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Songs of Innocence and of Experience

by William Blake

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Could you please explain William Blake's poem "The Lamb" in detail?

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“The Lamb” by William Blake is a direct commentary of God. The speaker repeatedly asks the lamb, who is described in favorable and, what we would call, cute terms, who made him. The speaker describes the lamb’s voice and disposition as sweet and kind. These descriptions move on to make an allusion to Jesus in the second stanza. The lamb itself has often been a reference to Jesus in popular culture. The speaker points out that God (of whom Jesus is a part of) came back to earth as a baby.  You should also read "The Tyger" by Blake.

Think of “The Tyger” as a companion to “The Lamb”. Again, the speaker asks who has made the tiger, even going so far as to ask if it is possible that the same immortal being made the lamb. The purpose of this poem is more wondrous than the lamb. There are dark allusions to the fire of the tiger’s eyes and the dark, far place it was created in. There is also a beauty in the fearsome tiger which identified by the speaker. The speaker is commenting, overall, on the far reaching and diverse creations of God.

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