The poetry of William Blake
Course/Subject/Level
Literature/English/GCSE
Parts of the curriculum covered
National Curriculum for English
‰ English literary heritage
‰ ICT
‰ Reading for meaning
‰ Speaking
‰ Writing
Duration of the lesson
90 mins (45 mins in IT suite + 45 mins classroom)
Objectives
‰
To encourage understanding of the language and themes of the poems of William Blake.
‰
To enable students to use various media to access information about the poetry and poet
and to encourage discussion regarding major ideas/themes/influences.
‰
To promote an appreciation and understanding of our English literary heritage and its
continuing relevance to modern-day life.
‰
To enable students to discuss, analyse and describe the meanings of the poem and to
display that knowledge in both a written and spoken format (class discussion).
Resources involved
Handout
A printout of the poems The Tyger and The Lamb with essay question and framework.
The Internet
http://cla.calpoly.edu/%7Esmarx/Blake/blakeproject.html
http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/blake/
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http://members.aa.net/~urizen/blake.html
http://metalab.unc.edu/wm/paint/auth/blake/
http://virtual.park.uga.edu/wblake/home1.html
http://www.emule.com/poetry/works.cgi?author=8
CD-ROMs
Encarta
‰ English Poetry Plus
‰ Worldbook Multimedia Encyclopaedia
‰ Student Reference Library
‰
Background information
A background lesson on the Romantic poets and the major themes of Romantic poetry.
Activities
IT suite (45 mins)
Working in pairs
Quick quiz (15 mins)
1. Find a short biography of William Blake on the Internet using a search engine or using
Encarta. Find the titles of at least 10 of his poems and note them down. (If students are
struggling with finding the information, provide them with a few URLs on the Internet
which pertain to William Blake.) (10 mins)
2. Quick class feedback session. (5 mins)
Detailed browsing (15 mins)
Divide class in half; one half should:
1. Access the site http://www.emule.com/poetry/works.cgi?author=8 and find the poem The
Lamb. Read this poem.
2. Find a poem on this site which is about an animal which is the complete opposite of The
Lamb. Read that poem.
3. Discuss the poems with your partner and write down your thoughts about the themes of
the poems.
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The other half should:
1. Use CD Resources
• Encarta
• English Poetry Plus
• Worldbook Multimedia Encyclopaedia
• Student Reference Library
to investigate the life and works of William Blake and to find specific information about the
era he lived in (1757–1827), for example major events, etc.
Feedback session (15 mins)
The groups should present the information they collected to the rest of the class and
discussions should spring up from the findings based on careful questions asked by the
teacher. For example: ‘What events in his lifetime might have impacted on Blake's poetry?
What other skills did Blake have?’
Classroom work (45 mins)
Hand out printouts of the poems The Tyger and The Lamb.
Class discussion of the major points, themes, etc. (10 mins). For example:
• Metaphors
• Human experience
• Religion
Begin essay work comparing and contrasting the two poems (see handout). (35 mins, the rest
to be completed as coursework)
Ensure that students feel confident/able to ask questions in this session, which will enable
them to complete the coursework.
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The Tyger
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare sieze the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!
When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
William Blake
The Lamb
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed,
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
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Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee.
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
William Blake
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Compare and contrast the two poems, support your answer with relevant quotes from the
poem. Your essay may take into account the following:
1. The language used in the poems: How does the choice of words affect the outcome of
each poem?
2. The effect of the language: How do you think the poet feels about the lamb? Which
phrases demonstrate this? How is The Tyger poem different from The Lamb?
3. Underlying meaning: What do you think the lamb and the tiger might represent? Support
your answer with evidence from the poem.
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