William+Blake

William Blake

//22. The Sick Rose// *The Sick Rose presents a rose that is diseased by an invisible evil, and withering and dying without realization. *The poem consists of two quatrains with the rhyme scheme of ABCB. *The 'worm' symbolizes a form of corruption or disease that infects the rose, it is characterized by a number of descriptions with an evil connotation such as 'flies in the night' and 'dark.' Also, the form of the worm is close to that of a serpent, which is referred to as evil in the Bible. *Personification of the worm gives this sense of evil a form and identity, and it is addressed as a 'he.' Which could mean 'he' is corrupting a beautiful maiden. *The 'rose' may symbolizes beauty or love, which connects to the worm's 'dark secret love' that destroys 'thy life.' *There is a sexual undertone, 'thy bed' could mean a flower bed, or a lover's bed.

//23. A Poison Tree// *The poem makes a biblical reference to the Garden of Eden, where a forbidden fruit has grown on the Tree of Knowledge. *In the first quatrain, the speaker contrasts his treatment of 'wrath' towards 'friend' and 'foe.' He expresses his anger when is triggered by a friend and is therefore freed from it, however, when a foe causes him fury, he hides it, which ends up fueling his anger even more. *The second quatrain describes the speaker's treatment of the tree. He waters it in 'fears' and 'tears,' sun it with 'smiles' and 'soft deceitful wiles.' *The tree grew and produced a red apple, his foe stole the apple, fully aware of who it belonged to, yet he still 'stole' the fruit. *The speaker can be seen as God, who punishes men that does evil (steal), as the 'foe' who stole the apple was found 'outstretched beneath the tree.'

//24. London// *The speaker commentates on the dreadful sight he sees and the woeful sounds he hears in the streets of London. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*The use of sound device is a prominent feature in this poem, where the speaker uses the sound he hears to identify each individuals. 'cry of every Man.' 'Infants cry of fear' and the 'Soldiers sigh.' <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*These people leaves behind different sounds for the speaker to follow. Sounds are much more intangible and ambiguous in comparison to vision, therefore, their identities are some what anonymous, thus, this sense of woe can be applied to a larger group of people rating than being pinned on one individual. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*The poem consists of four quatrains, with each alternate line rhyming. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*The first and last stanza creates a sense of cycle, where they contrast and connect to each other. In the first stanza, the speaker commentates on the faces he sees, there is 'a mark in every face,' 'marks of weakness, marks of woe.' These 'marks' can be seen as wrinkle or an evidence of aging cause by their depressing surroundings. However, in the last stanza, the speaker speaks of 'new-born infants,' born into 'plagued' marriages. This ending thus creates a never ending cycle of misery.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">//25. Love's Secret// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*The speaker of the poem advices his readers to never express their true emotions to their loved ones, as he urges them to 'never seek to tell thy love.' For 'love that never told can be.' He is basically saying that love that is not put into words will evoke to reaction such as rejection, jealousy or desire. Love and emotions can exist freely when it is not spoken of. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*In the second stanza, he talks about an experience of his own where he 'told her all [his] heart,' which resulted in her 'depart.' <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*The third stanza describes a 'traveller' who appeared 'silently,' and 'invisibly' and took his previous lover 'with a sigh.' The behavior of this traveler contrasts that of the speaker. The speaker proclaimed his love, whereas the traveller only let out a sigh. As a result, he who stayed silent, took the girl.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">//26. The Echoing Green// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*The speaker describes a day's activity observed on the echoing green. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*The poem presents a constant cycle of youth and elder, day and night. The first line describes the rising of the sun, which represents beginning. The stanza then goes on talking about the arrival of 'spring.' A season of reawakening and blossom. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*In contrast to the youthful atmosphere created in the first stanza, the second stanza starts off with a description of 'Old John' and his 'white hair' Instead of characterizing him as a withering old man, he is described to be sitting underneath an 'oak' tree, which is often a symbol of eternity. Therefore, the idea of old age is not projected with a negative connotation. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*Old John could also symbolize intelligence and experience, and his existence contrasts the children's naivety and youth. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*He reflects upon the old times when he himself 'were seen on the Echoing Green.' This remembrance itself presents another cycle, foreshadowing the children that are playing now will one day age and become 'Old John.' <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*The third stanza bring the activities on the green to an end, the 'little ones weary,' and 'birds' returns to 'their nest' all 'ready for rest.'

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">//27. Infant Sorrow// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*The poem consists of two quatrains with the rhyme scheme of AABB CCAA. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*The speaker is a new born infant, who feels like he is leaping into 'a dangerous world.' when he leaves his mother's familiar womb. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*His perception of the world being dangerous may be due to unfamiliarity, or it may express Blake's view of the world as a corrupt and unsafe place in comparison to a mother's womb that symbolizes safety and security. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*When the child is first delivered, he 'struggles' in his father's hands and 'strives' against the 'swaddling bands.' This further emphasizes his distress upon entering the world, where as soon as he is born, he is face with difficulties and challenges. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">*In the end, he 'sulk[s] upon [his] mother's breast.' Which brings the poem to its beginning. The child is first separated from his mother, but in the end he finds his way back to her, this characterizes the mother figures as guardians and a safe harbor for the child.