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Both religion and politics shape each other, without religion there
been shaped at all. Throughout history, religion has been a major factor in
the peace or war in the world; however, one concluded both are mutually
important. William Blake’s work was written and published during the
eighteenth century, but wasn’t formally recognized for its significance until
forty or so years after his death. The views Blake expresses in his pieces,
religion aside, are full of metaphors that require the reader to think. To the
outside eye, many of his pieces are devoid of a real point, but after analyzing
them, one turns up Blake’s real views on his country, on war, on how other
humans view humanity. His literary language was what essentially got me
interested into his work; Blake draws inspiration from the revolutions and
changes in England, France, and America, as well as his own profound faith,
to create both engravings and literary works making his work part of the
romanticism movement.
William Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757. Unlike many
writers of his time, he was born to a place sitting precariously above working-
class poverty yet below middle class prosperity. His father James was a
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hosier, his wife Catherine was a year older than him and gave birth to seven
children, only five of which surviving past infancy. As a child he wandered the
streets of London, and preferred the quiet country just past it to the city
itself. From an early age, Blake believed God sent him visions, “…—at four he
saw God ‘put his head to the window’; around age nine, while walking
through the countryside, he saw a ‘tree filled with angels’.” His parents did
not believe their son and discouraged him from lying; however, they did
recognize that Blake was different from other children and did not force him
drawing, painting, and engraving. Blake began drawing lessons at the Henry
age of twenty one, Blake enrolled in the Royal Academy, though he quickly
realized its theory and practice didn’t suit his artistic ideals and left the
academy promptly.
which being from Joseph Johnson who later became a tie to Blake’s later
illiterate woman who Blake taught to read, write, and draftsmanship; she
helped to print her husband’s works. A year after his marriage, the first of his
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though he became ill whilst William taught him drawing, painting, and
engraving and died in 1787. As he died, Blake says he saw his brother’s spirit
soar through the ceiling, and later still believed his brother came to him – in
one instance Robert apparently taught Blake the secret of stereotype printing
in a dream.
Seven years after his brothers’ death, Songs of Innocence and its
same time, Blake published For Children: The Gates of Paradise, though later
Blake’s work was not recognized as so in his time and the remainder of his
life he spent fighting poverty. He eventually died on August 17, 1826; his
political and in 1780 he participated in the Gordon Riots. The Gordon Riots
against the Papists Act of 1778, which was the first act for Catholic relief. By
kept with heretics, and that the pope has temporal as well as spiritual
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jurisdiction in this realm. The act exempted Catholics from taking the
religious vow when entering the British military; it was primarily passed
American over his own country’s monarchy. This isn’t surprising, recognizing
France.
In Blake’s opinion, the war between Britain and France in 1793, and the
which the Church and State held over the common people. Blake, while
being both radical and liberal in his political views, realized the youthful
would soon give way to anarchy, bloodshed, and the imposition of new
stricter forms of social control in both his home, Britain, and France.
Until the late 20th century, racial, gender, and religious equality hadn’t
been reached. Throughout his life, Blake supported all forms, he believed
woman were on equal footing as men; slavery should be abolished, and that
all religions are alike (reflected in his poem, “All Religions are One”).
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imagination. It, however, wasn’t only effected by artistic views but political
awareness as well. Many historians agree upon the period being “anti-
rationalism and returning to ideals of the medieval period – one main source
being God. The six main poets of the romantic period consist of William
Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats, who have been said to believe they,
“believe[d] that they were reviving the true spirit of English poetry by
pursuing the ‘romance’ and the sublime that was lost since Milton.” This
Experience; it has two parts, the first of which explaining that without
opposition, saying that everyone is born with the notion of right and wrong.
The opening lines of the poem, “The Argument Man has no notion of moral
expresses the first view on the topic – backing up the fact that there is no
natural religion.
The debate on morality is a harsh one, is each man born with it, or is it
molded into him by other men? The excerpt, “Man cannot naturally Perceive.
But through his natural or bodily organs,” contrasts with the first line of part
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[b] of the poem, “Mans perceptions are not bounded by organs of perception.
He perceives more than sense (tho’ ever so acute) can discover.” The first
refers that naturally, man can only view things the way his own body would
sense them, while the second explains that one is born with judgments and
perceptions.
Blake expresses the idea that man can only envy what man knows, not
what they potentially imagine, “Man’s desires are limited by his perceptions.
none could desire what he has not perceiv’d.” He then contradicts the view,
saying that man doesn’t need to know what he wants, but that man can
never be satisfied with the ever-present wish for what one doesn’t have. “If
the many became the same as the few, when possess’d, More! More! Is the
cry of a mistaken soul, less than All cannot satisfy Man.” Those two lines
portray Blake’s belief that there is a problem with how man perceives,
Blake concludes with his own beliefs that writers and prophets are
above followers, “If it were not for the Poetic or Prophetic character, the
Philosophic & Experimental would soon be at the ratio of all things & stand
still, unable to other thanrepeat the same dull round over again.” This
theme is expressed his other poems such as “All Religions are One” and “The
each proposition with another. In part [a], he argues that, “’the real man, the
imagination,’ and God are all the same.” "He believes that natural
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to see religion. In part [b] he argues that to be infinite is the only way to see
God, for it is what God sees himself, but that to attain an infinite state, one
The poem is “romantic” in many aspects, one being the adherent topic
of God in the piece – the main subject of religion; for one aspect of the
thinking. One closely related characteristic also shown in the poem is Blake’s
apparent view that man is born with intuition, that they think with feeling
and the necessity of the poetic genius; it was his first attempt at an
Genius is the true Man. and that the body or outward form of Man is derived
from the Poetic Genius. Likewise that the forms of all things are derived from
their Genius. which by the Ancients was call’d an Angel & Spirit & Demon.”
Blake seems to be conveying that the soul of man is the same, and that it is
portrayed through the case enwrapping it, the human body, and the poetic
genius shapes the soul, so the poetic genius also shapes everything to man.
Nations are derived from each Nations different reception of the Poetic
Genius which is every where call’d the Spirit of Philosophy.” Blake states that
philosophy and the poetic genius are one, meaning that when each nation
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looks at its roots of philosophy, they are looking at the work of the poetic
ancient philosophies, so each man derives his religion from that of the poetic
genius.
After proving that all men are alike, Blake is able to prove through
Principle 7th that, “As all men are alike (tho’ infinitely various) Religions & as
all similar have one source,” followed with, “The true Man is the source he
bring the Poetic Genius.” Each and every religion, each and every man,
derives from the previous writings of the poetic genius. Blake portrays the
idea that poetry brings one closer to the understanding of the “true
essence,” and thus brings us to God: poetry is divinely inspired. Meaning that
each religion comes from a once divinely inspired poem or story, and
Accordingly, each man is shaped by what they know growing up, and what
they know is what they’re told, and what they’re told is what one has once
written; meaning that each man is a reflection of the poetic genius. Blake is
conceiving that he himself believes that humanity all derives from, originates
from, began with, the poetic genius; he believes that the poetic genius is to
writings into the epic cosmic struggle between the forces of the Authoritarian
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Blake refers to known as Vala. The red orc is the “imprisoned spirit of organic
life.” The fourteen years which Blake mentions represents the years of 1762-
revolt are introdued by Orc. By the silence of Vala, she represents nature.
Blake gives Orc voice by her rape, yet is felt as eternal death – Blakes
eastern cloud rent; on his cliffs stood Albions wrathful Prince / A dragon form
clashing his scales at midnight he arose.” The following lines represent the
king not allowing the American colonies to break off by attempting to make
them fear him above all else, “And flam’d red meteors round the land of
Albion beneath. / His voice, his locks, his awful shoulders, and his glowing
eyes, / Appear to the Americans upon the cloudy night.” The fiery beast in
plate four represents the fight America put up when the king sent armies to
the colonies, their strive for independence, and the fear this put upon the
in Genesis 28:11 and the tablets of law. Both plates seem to represent a
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death, in plate number seven, “Art thou not Orc, who serpend-form’d /
ome to Angels eyes in this terrific form?” In plate eight, Orc identifies Urizen
with the Jehovah of Exodus, while “redeemed man” is identified with the
walkers in the furnace of Daniel. The angelic reply in plate nine attempts to
arouse the king’s governors against the Orc but Washington and the other
rebels have already turned toward England. Orc is the child of nature
rebelling against her restraints. Plate ten seems to be inspired by the tale of
Atlantis. In Blake’s tale, the “summit of Atlantis rise up again for Blake, as a
(Erdman) Plates eleven through fourteen are the actions of America and are
spoken of in a promptly political way. The angels become devils and follow
Boston in its revolt against the British. Albion’s Angel sends enormous
God.” (Erdman) The plagues, however, are reversed onto the shores of
major interests: art, politics, and faith; he didn’t for one moment hold either
above the others and continuously intertwined all three amongst each other.
His art was forever inspired by the happenings in the world as well as his
own belief of his infinity as a poet – his own divine faith helped him to create
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writers of his time with his true devotion. His work wasn’t recognized for its
true greatness until years after his own death, but today he is considered
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