Great Works II

“The Lamb” wrote by William Blake is a very interesting and symbolic poem. It starts with a very naive and profound question “little lamb, who made thee,” asked by a little child. Obviously, the little child is curious about the creation of a lamb; why a lamb has the “softest clothing”, “a tender voice” and can make “the vales rejoice”.  In the next stanza, the little child answers his own question in a mystical way. He tells readers that a little lamb is created by the person who calls himself a lamb. I was really confused at the first time, but I found that Jesus was symbolized as the sacrificial lamb in the story of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22: 1-14) throughout my research. Implicitly, Blake refers Jesus as the one who creates the little lamb. This short poem is full of romanticism and vivid imagination. The author depicts the image of a child playing and talking to a little lamb. The tone of the poem is very peaceful, gentle and meek, which also reveals the child’s affection for Christian values and his faith in a benevolent world.

Blake begins with “The Tyger” the same way as he did in the “the lamb” by asking the question who creates a tiger. Then he elaborates more on the tiger’s physical frame including its eyes, wings and heart. In addition, he briefly mentions the process of creating a tiger. The difference between this poem and “The Lamb” is that Blake leaves readers an unanswered question. Who is the creator of a tiger? Is the creator a blacksmith sine he uses hammer, chain, furnace in the creation process? However, the author implies that it could be the same person who creates a lamb before. How could this be? If “The Lamb” is written from an innocent child’ perspective, “The Tyger” is more from the perspective of a middle-age man who has mixed feeling for the creator of the benevolent universe. Through two complementary poems, Blake shows us the complexity of Jesus’ creation and the inscrutability of his power.

“Ode on Intimations of Immortality” is the recollection of Wordsworth’s childhood, in which he describes the process of his growing up. The poem begins when Wordsworth self-discloses that he can’t see the things that he was able to see. When he was a child, everything is delightful and enjoyable; but that feeling fades away as “a glory has passed away from the earth”. As an adult now, joyous bird singing, sunshine and fresh flowers become merely “a thought of grief”. He wonders “where is it now, the glory and the dream”. From the stanza V to VII, the author takes us with him to his journey of growing up. From the stage as a new-born to the life of 6-year-old boy to other “humorous stages”, he concludes that all human life is just an imitation to each other. Here he raised another question why a child is so eager to become an adult when he can still enjoy the best part of his entire life. We might experience or at least understand this dilemma-the youth wants to grow up quickly while the adult wants to stay young forever. However, the author does not desperately desire to bring back his childhood. Even though he loses the naive feeling for nature, he realizes that he has a “philosophic mind” now as a grown-up. With this thought, he can still enjoy nature and life and regain his glory in a meaningful way.