A Divine Image

It is evident that Mr. Blake has no problem satirizing even his own work. This can be seen in "A Divine Image" and "The Divine Image". "The Divine Image", which is found in Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, is a poem which compares human beings to a divine entity, such as Jesus Christ. William Blake makes a point that qualities such as mercy, pity, peace, and love are naturally found in the human condition. He personifies these traits and compares to the human heart, face, form, and dress. This is pretty positive as you get the sense that Blake really admires the human race. "A Divine Image", however, comes from a different point of view. This latter poem clearly mocks the former. Instead of positive qualities and traits, he uses negative qualities such as cruelty, jealousy, terror, and secrecy to describe human nature. Just like the former poem, he personifies these traits with the human heart, face, form, and dress. He clearly does not regard human beings so highly anymore. This poem is ironic, however, as he is describing how far from divine humans really are in a poem titled simply as "A Divine Image".

London

Not all of William Blake's poems are happy and upbeat. Some are very dark and critical. In my opinion, his "darker", more critical poems are his better poems.
His poem, “London”, which can be found in his collection of poems titled Songs of Innocence and Experience, takes on this perspective. In this poem, the narrator travels through the streets of London, and it is safe to say he is disturbed and a little disgusted by what he sees. He sees a cry in every face he comes across. He sees cries of fears, cries of weakness, and cries of woes. Observing his references to Church and the monarchy, it is quite clear that he sees that these institutions are a part of the big system and structure that are the reason behind the cries of despair heard everywhere. However, he goes further and criticizes the people within this system for allowing themselves to be enslaved and trapped in an infinite loop that won't allow them to break free. This criticism is seen when he talks about "mind-forg'd manacles". Also, when he talks about the harlot, it seems as if he is saying that even at the moment of our birth we are already thrown into this infinite cycle of misery.

The Nurse's Song

Renown poet William Blake has a reputation of using his works as tools to express his social commentary. Some of his commentary are stern and critical. Others, however, are very upbeat and positive. These works give off a "I have hope for humanity" vibe. An example of this would be his poem, "The Nurse's Song". The poem involves a group of young children playing outside in the hills. They are laughing and running around like typical kids do. The sun starts to set and it gets darker and darker. The nurse, who is watching over their fun, asks them to come inside like any concerned adult would. They plead with her to let them stay up and play. She can't say no and lets them play on. The kids shout and scream with joy and happiness and resume their joyous shenanigans. From my perspective, William Blake is telling his readers that there is a special kind of innocence and joy that only little kids can possess. These kids are stress-free and not worried about a single thing in the world. They do not care about the impending nightfall or about the next day may bring. They are only focused on playing in the present. The joy and innocence of kids seems to also harmonize with nature as seen with the references to birds and sheep.

William Blake

As I read through some of the poems constructed by English Romantic poet William Blake, I learn to appreciate him for his simplicity. When reading "A Poison Tree" I found that it was very easy to read and follow along. It alternates between iambic tetrameter and trochaic trimeter and employs a very simple AABB rhyme scheme. This gives the poem a very simple, nursery/"sing-songy" vibe, almost like this was meant for very young audience. This is very misleading as the theme of the poem (which can summed up by the following: without an outlet, anger that is cultivated by fears and lies can turn into a destructive wrath) is pretty dark and definitely not something you would want your four-year old meditating on. What is really impressive to me is that, despite "A Poison Tree" being a relatively simple and easy read, William Blake is still able to intertwine some complex and though-provoking themes and symbols which underlie his intended message. He is able to make a gloomy, dark tone work while still using a "nursery" rhythm. His simplicity may have stemmed off and reflected the simple and meager life he actually lived. He is able to use relatively simple diction to create very creative and expressive ideas. This simplicity is what I appreciate most about William Blake.

This is Water

This is it. The time is finally almost here. I have officially started my last semester as a high school student, and graduation is only but a few months. I have been waiting for graduation since midway through my freshmen year. Senioritis really started early with me. "This is water." This speech offered some very valuable insight. First of all, it reminded me that adult life is not really all that glamorous and that high school and college will more than likely be the most exciting times of my life. Because of that, I should really cherish these moments rather than anxiously wait to move to the next phase of my life. Adult life is pretty much one big never-ending cycle of tired routines. From this speech, I basically get the impression that life is boring, dull, mundane, and filled with stress every area. Life is pretty much going to suck, but it doesn't have to suck... if that makes sense. The key to overcome this frustration with adult life is to simply use our minds and think. Instead of thinking negatively, think positively. Rather than get fed up with strangers we do not know, see things from a different perspective and put yourself in their shoes. I might think life is boring and stressful right now, but it only gets more boring and more stressful as I get older. The only way to get out that rut is to continuously and actively choose to think positively. This is very good advice that I can apply to my life right now and save for my bag of tricks later. When the going gets tough the tough get going. There is not any time to waste moaning and groaning about the negatives. It's easier said than done, but focusing on the positives is a must.

The Secret Agent

Initially, The Secret Agent is not an easy read because of its "jumping" nature. The novel constantly jumps from present to past to flashbacks to everything in between. Once you can get over that then the book's underlying themes start to make some sort of sense. "Mr. Verloc, getting off the sofa with ponderous reluctance, opened the door leading into the kitchen to get more air, and thus disclosed the innocent Stevie, seated very good and quiet at a deal table, drawing circles, circles; innumerable circles, concentric, eccentric; a coruscating whirl of circles that by their tangled multitude of repeated curves, uniformity of form and confusion of intersecting lines suggested a rendering of cosmic chaos, the symbolism of a mad art attempting the inconceivable." In this quote we can see the initial development of the idea of trust in the novel. Stevie, an idealistic, naive, and autistic boy, puts way too much trust in authority. He's an innocent who only intends to do good, but he is tricked and deceived into doing an evil, deadly act. Trust is a dangerous game which can leave one vulnerable, and as the explosion goes off and Stevie dies, the development of trust's dangerous nature is finalized. Without trust, Stevie would have never died. Without trust, Winnie would have never killed her husband. Without trust, the novel would have taken on a completely different turn. The world is not perfect, and there is no reason we should trust and believe every single thing an authority (or government) figure spews out at us.

Othello

Personally, as a biracial male, I can already identify with Othello to some extent. Although I wouldn't classify Othello as a complete outcast, he is certainly different and excluded in many aspects. People, such as Iago, have a strong feeling of jealousy and hatred towards Othello and decide to plot against him. “Were I the Moor I would not be Iago. In following him I follow but myself; Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, But seeming so for my peculiar end. For when my outward action doth demonstrate The native act and figure of my heart In compliment extern, ’tis not long after." In this quote we can see Iago referring to his tactics against Othello. Although Othello was a very powerful general, he did not have complete power over his emotions. This is possibly the trade-off for years of military work as the social dimension of his life was probably not fully developed. After his deception and suspicion that his wife was a disloyal cheater, his downfall unravels. Jealousy, irrationality, and anger take over his mind. Even after a source confirms to Othello that his wife Desdemona and another man, Cassio, have not done anything that would suggest infidelity, Othello refuses to listen and decides to question Desdemona himself. It is this irrationality that eventually leads to the death of Othello and Desdemona. It was a shock to see that such a simple seed of jealousy and deception planted in Othello's mind could destroy such a confident and powerful man. It goes to show that an emotion as sweet as love is a double-edged sword that can corrupt and destroy.