Friday, February 12, 2010

Blake's "two contrary states of the human soul"

Blake's Songs of Innocense and Songs of Experience seem to reflect on the one hand a child of optimism, and on the other a child who is broken and discouraged. Abandoned as a child he continued to dream of being set free, of being cleansed and full of God's love and joy. He felt that if he was a good boy and did his work he'd get God's approval, love and protection. This was what he felt would keep him happy.
Five years later, while his adopted parents go to church without him, he's left alone again. Dirty and still optimistic on the outside as evidenced by his statement "I am happy, and dance and sing", yet on the inside he now has a negative view of the church. He feels discouraged by the faith, or at least those who were suppose to show evidence of their Godly love and affection. They are hippocrits in his view. They go to church, but they sing of sadness and "woe", and they expect the same of him. It seems he feels God has all but abandoned him, and he's destined to live a life of misery. He's now good at hiding his pain, and he mocks the religion altogether. He's done what so many of us do, put our faith in Man, not God.

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