1. Blake describes innocence and experience as “the two contrary states of the human soul.” What do you think he means by this?
2. Compare the mode of creation described in “The Lamb” with that of “The Tyger.” How are they similar? How are they different?
3. In “London” the speaker says he hears “mind-forged manacles” (line 8) What do you think that phrase means?
4. What differences do you see between the two “Chimney Sweeper” poems?
5. The introductory poem to Songs of Innocence refers to a poet/singer/piper who composes “…happy songs,/Every child may joy to hear.” To what extent does this line describe the poems in Songs of Innocence?
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4. What differences do you see between the two “Chimney Sweeper” poems?
The first difference between the two “Chimney Sweeper” poems is that in the first poem, the speaker praises God and religious beliefs, thinking that they bring happiness, meanwhile in the second poem, he denies religion and any authority that supports it. In the first poem, the following stanza describes the speaker’s praise of religion, “and he opened the coffins & set them all free; / Then down a green plain, leaping , laughing they run”(15). These lines show the argument that people are truly happy and free only when they die because God is the one who can free them. The second poem, on the other hand, shows a completely opposite perspective, “They think they have done me no injury, / And are gone to praise God & his Priest & King, / Who make up a heaven of our misery” (10-12). In these stanzas, the speaker argues that the idea that God, his Priest, and the King, make people free as well as happy is an illusion. Even though the word ‘heaven’ is commonly associated with positive connotations, in this case it is associated with misery. Another difference between the two poems is that in the first poem, the speaker is raised without a father and despite of his poverty, he feels happy due to his belief in God. However, in the second poem, the speaker grows up with parents who are very religious, and the speaker himself has better living conditions, yet he feels unhappy because he thinks that the idea of religion, church, and the king, are not truthful.
1. Blake describes innocence and experience as “the two contrary states of the human soul.” What do you think he means by this?
I think Blake refers to innocence as purity and experience as destructive. For example, his poem “The Lamb” talks about the lamb being a docile, gentle, tender animal. The lamb is link to religion, it symbolizes Jesus for the christians. Jesus was the “Lamb of God” which means he was pure enough to be sacrifice. However, “The Tyger” is a poem where Blake uses a tiger to convey the idea of experience. Tigers are evil, powerful, dangerous, intense and with destructive potential. These animals would also eat a lamb without any problem, they are predators. So, the difference between innocence and experience can relate to the states of the human soul because as any other animal humans are born innocents and without sin but as experience is gained we become sinners and destructive beings.
I agree with Rosa. In life, humans retain both innocence and corruption. As we grow we learn from our mistakes but in times can also lead to our destruction. Blake describes that the human soul isn’t just all about innocence but that it also has a horrible side as well.
1. Blake describes innocence and experience as “the two contrary states of the human soul.” What do you think he means by this?
Innocence and experience are opposites because having innocence can also mean being inexperienced. Being innocent is being ignorant to most of the hardships that come with life. Blake would call children innocent because they don’t have experience in life like an adult would. Having experience would mean going through things that make you lose your innocence.
1. Blake describes innocence and experience as “the two contrary states of the human soul.” What do you think he means by this?
I think that Blake means that innocence and experience are the two opposite things in our life. In poem Blake call children as innocence because they have not faced any situation in which they can experience as we grow up we face different situation in our life and than we gain experience from them. Than this experience changed our point of of view towards the life because before we don’t any experience and than we become more responsible, wise. Innocence is just the things that is in front of your eyes or showed to you once you experienced it, it will change your point of view.
1. Blake describes innocence and experience as “the two contrary states of the human soul.” What do you think he means by this?
Blake describes the two sates of innocence and experience as two sides of a coin, in which you cannot be both at the same time. Inocense is this child like sate, where you are ignorant of the world and experience is sort of an adult who has an idea how the world works. One would think experience is better but blake has different take on it. Innocence is the idealized sate without an sin. Out of all the words, like ignorant, uninformed, he choose to go with innocence, to draw this purity. Experince is the right opposite if innocence you are sin free, in this you are a sinner. You have lost this purity about you, that you had in the sate of innocence.
1. William Blake describes innocent and experience as “the two contrary states of the human soul” because when we are child, we do not have experienced anything or we can say that our level of thinking at that time is very low and we do not have any knowledge, at that time, We are innocent. On the other hand, when we start getting knowledge and our brain start thinking according to the environment in which we live, at that time, We are not innocent anymore. That’s why William Blake said that innocent and experience are two opposite things.
1. Blake describes innocence and experience as “the two contrary states of the human soul.” What do you think he means by this?
The author of “Songs of Innocence and Experience”, William Blake , describes innocence and experience as “the two contrary states of the human soul.” I think refers to innocence and experience as contrary states because he believes that one who is innocent is inexperienced and one who becomes experienced is no longer innocent. I think that for Blake innocence is a state that one can only exist in while in childhood as children are ignorant to the ways of the world. However once a child makes their way through the transition period between childhood they become less ignorant to the ways of the world and more experienced in them and there fore less innocent.
Blake describes innocence and experience as “the two contrary states of the human soul.” What do you think he means by this?
Blake describes the children as the innocent state, which children are pure mind and simple and they are happy to enjoy the life around them. on the other hand, the experience state of human means the adulthood where people has knows the evil side of the world and not easily sense the joy of life.
1. Blake describes innocence and experience as “the two contrary states of the human soul.” What do you think he means by this?
In my opinion, innocence is how our lives were before experience. One part of the soul is completely untouched and pure, but experience shapes our souls for the future, sometimes for the better or the worst.