Blake+11

 =WILLIAM BLAKE: BRITISH ROMANTICISM =

Poems for Analysis
="The 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. In the first quatrain the reader is tricked by the simplicity of the poem and the depth of the poem's meaning is not realized. It begins much like a nursery rhyme and is catchy to start off, but after the first quatrain the poem becomes much deeper. The lines inform that reader that when a person is with angry with a friend, he will tell them the problem and solve it with hardly any confrontation. However, when one is angry with an enemy, the anger remains hidden, and is allowed to grow greater and greater.

And I watered it in fears, Night & morning with my tears; And I sunned it with my smiles And with soft deceitful wiles. In the second quatrain the narrator begins speaking in metaphors to give the reader better understanding of the narrator's thoughts. He refers to wrath as if it isn't an emotion but is similar to a small plant -it starts out very small and is watered with fears and tears and sunned with smiles. The use of a metaphor allows the reader to understand the narrator's ideas more easily. The narrator deceives his foe and proceeds to act as if everything is fine, but he hides his anger with "sunned smiles", which helps the reader to understand that hiding anger only makes it larger, just as her fear and tears make the small plant grow into something new.

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, In the Third quatrain, the narrator's wrath has grown from a small plant into a tree that has borne "an apple bright". Because he hid his anger, it has grown, for he made his anger seem like something else, and in doing so also made it something appealing to his foe. The tempting apple reminds the reader much of the apple in the Garden of Eden from the forbidden tree of knowledge, which seems to offer good but then turns out to be much worse and deceiving than anyone could have ever imagined. The "poison tree" has the same kind of effect.

And into my garden stole When the night had veiled the pole: In the morning glad I see My foe outstretched beneath the tree In the final quatrain of the poem Blake emphasizes the "crime" that the the narrator has committed by using the word "stole" instead of a milder word. In the final couplet the reader is shocked by the dramatic ending when the foe, after eating the apple, is left outstretched beneath the tree. The speaker is even happy to see his foe dead because his anger has overtaken him, and he no longer possess the morals that he once had. With these powerful words, Blake demonstrates that while hiding your anger may be convenient initially, the final result is poisonous.

="The Argument" =

The band Ulver's interpretation of William Blake's "The Argument"  media type="youtube" key="rIZkNK0_3ZM" height="344" width="425" (Video courtesy of Youtube.com; All rights belong to Ulver and the associated companies) In the poem "The Argument", William Blake describes the path of the "just man" through life and the various obstacles and trials that life presents. He walked through the valley of death and followed the "perilous path" that the man must walk through as he goes through life. There are many tribulations and suffering that he must endure as he walks through the path of life. Just as life is often difficult and filled with hardship, so the path that the young man walks is hard and complicated. The man endures, taking the path through cliffs and tombs and bleached bones. The "villain" drives the man off the path and takes his place walking the path. The "villain" now walks the path and the man must wander the path and roam with the lions. It is notable that the poem begins and ends in the same way, illustrating that the man who once traveled the path of life eventually will become the villain and force the next man off the path to take his place in roaming the Earth.

Blake also uses several elements of Romantic writing in his poem. path was planted", "river", a "spring", the "red clay", "roses", "heath, and the "honey bees".
 * There is an evident appreciation for nature in Blake's description of the path man trods. Blake references a "
 * The poem shows a definite focus on the "common man". The main character of the poem is a regular human being who, in traveling the path of life, faces many obstacles and trials which make his life more difficult. The focus is not on a bourgeois or upper class figure, but instead on a normal and "common" man who face the same difficulties as the rest of society.
 * The poem also reflects a distinct focus on the individual as opposed to a focus on society or the world as a whole. Blake specifically focuses just on one individual man, reflecting the romantic writings of the time period.
 * The tone of the poem is much more spiritual and flowery than poems from the Age of Reason. There is no longer a harsh or satirical aspect of the poem, but it simply exists to convey the message in a simple and free way.
 * Blake adds a minute emphasis on the supernatural through his depiction of the "villain", presumably the Devil, who pushes man off course and leaves him to become the next villain. The villain is described as a "sneaking serpent", which gives a little supernatural connotation to the "villain".

= "The Argument Plate" =

= =  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The subject matter of this painting is two human figures. One of the figures is cloaked and standing in a tree, reaching down the other figure, a naked human, standing on the ground, reaching up towards the other. Although there are other shapes and images depicted in this painting, the main subject matter of the plate is found with the two figures on the side.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> The emphasis of this painting is found on the side, where the two figures are focused next to, and in, the tree. This image off to the side is the key focus of the painting to emphasize the text of the poem without detracting from the writing.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> There is a lot of negative space in the painting, mainly due to the presence of text in the center of the plate. Most of the focus of the painting is found on the sides, where there is minimal positive space, and the rest of the painting features negative space where the sky and a few birds are found.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> The shapes in this piece are all organic. Blake depicts several human forms in the painting, as well as rolling greenery, a few birds in the sky, and a large and winding tree. There are no geometric shapes, which contributes to the feeling and honest depiction of nature in the plate.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> There are also many different types of lines in the artwork. Blake uses predominantly thin lines to illustrate the human figures, but thicker lines to bring out the emphasis on the trees, birds, and nature. There are very few implied lines; most of the lines are actual lines. Many of the lines are used to depict the tree or the human beings, so many of these lines follow the contours of the human body or the contours of the tree and nature itself.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> The colors of this artwork beautifully show the “fires in the burdened air” which Blake describes. The colors blend into one another as they start with a darker, purple hue, but fade and blur through the spectrum into a golden yellow by the bottom of the plate. The coloring is not particularly "extreme" or shockingly bright, but the colors used can hardly be described as "neutral" or "bland". The coloring illustrates the deep and vibrant colors of the sky.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> The value of this painting is predominantly very light. There is some darker color at the top of the plate, where the darkest part of the sky is featured, but it quickly lightens as the sky becomes lighter darker deeper into the painting.

===<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Analysis:** This painting, by William Blake, illustrates the text of "The Argument". It depicts the story of the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve are the predominantly featured characters, and the depiction of the Garden of Eden, along with the aforementioned artistic elements and characteristics help to bring this picture together to convey the text in a meaningful and striking way. The painting, which is calming and, for the most part, serene, greatly contrasts the harsh and difficult text ===
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">There is some implied visual flow throughout the composition through the implied movement of the figures who are reaching towards each other and the figures lounging in the background of the painting. Through the contours of the figures’ bodies, design of the cloak, and flow of the painting, it is very easy to see the movement Blake involves.

= **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;">"Auguries of Innocence" ** = = = <span style="text-align: center; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "To see a world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour." <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> These words begin what is arguably William Blake's most famous work - "Auguries of Innocence". But before we delve into an analysis of the poem itself, we must first understand the tenets of Romanticism. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> According to the WebMuseum, Paris ([])

[Romanticism was an]artistic and intellectual movement that originated in the late 18th century and stressed strong emotion, imagination, freedom from classical correctness in art forms, and rebellion against social conventions. Romanticism [was an] attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many works of literature, painting, music, [and] architecture. . . in Western civilization over a period from the late 18th to the mid-19th century. Romanticism can be seen as a rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality that typified Classicism in general and late 18th-century Neoclassicism in particular. It was also to some extent a reaction against the Enlightenment and against 18th-century rationalism and physical materialism in general. Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental. Among the characteristic attitudes of Romanticism were the following: a deepened appreciation of the beauties of nature; a general exaltation of emotion over reason and of the senses over intellect;. . . a preoccupation with the genius, the hero, and the exceptional figure in general, and a focus on his passions and inner struggles; a new view of the artist as a supremely individual creator, whose creative spirit is more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures; an emphasis upon imagination as a gateway to transcendent experience and spiritual truth; an obsessive interest in folk culture, national and ethnic cultural origins, and the medieval era; and a predilection for the exotic, the remote, the mysterious, the weird, the occult, the monstrous, the diseased, and even the satanic.

Or, to put it even more simply, Romanticism can be summed up in 6 main points: 1. THE CULTIVATION OF SENSIBILITY, EMOTION, PASSION, in opposition to classic rationality [and] common sense. The Romantics believed that the emotions, spontaneously released, conduce to good conduct.

2. A REVIVED INTEREST IN AND APPRECIATION OF Christianity in general and in particular of CATHOLICISM, now valued for its ritual drama and emotional power.

3. RELISH OF MEDIEVALISM. The Romantics rediscovered the Middle Ages; indeed, they turned it into a rich costume drama which still imposes itself on the historic picture of that time.

4. ACCLAIM OF THE EXCEPTIONAL MAN, THE TRAGIC HERO, the individual genius/rebel who defies society's conventions--the type soon to be known as "Byronic."

5. TASTE FOR THE MYSTERIOUS, THE FANTASTIC, THE SUPERNATURAL (AND THE NON-EUROPEAN). The rationalist mood of the early eighteenth century had sought scientific clarity and had [had contempt for] the miraculous, in faith and life. The Romantics restored the miraculous, perhaps more for its artistic opportunities than out of conviction.

6. APPRECIATION OF NATURE, on philosophical as well as aesthetic grounds. Eighteenth-century literature, even poetry, had been predominantly an urban literature. The predecessors of the Romantics, the pre-Romantics, opened their eyes to the beauty of wild nature, and described it with loving exactness. They found a harmony between nature and man; nature is good, and man is good insofar as he cleaves to her. ..

(These definitions taken from http://forum.stirpes.net/arts/2476-tenets-romanticism.html)

With that in mind, let us proceed to analyze the poem itself.

The content of "Auguries of Innocence" can be summarized into three main areas: the belief that man must care for nature, Biblical references, and other Romantic aspects of the poem. Blake weaves these three aspects throughout his work, drawing the reader deeper, so that by the end of the poem, the reader fully understands his "duty" towards the world around him.

From the start of the poem, Blake emphasizes the point that nature must be cared for and nurtured, not manipulated and hurt for human enjoyment. The entire first third of the poem is filled with different examples of human abuses the environment (especially animals). Following each case is Blake's interpretation of how nature would respond to such cruelty; the lines "A Robin redbreast in a cage/ Puts all heaven in a rage." illustrate this. Blake takes man's responsibility to care for nature even further, but suggesting that man's attitude towards nature is indicative of his humanity (or his goodness), as illustrated in the lines "A dog starv'd at his master's gate/ Predicts the ruin of the state." In the lines we just gave, Blake continues this idea by implying that abused animals are a sign of the fall of a country because its citizens have lost their humanity. Blake further clarifies his argument by saying that even causing animals to do terrible things to benefit one's own ends is a sin - "He who shall train the horse to war/ Shall never pass the polar bar." Blake also implies that cruelty to animals will lead to cruelty to people as well; in the lines "He who the ox to wrath has mov'd/ Shall never be by woman lov'd", Blake helps the reader understand that a man who is cruel to his cattle, will likely be cruel to his wife and family as well. Each example in the poem can be seen as a metaphor for daily human behavior that Blake sees as representative of the goodness of a man's soul.

"Auguries of Innocence" is filled with Biblical references. Blake first mentions a Christian concept in the seventh stanza, where he says "The lamb misus'd breeds public strife,/ and yet forgives the butcher's knife." This is clearly an allusion to Christ and the Christian idea of Jesus Christ as the "lamb" that was sacrificed for the sins of the world, yet forgave his murderers even as he was dying. Later in the poem, in the lines "The beggar's dog and widow's cat,/ Feed them and thou wilt grow fat.", Blake states the famous Christian idea "Give and it shall be given unto you" (Luke 6:38). Towards the end of the poem, Blake states that "When gold and gems adorn the plow,/ To peaceful arts shall envy bow.". This is a reference to Joel 3:10, where the prophet Joel tells the people of Israel to "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears." In "Auguries of Innocence", Blake took this idea and reversed it, telling the world that instead of venerating and decorating swords and weapons of war, people should adorn the plow and other instruments of peace.

"Auguries of Innocence" is clearly a romantic poem. It demonstrates anti-Enlightenment-type-thought (emotional, rather than intellectual and rational) in the lines "The questioner, who sits so sly/ Shall never know how to reply." In this quote, Blake displays the typical romantic dislike of western society and its cold and conniving ways (represented by "the questioner"). Blake's poem also venerates nature, and revels in Christianity - both characteristics of romantic works. Finally, Blake believes man has the ability and responsibility to make the right choice, a characteristic of the (Romantic) Byronic hero.

In conclusion, William Blake's "Auguries of Innocence" teaches the reader how to be a good steward of the world he lives in by attempting to convince the reader that man must care for nature, using Biblical references, and using other Romantic literary devices.

(and for those that just read through the entire analysis without understanding what an augury is...this is for you)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block;">**What is an augury, anyway?**
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block; font-size: 12pt;"> **1** an omen. **2** the interpretation of omens.

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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block;">**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">~ <span style="font-size: 8.4pt; font-family: Georgia,serif;">From The Compact Oxford English Dictionary ** ====== <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block;">

Art for Analysis
=<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); text-align: center; display: block;"> "Glad Day" =

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 * **Emphasis:** The Emphasis "Glad Day" is the man in the center of the painting, as rays of light the viewer sees appear to radiate from him. The man is also the brightest (in this painting, Blake used white to simulate the effect of blinding sunlight) object of the painting; he is painted in white and bright golden colors, while his surroundings are darker, slightly more subdued tones.
 * **Balance:** This painting is well balanced, (despite the greater concentration of darker shades at the bottom), because of the circular Blake uses to draw the light. This radiating pattern gives the viewer a 'settled' feeling, as if the painting were equal in its distribution of colors, textures, etc.
 * **Unity:** The unity in "Glad Day" is strong because of the warm, similar colors Blake uses as well as the balanced feel the circular pattern of rays gives. All aspects of this painting work together harmoniously. If we were to make a small criticism, however, the hill the man is standing on, (looking a bit like a multi-color landfill), detracts from the sense of awe one feels when they look at the picture. The bright colors in the land distract the viewer from the bigger, more impressive colors radiating from the man himself.
 * **Contrast:** Blake uses contrast in "Glad Day" to emphasize the greatness and awe the man brings. The gradually darkening colors as one moves towards the outside of the painting serve to emphasize the brilliance of the center, drawing the viewer's eyes to the painting's subject - the man. The difference in textures between the smooth, flowing, glory of the light of the heavens also contrasts with the confused, messy, dirt of the land - Blake most certainly used this to contrast the magnificence of heaven with the drudgery of earth.
 * **Movement:** There is not much movement in this piece; the only notable movement is the light rays streaming from the man, which, (as stated before), serve to draw attention to him. The stance of the man, standing strong, with slightly bent knees that suggest he just arrived there, imply that the man is "coming out in all his glory".
 * **Color:** This painting uses a warm color scheme, with lighter tints, to draw attention to its subject, while using a cool color scheme, with darker shades, to dim down the surroundings.
 * **Subject Matter:** The subject of this art work is the man in the center of the painting.
 * **Line:** This painting has implied lines following the rays of the sun

"Glad Day" depicts a man emerging, triumphant, celebratory, and joyous to share the good news he brings. We believe that this depicts Adam, (which would explain the nudity), as he walks in the Garden of Eden to go visit God for their evening walks.
 * **Medium:** The medium Blake (probably) used was oil paint
 * Analysis:**

=<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> = = = =<span style="display: block; text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Whirlwind of Lovers" = = = "A Whirlwind of Lovers", to us, represented the flow of people and emotions through time. It serves as a reminder of how fleeting emotions and relationships can be. Each of these couples are paired only for the moment, until the whirlwind they are in carries them to another place, forcing them to separate. Other sources see this image as Blake's interpretation of one of the scenes of Dante's Inferno.
 * **Emphasis:** The Emphasis of "A Whirlwind of Lovers" is the loop in the whirlwind - the flow of bodies (in the river-like whirlwind) draws the eye to the loop as they circle each other and appear to converge around the center of the loop. The loop is also the most complex and part of the picture, and the has the most action compared to the rest of the painting. [[image:Whirlwind_emphasis.JPG width="403" height="284" align="center"]]
 * **Balance:** The high concentration of action on the left side of the picture gives it an asymmetrical and unevenly weighted balance. The right half of the picture is relatively empty, with just a clear sky, an open, landscape, and a few washed out figures; the left half however is filled with a detailed, complex, bodies, flowing one after another.
 * **Unity:** This painting's unity is affected by the unequal balance on the left side, which grabs the viewer's attention slightly more than the right side does; however, we believe that William Blake intended it to be this way, to show God (the man in the background), as a shadowy, behind-the-scenes figure that is really directing the course of events without people really seeing him there.
 * **Contrast:** Blake uses contrast masterfully in "A Whirlwind of Lovers" - the right side (the action-filled side), he crowds with a detailed, moving image of a whirlwind of bodies in dry, warm tones. The left side of the painting, however, Blake leaves 'open' giving the viewer a sense of "breathing space" when he sees the cool, green-blue tints and hues; the lack of detail in the left half heightens the sense of "openness" and serves to increase the contrast between the two halves of the painting.
 * **Movement:** The movement in this piece follows the movement of the river of bodies, from the lower, right-hand corner of the painting to the upper, left-hand corner. [[image:Whirlwind_movement.JPG width="392" height="279" align="center"]]
 * **Rhythm:** The rhythm of "A Whirlwind of Lovers" also follows the river of bodies - the recurring images of lovers, each one different but the same, creates a rhythm throughout the piece.
 * **Pattern:** Pattern in "A Whirlwind of Lovers" is also related to the stream of bodies - the sight of one body after another creates a regular but varied pattern that flows across the piece.
 * **Color:** The color scheme in this painting centers around neutral tones of brown, blue-green, orange, and gray.
 * **Subject Matter:** The subject of this art work is the river of lovers that crosses the painting.
 * **Medium:** The medium Blake (probably) used was oil paint
 * Analysis:**

=<span style="font-size: 160%; font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"> = =<span style="font-size: 160%; font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"> = =<span style="font-size: 160%; font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Bibliography = = = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">**"William Blake portrait"**--http://todd44.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/william_blake_by_thomas_phillips.jpg <span style="font-size: 10.8pt; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**'World in a grain of sand' and 'heaven in a flower' pictures** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">-- [] <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Georgia,serif;">**Romanticism definitions copied from:** http://forum.stirpes.net/arts/2476-tenets-romanticism.html
 * "Whirlwind of Lovers"**--<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial;">http://cgfa.dotsrc.org/blake/p-blake3.htm
 * "The Argument" video**--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIZkNK0_3ZM
 * "The Argument" Plate-**-http://www.abm-enterprises.net/argument.jpg
 * "Glad Day" picture:** http://www.abm-enterprises.net/gladday.htm