Blake's Poems: Exploring Contraries
William Blake first published the Songs of Innocence in 1789. In 1794, these songs
and the Songs of Experience were issued together in one volume, the title page
promising a demonstration of "the two Contrary States of the Human Soul."
Blake conceived the first of these states, "Innocence," as a state of genuine love and
naive trust toward all humankind, accompanied by unquestioned belief in Christian
doctrine. Though a firm believer in Christianity, Blake thought that its doctrines were
being used by the English Church and other institutions as a form of social control: to
encourage among the people passive obedience and acceptance of oppression, poverty,
and inequality. Recognition of this marks what Blake called the state of "Experience," a
profound disillusionment with human nature and society. One entering the state of
"Experience" sees cruelty and hypocrisy only too clearly but is unable to imagine a way
out. Blake also conceived of a third, higher state of consciousness he called "Organized
Innocence," which is expressed in his later works. In this state, one's sense of the
divinity of humanity coexists with oppression and injustice, though involving continued
recognition of and active opposition to them.
When reading the Songs of Innocence and, to a lesser extent, the
Songs of Experience, it is important to remember that Blake intended them not as
simple expressions of religious faith. The poems are demonstrations of viewpoints
that are necessarily limited or distorted by each narrator's or speaker's state of
consciousness.
from
“The Romantic Period.” Elements of Literature. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000.
Romantic Period Poetry Presentation
I.
Select Groups
A. Pd. 1: 6 groups of 4; 1 group of 5
B. Pd. 2: 7 groups of 5
C. Pd. 5: 5 groups of 5
D. Pd. 6: 6 groups of 5
E. Pd. 8: 2 groups of 3; 1 group of 4
II.
III.
IV.
Poetry Assignment
A. All students will receive the poetry packet containing a variety of William Blake’s pieces
from Songs of Innocence & Songs of Experience.
i. “Nurse’s Song” Innocence
ii. “The Chimney Sweeper” Innocence
iii. “The Poison Tree” Experience
iv. “The Garden of Love” Experience
v. “The Fly” Experience
vi. “The Divine Image” Innocence
vii. “The Human Abstract” Experience
B. Each group will be assigned a poem for research, interpretation, and presentation.
C. All remaining poems in the packet should be annotated during the presentations and
general class discussion.
Presentation: Each group will be expected to:
A. Skillfully read the poem aloud
B. Analyze the poem for the following:
i. Paraphrase
ii. Tone [using evidence and explication with reference to literary devices]
iii. Theme [using evidence and explication with reference to literary devices]
iv. Demonstrate and Explain the poem’s role as a representative work of
“Innocence” or “Experience”
General Rules and Procedures
A. Poems will be presented using the SmartBoard, and groups are encouraged to annotate
the material as presentations are taking place.
B. Each member of the group must present [roughly] equal amounts of relevant
information to the class.
C. At the end of the presentation, groups should expect questions and comments
regarding their work.
D. All class members are expected to maintain proper audience and participant standards.
i. Be focused on the topic / presentation
ii. Be polite and interested
E. Groups will be expected to research scholarly sources for Blake’s biographical history,
the cultural history, and literary criticism in relation to the material to be presented:
i. Three sources will be expected
1. Corolib.weebly.com Databases [Questia, Gale, EBSCO]
2. Poetryfoundation.org
ii. The group will type and submit an Annotated Bibliography for the three sources
[a suggestion is to use the OSLIS—available through the library website—to
create the citations then add the annotations as needed]
iii. The Annotated Bibliography will be due on the date of presentation.
F. The Library Days for research and preparation will be 4/8-4/10.
G. Presentations will begin on 4/14. The presentations will occur in a random order;
therefore, ALL presentations MUST be prepared by 4/14.
H. Students who are absent for their group’s presentation will be expected to write an
analysis of one of William Blake’s work for the grade.
Research Days = Daily Grade; Annotated Bibliography = Daily Grade; Presentation = Presentation Grade