Mandel-Martinez 1

Victoria Mandel-Martinez
Kim Bauman
English 2322
14 October 2016

Compare and Contrast Essay

Daniel Defoe and William Blake are both critically acclaimed writers. Both writers
impacted the literary world at different times, and their writing differs in many ways; such as
historical and cultural settings, literary styles, and aesthetic principles.
A Journal of the Plague Years was a flashback during the time when The Black Death
came to London for the second time in 1665. At this time Daniel Defoe was a young boy who
was a first-hand witness and a survivor of the plague. The Bubonic Plague had, came from
China; it started in the lower class, then spread to the wealthy. In May nearly fifty people died,
within the next two months six thousand died; in the end, it had taken fifteen percent of the
population. The novel was written in 1722, the king of England was George the first; he was the
nominee of the Whig party. The Whig party was people who claimed the power of excluding the
heir to the throne. King George the first was a part of the South Sea Bubble which was an
event where companies were bought in financial speculation and the market crashed.
The literary selection attempted to preserve the historical aspect of the novel by
describing how the numbers increased and how they had to expand the mass burial site, and how
the death affected many people in various ways. Such as, a death of family and providing for the
sick without getting infected. The selection is shown through a man who is surviving through
plague and curiosity leads him to the burial site and introduces him to strange man
Defoe is known for insight into human nature; His character goes real-life situations;
however, they are put under unusual conditions the matter of the circumstances they all struggle.
Defoe writes in the first person, this allows the readers to examine the characters mind. His
novels are given realism by the style they are written in and solid detail. Defoes style is simple
and directly to the point; nonetheless, he still holds the reader's interest. The endings may seem
dull, but it shows the limits of the world. The endings are shapeless and narrow; however, within
this narrow range, Defoe has proven himself a powerful writer.
The artistic aspect of the novel is the real-life situations and the involvement of religion.
The main character sees the suffering and tragedy around London. Though, he shows
compassion to a man who was taking care of his family from a distance. His compassion is a
sign of hope during a dark time. He also puts his fate in Gods hands by letting him decide to
preserve his safety. The mans natural generosity and curiosity of his surroundings make the
piece intriguing. He relies solely on faith; however, his kindness is dependent on his personal
morals.

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A Poison Tree is a part of the Songs of Experience collection; the collection was
written in 1794 in London. It was a little after France declared war on Great Britain, they were
allies with other countries in Europe. The allies failed to come up with a strategy to defeat
France. Britain was struggling and it was easy for people to gain power, this lead to the
urbanization of London. Blake never favored the industrial revolution, it allowed society to
change physically and morally. His religious views influenced his writing; for instance, child
labor was common and The Church of England used the money for their buildings, leaving the
children in poverty. Blake seen the love and nurture the church claimed to have was merely an
illusion. He also felt that the church influenced negative emotions such as, anger and frustration.
He believed that trying to end the emotions taught by the church would only cause resistance. A
Poison Tree was originally titled Christian forbearance. However, the government forbade
radical action, so he changed it for his protection.
The selection attempts to show the people involved with The Church of England that the
church does not care for the people and only want to provoke negativity. The themes of the piece
include anger, revenge, and death. Blake has anger toward the church and the industrialization of
London. His communication is directed toward the members of the church, and he tries to show
them the lies and deception they have been told.
Blakes writing style is unique because it goes by his visions and terms. He is a very
powerful writer due to the mythological, poetic, and philosophical sources. He also uses abstracts
and allusions; with unique perspective on faith, religion, and philosophy. It can be difficult for
the reader to understand his works, but that adds to the complex originality.
The genre of the selection is a poem, a poems characteristics include; rhythm, they use
repetitions of sounds and patterns. It can also be created by the same amount of words on a line
or the equal number of syllables. The rhythm of A Poison Tree contains four-meter iambs and
a flipped iamb known as a trochee. The poem rhythm scheme is AABB since they are paired they
are known as couplets. Poems also contain figurative language such as; similes, metaphors, and
personification. For instance, in the poem he uses a metaphor when his anger transforms into an
apple. The shape of the poem is stanzas, which are a group of lines that share rhythm or style.
The mood of the poem is the feelings it gives the readers.
The main focus of the poem is anger, revenge, and death. The poem is artistic on many
levels; for instance, Blake mentions anger as wrath, which was very powerful meaning that the
anger he had held depth. However, in order to have something more than typical anger there has
to be fear and sorrow. There is more depth to each of themes than what meets the eye.
In A Journal of the Plague Year the existence of God is well known and accepted. The
characters faith never waivers, they completely rely on God's decision for their fate. However,
in A Poison Tree it never mentions whether God exists or not. However, in reality, both of
authors believe in God unconditionally.
Both of the pieces have a very strong personal cathartic experience. Defoe was alive
during The Black Plague and witness first-hand the gruesome impact it can have on a person.
Blakes experience is even stronger because it involves wrath toward his enemy and eventually,
death. Defoes experience was inflicted on him, and Blakes experience lead him wanting to
inflict on others.

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Both of the selections involve death, however, they mention it in different ways. For
instance, Defoe uses death in past tense, due to his experience with it. He is familiar with it from
a distance, only seeing the effects the plague causes. Blake uses death as a solution to his wrath;
instead, of finding a more reasonable way deal with his anger. He deals with his emotions by
suggesting violence is key.
Daniel Defoe and William Blake had very little similarities in settings, styles, and
principals. Defoe was more known for his insight into human nature, and finding common
ground between his characters and the reader. On the other hand, William Blake was known for
his complexity and originality by including religion and philosophy. Nonetheless, their writing is
still impactful in the modern day.

Works Cited

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Johnson, Ben. "The Great Plague." The History and Heritage Accommodation Guide, n.d. Web.
16 Oct. 2016.
"Novels: Definition, Characteristics & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com."
Study.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
Mutter, Reginald P.C. "Daniel Defoe." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia
Britannica, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Whig and Tory." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "A Poison Tree."Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web.
16 Oct. 2016.
Damrosch, David, and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. New
York: Pearson Longman, 2006. Print