Blake+02

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 * William Blake's Artwork **

**Satan with Adam and Eve **


[|Source for Satan with Adam and Eve (Book IV)]

Principles and Elements of Design
-There are many organic lines in this work; it looks very natural. -Most of the colors are subtle except for the green plants around Adam and Eve, and also the colors on the snake stand out. -Their bodies are textured, the muscles are defined and the shapes are realistic. -The emphasis seems to be on Adam and Eve's faces while they kiss. The light around them is much brighter than the rest of the painting so your gaze is attracted towards that point. -There is a degree of value behind the angel; on the left you see night and darkness and on the other side, it is brighter. This provides a contrast. -Incredible detail is included in what Adam and Eve are sitting on and around.

Analysis
The portrayal of Adam and Eve must be of the very beginning of creation. It seems like they still have their purity and innocence because their bodies are white and naked. The angel is intertwined with the snake which symbolizes the possible outcomes of what can happen to humanity. One way could be an angelic, pure path while on the other hand, there is the temptation of the snake, which is represents evil and essentially the alternate path. The second artwork we have included seems like part two, or what happens after this painting.

**The Temptation of Eve**


[|Source for the Temptation of Eve]

Principles and Elements of Design
-mostly organic lines -emphasis is on eve, because she contrasts with the rest of the painting, being much lighter and brighter than any other object, she is positioned in front of the tree while Adam is positioned more behind the tree -colors used are mostly natural or earthy, shades and tints of green and brown, but the fruits and the snake are emphasized because they are more intense than the majority of colors used -the bodies of both Adam and Eve have a lot of texture, every muscle is defined and visible -the snake also has lots of texture, the scales appear smooth -darker, shadowy background, light is focused on Eve, which contrasts the rest of the painting

Analysis
The snake has lured Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, which symbolizes the corruption of Eve, who is supposed to symbolize purity and good. The snake symbolizes evil, in this case, a descendant of Satan. Adam is distressed; we see this from the lightning and the dark sky, as well as his body language and expression. Adam is trying to resist the temptation of Eve, who has already gone against God's word.


 * William Blake's Poetry **

A Poison Tree
 I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears, Night and morning with my tears; And I sunnèd it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright; And my foe beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole, When the night had veiled the pole: In the morning glad I see My foe outstretched beneath the tree.



[|Source for Poison Tree] [|Source for Art]

Analysis
//A Poison Tree// is one of the poems William Blake published in //Songs of Experience.// In //Songs of Experience,// Blake tries to explain that the human spirit flourishes when it is not bound by anything and allowed freedom. “A Poison Tree” helps to explain this theme. Although at first, “A Poison Tree” might seem like a simple poem, it is in reality very complex and profound. With the lines “I was angry with my friend: / I told my wrath, my wrath did end.” in the first stanza, Blake states simply that he was angry with his friend. He expressed this anger and talked to him/her, and this wrath disappeared. He contrasts this with being angry at a foe in the next few lines. However, he states that this time he did not express his anger and as a consequence, his anger grew to a new level.

In the second stanza, Blake uses a metaphor to compare his anger to a plant. He writes that he "watered it in fears, / Night and morning with my tears." When the narrator writes of sunning with smiles and with "soft deceitful wiles," he states that he pretended to be friendly with his foe. But being friendly with the foe made his anger grow even more. The false smiles and the friendliness acted as a fuel to make his "plant" grow.  The narrator’s wrath has grown so much that it has grown from a metaphorical plant into a tree in the third stanza, and it has also sprout an apple. The narrator has spent so much time and effort into the feeling of his anger that it has emerged in reality with a presence of its own. The tree now bore an apple, which tempts the narrator’s foe.

In the final stanza, the foe secretly comes into the narrator’s garden and steals the tempting apple from the tree. The narrator wakes up in the morning to see his foe lying dead in the ground. The fruit from the tree became poisoned with the narrator’s wrath. Before, the anger was inside the narrator. Now, it has turned into action and killed the foe.

The extensive use of metaphor makes //A Poison Tree// more complex and intricate than it may seem at first. At first, the anger is a feeling inside of the narrator. He compares the anger to a plant, and he speaks of how he nurtures the plant further with his wrath. Soon, the narrator has so much anger that this plant transforms into a tree. As we know, a plant may need nurturing but a tree has a life of its own and does not need any nurturing. Similarly, this anger takes a life of its own and bears a fruit because of the narrator’s anger. However this fruit has been poisoned with the wrath of the narrator, and it ends up killing the foe. Blake uses the transformation of the anger into a plant, to a tree, to a fruit, and then to poisoned fruit to his advantage. Furthermore, he also transforms a metaphor into a real substance. The main theme that Blake tries to convey to the readers is that suppressing anger results in the growth of the anger. He advises us to express our anger instead of keeping it bottled up inside. Otherwise, the wrath could have major consequences!

=Love's Secret =  Never seek to tell thy love, Love that never told can be; For the gentle wind doth move Silently, invisibly.

I told my love, I told my love, I told her all my heart, Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears. Ah! she did depart!

Soon after she was gone from me, A traveller came by, Silently, invisibly: He took her with a sigh. [|Source for Love's Secret]

Analysis
The central theme of //Love’s Secret// is the expression of love. Although love should be expressed, it should be done gradually and discreetly with patience and time. The narrator learns this lesson the hard way, and he recounts the tale of his lost love.

In the first stanza, the narrator expresses that he is in love with someone and he is keeping these strong emotions concealed to himself. In fact in the first two lines, "Never seek to tell thy love, / Love that never told can be,” he writes that he is so in love that it is causing him emotional pain to not reveal it. He uses a metaphor to compare his love to the “gentle wind.” The wind is silent and invisible because this represents that fact that the narrator’s love is “silent” and it has not been revealed.

The lines “I told my love, I told my love, / I told her all my heart” express that the narrator revealed his love. He expresses “all of his heart” hoping that his love would be returned. The girl, however, is completely shocked and finds herself in a conundrum. Not knowing what to do, she ran away.

The narrator’s situation takes a turn for the worse in the third stanza. A “traveler” comes into the life of his lover. The narrator writes that he “silently” and “invisibly” took the girl away from him. By “silently” and “invisibly”, the narrators means that he slows and easily took the girl away from him.

Basically, the narrator lost everything in this poem because he came on way too strong in the commencement of the poem. His lover felt shocked and terrified at his confession, and she left him. But, the narrator leaves a message in these lines with the use of the wind. He writes that we should never tell someone we love them, especially in the beginning of a relationship. We should let love settle and ease into the relationship just as a “gentle wind” settles into an area calmly, silently, and invisibly. The narrator also places a special meaning on the “traveler.” By “traveler,” he means that this person was tactful. He did not show his strong feelings and he let the love between them build on its own. Soon, the lover forgot about the narrator and went away with the traveler. Blake’s poem emphasizes a widely used saying used today: “Patience is a virtue.” So, be patient with your love!

<span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(0, 128, 128); text-align: center; display: block;"> =<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); text-align: center; display: block; font-size: 120%;">The Blossom = <span style="color: rgb(252, 170, 110);"> <span style="display: block; color: rgb(0, 128, 0); text-align: center;">Merry, Merry Sparrow! Under leaves so green A happy Blossom Sees you swift as arrow Seek your cradle narrow Near my Bosom.

Pretty, Pretty Robin! Under leaves so green A happy Blossom Hears you sobbing, sobbing, Pretty, Pretty Robin, Near my Bosom. <span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(0, 128, 128); text-align: center; display: block;"> [|Source for The Blossom]

**<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">Analysis of Poem **
In this poem, Blake is trying to portray the need for acceptance for both good and bad things. In the first stanza, he states that he holds the sparrow close to his heart and has accepted its joy in his being. The sparrow represents joy because it brings pretty sights to the narrator. He is fascinated by what he sees which is "swift as arrow". He also accepts the other side, the robin into his heart as well. The robin represents the sadness and down side of life. The robin brings sad sounds to the narrator's ears. The robin is pretty but is sobbing. This shows how Blake, or the narrator can hold both things "near his bosom" or essentially close to his heart even though the robin brings sorrow. This portrays Blake's beliefs that were shown in the Songs of Innocence. Blake is looking at both things in nature as pure and wonderful despite the bad. He sees only the good and allows both into his heart. The two senses he points out in the poem, sight and hearing are important to how he accepts nature. Blake is saying that a person must utilize all the senses to perceive the wonders of nature. The similar structure that both stanzas possess is the way that Blake uniquely compares the sparrow with the robin. He uses the word "merry" twice which is just like the second stanza where he also repeats "pretty". These two words that have a positive connotation explain how Blake saw them both as equal in nature. The third lines in both stanza one and stanza two explain what the narrator sees in both of these creatures.

=<span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(255, 0, 255); text-align: center; display: block;">Illuminated Manuscript = <span style="font-size: 120%; color: rgb(0, 128, 128); text-align: center; display: block;">

<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">Principles and Elements of Design
-overall composed of organic lines; especially in the leaves/plants -figures are very definite, texture, every muscle and line are defined -color contrast with blue background and lighter yellow, orange and red leaves/plants -background of words fades to white, value used to emphasize the poem, this is an illuminated manuscript -emphasis is mostly on the script, but the figures towards the top draw the eye -earthy shades used on the figures and plant, blue sky in the background to complement the nature-like theme

<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">Analysis
Blake uses nature to illustrate the need to accept good and bad. The piece of artwork that goes with this poem is obviously a scene of nature, which complements the symbolism in the poem. The darker background may suggest the sadness or down sides of life, while the brighter plants and angel-like figures could represent the beauty and purity of things not only in nature, but in life over all.

<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 128); text-align: center; display: block;"> <span style="font-size: 260%; color: rgb(0, 128, 128); text-align: center; display: block;">