The Human Abstract (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Blake
- First Published: 1794
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: Social reform, Social issues, Religion, Poverty or poor people, Fear, Christianity, Trees, Happiness, Rationalism, Reason or reasoning, Mind and body
The Poem
“The Human Abstract” is a short poem of twenty-four lines divided into six quatrains. The title refers to the human capacity to create false structures of belief through excessive use of the rational part of the mind.
In the first quatrain, the speaker offers his opinions on moral and social issues in a way that justifies the existing order. He says that without poverty, there would be no way for people to exercise pity or compassion, and that if everyone were happy, there would be no opportunity to relieve the suffering of others.
The same speaker,...
[The entire page is 1446 words long]
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