Blake’s ideas did not fit the traditional Enlightenment thinking, and his poems often criticized the faults that he saw with this time period. Many of the Englightenment ideas consisted of independent thought and personal enlightenment to improve society as a whole. However, Blake criticized the disparities in society that he saw between those in power (the church and the monarchy) “the priest and king” and the lower class such as the “Chimney-sweepers” and “Harlots” who were suffering in society. Blake’s work directly criticizes the fact that not everyone benefits from the enlightenment through self-reasoning, no matter how hard they may try to work on themselves. He criticized and opposed the ideas of the church and the government who abused their power that led to the suffering of many people.
One thought on “How is Blake’s work specifically a criticism of the Enlightenment?”
Comments are closed.
I absolutely agree with your observation that Blake is criticizing this time period. The enlightenment period was always viewed and praised for the improvements to society however no one ever brought to light all the oppression. I also love that you mentioned how the government and church allowed people to suffer for their own benefit.