A poem by William Blake that I chose was called, “The Lamb”. This is because I got the impression that the purpose of this poem was to question the existence of the lamb and how it came to be on earth. A line that stuck with me in the poem was in the second stanza when Blake says, “He is called by thy name, for He calls himself a lamb.” In this line, I learned that this poem can be considered a dedication to Jesus and the sacrifices that he has made to die for his sins. Not only in Christianity, this also reminded me of other religions where a lamb is a sacred animal that’s used for religious purposes and sacrifices as a way of offering something to God. I think this poem also represents the innocence that particularly stems from children, which is why Blake considers a child and a lamb to be similar. I agree with this because a lamb is also considered a baby goat, meaning that they are just born and innocent. I also think that a lamb was chosen because they are white which is a color that represents innocence and purity.
Fiona, I agree with you that part of Blake’s interest in the lamb here lies in the way in which the lamb can symbolize innocence and purity. These are the elements he wants to highlight in the child as well. When we connect the child who is speaking in the poem, the lamb, and Jesus, we see that all three, according to Blake, are innocent, pure, and ultimately destined to be sacrificed.