Introduction
The 5 ‘I’s of romanticism, in William Blake’s poetry, are captured in the imagery and symbolism used to address social issues. The poems “the tiger” and “a poison tree” best emphasize on the primacy of individual (in the author), provide inspiration as to unique issues (social), and institute a subjectivity that gives purpose to the poem (themes). His character (Blake), both as an artist and a part of the society, is captured in works.
Biography of William Blake
William Blake was an English painter, printmaker and a poet, who despite not being recognized at his time, is today considered an authority figure in visual art and poetry of the romantic age. A hostile critic to organized religion, Blake expressed his idiosyncratic views which were rich symbolism through visual artistry and poetic creativeness; underlying philosophical and mystic themes. Despite not having travelled much, Blake works depict a diverseness that underlines his importance as a figure of authority in the Romantic Movement.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Analysis of the Poems
In “The Tyger” and “A Poison Tree” Blake focuses on the ‘self’ and its exemplification of the environment around it. He uses a ‘tiger’ and a ‘tree’ to form a creative illustration of nature as subjective concepts of purpose, through which his ideas of social imbalance are addressed. In “A Poison Tree” Blake focuses on anger management as a valuable construct for social wellbeing, whereas in “The Tyger” challenges the readers to find the ‘fierce force’ within oneself that drives social change. In both poems, Blake focuses on the ‘inner self,’ which he appeals to as the driving power to making the correct decision and doing the right thing.
Conclusion
William Blake’s work exemplified the 5 ‘I’s of romanticism by addressing the self as the driving power to ‘outside’ social change. His personality and opinion about religion, politics, and social issues were the focal point in his works as seen in his poems and his drawings. Despite being unknown during his time, his artistry has today earned him a place as one of the greatest Britain artists of all time.
References
Labbe, J. M. (2007). Towards an Ungendered Romanticism: Blake, Robinson and Smith in 1793. Women Reading William Blake, 118-126. doi: 10.1007/978-1-349-74105-2_14
Lister, R. (1968). William Blake an introduction to the man and to his work . London: G. Bell.
Priestman, M. (n.d.). Cambridge Studies in Romanticism. Romantic Atheism, 308-310. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511484452.013
Simpson, D. (n.d.). Blake and Romanticism. The Cambridge Companion to William Blake, 169-188. doi:10.1017/ccol0521781477.009
Swaab, P. (2019). Romantic Poetry and Victorian Nonsense Poetry: Some Directions of Travel. Romanticism, 25 (1), 90-102. doi:10.3366/rom.2019.0404
