that he became famous when Alexander Gilchrist published his biography(Blake, William, and Geoffrey Keynes).Blake and his poetry have been compared to Shakespeare (Kathleen Raine). As an artist Blake was equated to Michelangelo. Being born during the time of both the American and French Revolution, William Blake was against both the Church and the State. Blake was a Dualist, believing the

The University Of Texas At El Paso - 1831 Words

Team Paper: Academic Achievement Gap Superheroes Carlos Portillo, Edgar Arciva, Jose Morales, Makeda Buggs, Raul Ramirez The University of Texas at El Paso Empirical Article Summaries Article 1 The purpose of this study was to investigate how negative stereotypes affect the achievement gaps. The current study examined how boys see themselves pertaining to these negative stereotypes (e.g. boys think of themselves as academically underachievers in comparisons to girls) and how believing these stereotypes can become true because this is what they believe it is expected of them (e.g. children believing that adults support this negative stereotype). Furthermore, the current study emerged from previous research that show how boys are†¦show more content†¦Another way was by responding verbally to boy or girl. The second DV measure was conducted by asking children meta-stereotypic questions (e.g. who do grown-ups think will do better at school boys or girls). Using between-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed that in academic gender stereotypes, girls believed they are academically superior to boys F (1,203) = 41.50, p .001. Furthermore, results show that boys favor the idea that girls are academically superior as they advance through school F (4, 203) = 12.86, p .001. In academic gender meta-stereotypes results were analyze by using between- subjects ANOVA. Results for the second DV provided insight on girls belief of academic gender meta-stereotypes did not increase as they advance through school F (4, 203) = 0.52, p = .719 whereas boys believe that adults seeing girls as academically superior did increase as they advance through school F (4, 203) = 12.24, p .001. Findings in the current study suggest that boys believe that girls are academically superior to them, but they also believe that adults share the same belief as they do (Hartley Sutton, 2013). Article 2 While our basis of interest is how stereotypes affect student performance academically, the empirical article of â€Å"Mining a Written Values Affirmation

gatdream Pursuit of the American Dream in F. Scott Essay Example For Students

gatdream Pursuit of the American Dream in F. Scott Essay Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Great Gatsby EssaysFree Essays Pursuit of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, and the downfall of those who attempt to reach its illusionary goals. The attempt to capture the American Dream is central to many novels. This dream is different for different people, but in The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is that through wealth and power, one can acquire happiness. To get this happiness Jay must reach into the past and relive an old dream and in order to do this he must have wealth and power. Jay Gatsby, the central figure of the story, is one character who longs for the past. Surprisingly he devotes most of his adult life trying to recapture it and, finally, dies in its pursuit. In the past, Jay had a love affair with the affluent Daisy. Knowing he could not marry her because of the difference in their social status, he leaves her to amass wealth to reach her economic standards. Once he acquires this wealth, he moves near to Daisy, Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay (83), and throws extravagant parties, hoping by chance she might show up at one of them. He, himself, does not attend his parties but watches them from a distance. When this dream doesnt happen, he asks around casually if anyone knows her. Soon he meets Nick Carraway, a cousin of Daisy, who agrees to set up a meeting, He wants to know.. .if youll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over (83). Gatsbys personal dream symbolizes the larger American Dream where all have the opportunity to get what they want. Later, as we see in the Plaza Hotel, Jay still believes that Daisy loves him. He is convinced of this as is shown when he takes the blame for Myrtles death. Was Daisy driving? Yes but of course Ill say I was. (151) He also watches and protects Daisy as she returns home. How long are you going to wait? All night if necessary. (152) Jay cannot accept that the past is gone and done with. Jay is sure that he can capture his dream with wealth and influence. He believes that he acted for a good beyond his personal interest and that should guarantee success. Nick attempts to show Jay the folly of his dream, but Jay innocently replies to Nicks assertion that the past cannot be relived by saying, Yes you can, old sport. This shows the confidence that Jay has in fulfilling his American Dream. For Jay, his American Dream is not material possessions, although it may seem that way. He only comes into riches so that he can fulfill his true American Dream, Daisy.Gatsby doesnt rest until his American Dream is finally fulfilled. However, it never comes about and he ends up paying the ultimate price for it. The idea of the American Dream still holds true in todays time, be it wealth, love, or fame. But one thing never changes about the American Dream;everyone desires something in life, and everyone, somehow, strives to get it. Gatsby is a prime example of pursuing the American Dream.

One Hundred Years Of Solitude Essays - Thousand Cranes, Clotho

One Hundred Years of Solitude Since the beginning of time, man has clung to the notion that there exists some external force that determines his destiny. In Grecian times, the epic poet Hesoid wrote of a triumvirate of mythological Fates that supposedly gave "to men at birth evil and good to have". In other words, these three granted man his destiny. Clotho "spun the thread of life", Lacheis distributed the lots, and Atropos with his "abhorred shears" would "cut the thread at death"(Hamilton-43). All efforts to avoid the Fates were in vain. In every case their sentence would eventually be delivered. And it appears that once the Fates' ballot had been cast, the characters in Greek myths had no chance for redemption. One must wonder if man, like the Greeks portrayed, has any real choice in determining how he lives. That issue of choice arises when comparing Gabriel Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude and Yasunari Kawabata's Thousand Cranes. The men in Yasunari Kawabata's Thousand Cranes and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude forever seem to be repeating the lives of their male ancestors. These cycles reveal that man as a being, just like the mythological heros, has no true choice in the ultimate course his life will take. The male characters' personal development is overshadowed by the identity of their ancestors. Clotho, it appears, has recycled some of her spinning thread. The new male generations, superficially, are perceived to be woven of like design. Kikuji Mitani and the male Buendia's face communities that remember their ancestors. As a result, their unique communities inadvertently compare the actions of the sons to their respective fathers', having recognized the apparent similarities. Eclipsed by his father's aura, within his village, Kikuji's identity has no separate definition. To most townsfolk, like those at Chikako's tea ceremony, Kikuji exists as "Old Mr. Mitani's son"(16). He and his father are therefore viewed as essentially the same person. Kikuji can take no action to change the village's preformed perception. In contrast, The Aurelianos and Jose Arcadios have been set into a self that their name, not their upbringing, dictate. Ursula, after many years drew some conclusions about "the insistent repetition of names"(106) within the Buendia family. While the eldest Jose Arcadio Buendia was slightly crazy, his raw maleness is transferred to all the Jose Arcadio's that follow. They tended to be "impulsive and enterprising" though "marked with a tragic sign"(186). On the other hand, the Aurelianos, corresponding to the open-eyed Colonel, seem to be "indifferent"(15) and "withdrawn"(186) yet sparked with a "fearless curiosity"(15). The Aurelianos' tendency towards solitude that shut the Colonel away in his later years, would generations later, give his distant descendant Aureliano Babilonia the stamina to decipher Melquiades scriptures(422). Together, this perfunctory family tradition seemed to influence the course these men's live's would take in the same way that Kikuji's perception by his community lopped him into the path of his father. And just as Kikuji could not change the villages preformed opinions, the named Buendia males can have no hand in changing their given characters. The men's selection of lovers, in turn, continues to perpetuate their cycle of behavior shared with their relatives. Despite warnings, Kikuji Mitani and the Buendia men engage in hazardous sexual activity that harbors grave consequences. Lacheis' lots, in this case, are inevitable. Choice and independent action are impossible for these men since Lacheis has distributed the familial key to their female attractions. There is an eerie twist in Kikuji's Mitani's love affairs with his father's mistress and her daughter. His first encounter with Mrs. Ota leaves Kikuji suspicious of the affair where agewise, "Mrs. Ota was at least forty-five , some twenty years older than Kikuji"(28). However, despite the generation gap, during their encounter Kikuji had felt that he "had a woman younger than he in his arms"(28). Mrs. Ota had substituted Kikuji as his father, thus forcing Kikuji to follow in his fathers footsteps. Kikuji is not oblivious to the strange path his love life seems to be taking, yet he does nothing to resist. Instead, a defiant Kikuji asserting that he had not been seduced determines, it was something else that had drawn him to her. The "something else" was