Songs of Innocence and Experience

UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE
DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION
MUTARE TEACHERS’ COLLEGE
NAME : MIRRIAM
Surname : ZIYAMBE
Candidate No: 186/21
Learning area: ENGLISH
Subject : LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
Assignment : 1
Lecturer : MS BANDE
Programme : Two year – first year 2021
DUE DATE : 10/11/21

Question :
WITH THE AID OF EXAMPLES DISCUSS THE THEMES IN SONGS OF INNOCENCE
AND SONGS OF EXPERIENCE BY WILLIAM BLAKE?
Mark :
Comment :
Songs of innocence and experience is a collection of poems by William Blake. He was a
democratic poet, a spiritual visionary and a political activist who was very out spoken about
his beliefs and views on society .William Blake is a poet who managed to explore a range of
themes such as “Redemption, Religious hypocrisy, The flaws of earthly parents, Social
reform, The destruction of Innocence, Love and sexuality and Poverty only to mention a few.
This write up seeks to demonstrate how Blake managed to bring fourth the themes mentioned
before.
A theme is a subject of a talk or a piece of work .It can also be a main idea being repeated in
a piece of work. “Aid “is a material source of help .Furthermore, an “example “is something
that serves to illustrate or explain a rule. “Experience “is to undergo a certain feeling or
process. “Innocence” is the absence of responsibility for a crime.
Redemption as one of the themes in Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience is
frequently referred to by William Blake. Throughout his works ,Blake frequently refer to the
redemptive work of Christ .He emphasized that” Christ became a little child “just as men and
women need to return to a state of childlike grace in order to restore the innocence lost to the
social machinery of a cruel world.

Blake also emphasize on the theme of Religious hypocrisy .In the poem “Holy Thursday “and
“The Little Vagabond “he critiques the religious leaders of his days for their abuse of
spiritual authority .The men who were responsible to be shepherds to their flocks are in fact
reinforcing a political and economic system that turns children into short-lived chimney
sweepers .Blake‘s aim was therefore to change this situation.
In addition to the themes ,The flaws of earthly parents is highly demonstrated by Blake in the
poems “The Little Boy Lost “, “Infant Sorrow “ and “The Little Vagabond “.In the “Little
Boy Lost “ the boy is abandoned by his earthly father yet rescued by his heavenly father
.Blake show the failure of human parents to properly nurture their children .
Furthermore ,the theme of Social reform is well explored out by Blake in “The Human
Abstract “and “ Chimney Sweeper “and “Holy Thursday”. Blake ‘s main concern was to
change the social form which was prevailing .In the poem “Chimney Sweepers “he
highlighted the abuse of children by parents and employers as they are forced into hazardous
situation for the sake of earning money .Blake ‘s pointed that the social system that seeks to
destroy innocence must be changed or eliminated .
Closely connected to the theme above is the theme of Destruction of innocence .Throughout
both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, Blake repeatedly address the destruction
of childlike innocence .The parental love and care was lacking .In Songs of Experience he
was attempting to denounce the cruel society so that children will not live in a society facing
harsh conditions.
Furthermore, the theme of “Love and sexuality” is one of Blake‘s concern in his works. The
poet clearly bring out different forms of love such as “divine love” and “familial love”. Blake
explore the love amongst human and love of God to human. In the poems “The Little Black
Boy “the boy insisted that God will love everyone .The boy also insisted that the white boy
will love him in the last line of the poem .With this one can note that the two forms of love
have been illustrated in the poems.
Moreover ,Blake also work to bring out theme of Poverty .The society and the church are
condemned for London’s extreme poverty in the poems “Holy Thursday “ and “Chimney
Sweeper”. The society was accused for allowing the poverty to continue due to hypocrisy of
the churches.
To sum up, Blake managed to explore out his views about the nature, redeeming the
hypocrisy in churches thereby promoting justice in the society. This collection of poems work
hand in hand to bring out the main concern of Blake‘s work.

REFERENCES
Dorfman, D, Blake in the nineteenth century: His reputation as a poet from Gilchrist to Yeats
, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1967.
Hunt ,R ,Mr. Blake ‘s exhibition ‘,excerpt from article published in the Examiner ,London ,on
17 September 1809,in H Adams (ed),Critical Essays on William Blake ,G.K. Hall and Co
.,Boston ,1991,pp22-23
Lindsay, DW, Blake: Songs of innocence and experience, Macmillan, Basingstoke, 1989.
Malcolmson, A (Ed) William Blake: An introduction, Constable Young Books Ltd, London,
1967.
Palmer ,s,Letter to A Gilchrist ,in H Adams (ed).,Critical Essay on William Blake ,GK.Hall
and Co .,Boston ,1991 ,pp33-36

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UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION

MUTARE TEACHERS’ COLLEGE

Candidate No: 186/21

Learning area: ENGLISH

Subject : LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Programme : Two year – first year 2021

DUE DATE : 10/11/21

WITH THE AID OF EXAMPLES DISCUSS THE THEMES IN SONGS OF INNOCENCE

AND SONGS OF EXPERIENCE BY WILLIAM BLAKE?

Songs of innocence and experience is a collection of poems by William Blake. He was a

process. “Innocence” is the absence of responsibility for a crime.

Redemption as one of the themes in Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience is

social machinery of a cruel world.

sweepers .Blake‘s aim was therefore to change this situation.

destroy innocence must be changed or eliminated .

have been illustrated in the poems.

hand in hand to bring out the main concern of Blake‘s work.

, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1967.

and Co .,Boston ,1991 ,pp33-36

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