William Blake Group
Question:
Answers:
-
akannan Teacher
Middle SchooleNotes Editor
Posted by akannan on Saturday August 8, 2009 at 8:49 AMBlake's poem "The Lamb" has some very strong parallels to another Blake poem, "The Tyger." Both poems appear in Blake's work, "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience." "The Lamb" represents these "Songs of Innocence," a theme that resonates through the poem. The gentle and sweet tone of the poem reflects a sense of childhood innocence, where there is wonderment and pure inquiry. This is reflected in the opening lines where there is questioning about "who made thee." The childlike timbre of the poem is continued in the "softest" "clothing of delight," and the lamb's "tender voice." The poem seeks to provide an answer to the question of "who made thee." The answer provided is that a merciful and benevolent God created the lamb and its sense of purity. The speaker seeks to share in the same childhood innocence and life force that emanates in the lamb in the concluding lines of the poem. If seen as a "song of innocence," Blake's Romanticist view of childhood emerges, as a period of authenticity and blissful uncovering of truth is its most untainted essence. When contrasted with "The Tyger" in "Songs of Experience," one sees that vast difference between a poetic expression of childhood and adulthood.
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
