Full Title: Blake wrote the ‘Songs of Innocence’ in 1789 when the French Revolution began. He wrote the ‘Songs of Experience’ in 1794 when terror took over from the revolutionary spirit. Is this change apparent in ‘The Songs’?

There is certainly a change in mood and style between Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence’ and ‘Experience’. Throughout the former of these Blake champions imagination as well as freedom and tolerance, ideas which formed the backbone of the French Revolution and the Romantic poet’s view of it. However in ‘Innocence’ Blake takes a much more prophetic view, warning us of the limits, boundaries and failings of our human selves.

“The Divine Image (Innocence)” shows Blake’s wishes for tolerance of all men, no matter what their religion or creed may be. The virtues of “Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love” are brought to the reader’s attention through capitalisation and Blake champions them for being almost Godlike qualities. His claim that “Mercy has a human heart” changes quite drastically in his ‘Songs of Experience’. “The Human Abstract” paints another (contrary) image of man, saying that there would be no need for mercy “If all were as happy as we”, and pity only exists because “we make somebody poor”. This change in perspective could be due to the rising terror of the French Revolution. This poem also personifies “Cruelty” as a trapper of humanity, baiting us to him. The effect of this is that the poem has a much darker and more sinister mood than those of ‘Innocence’.

Whilst personal images change, so does Blake’s portrayal of freedom. The “Nurse’s Song (Innocence)” describes how children are allowed to play happily in a pastoral landscape as the “hills echoed”. Like many of Blake’s other poems in innocence this contains many references to animals too, as the “little birds fly” freely in the sky. The Nurse allows the children to “go and play till the light fades away”. The song-like rhythm in this poem is also reflected in its counterpart in ‘Experience’. However the children’s freedom is crushed as the Nurse proclaims their “day is wasted in play”. This restriction of freedom and innocence could be representative of how the revolution quickly changed to something more ugly.

However, there are other poems in ‘Experience’ which suggest that the revolution’s downfall affected Blake’s perspective. “The Sick Rose” is a symbolic poem which could be interpreted to have meaning in this way. The rose could be a symbol for the revolution, a glorious upsurge of passion in France, however the “invisible worm that flies in the night” has infiltrated this rose and corrupted it. Blake may have seen the revolution in these terms, that the beautiful revolution was corrupted by some of those involved. Or over time invisible selfish desires or political actions have destroyed it’s beauty.

“London” too shows how Blake views politics to be an oppressive and restricting force. The repetition of “chartered” with its dissonant sound reinforces this view. The terror in France was reflected in England too, as riots were rife. However Blake makes a direct reference to the soldiers blood “runs… down palace walls”, showing his horror at the bloodshed. Blake also references the “mind-forged manacles” that enslave all men, preventing us from being free. Perhaps it is these manacles that aiding in turning the revolution sour, or are responsible for the riots in London. This poem reflects Blake’s negative view of society as it is, a stark contrast to his earlier ‘Songs’ championing freedom and the imagination over all.

Blake also held the view that the French Revolution had run astray, wild, from its original intentions. His poem “The Tyger” clearly bears symbolism which demonstrates this idea. The forging of a beautiful but fearsome beast, represents the revolution itself. Man’s passion has created this creature but cannot control it. The repetition of “dare” or use of ferocious language, “deadly terrors”, shows how untameable the revolution is.

In conclusion, Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence’ contrast dramatically with his ‘Songs of Experience’. His aim to portray the two “contrary states of the human soul” has certainly been achieved. The corruption of the French Revolution seems to coincide with Blake’s sudden change in perspective and so has clearly impacted on his writing. However the revolution was not Blake’s only concern and motivation in writing the ‘Songs of Experience’, although it was clearly a highly influential factor.

_{Mark achieved: 18/20 (A)}

_{Teacher’s comments: A few grammatical errors.}