"The Lamb" William Blake

Little lamb, who made thee?

            Does thou know who made thee,

Gave thee life, and bid thee feed

By the stream and o’er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing, woolly, bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice?

Little lamb, who made thee?

Does thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, I’ll tell thee;

Little lamb, I’ll tell thee:

He is callèd by thy name,

For He calls Himself a Lamb.

He is meek, and He is mild,

He became a little child.

I a child, and thou a lamb,

We are callèd by His name.

Little lamb, God bless thee!

Little lamb, God bless thee!

Title:   A lamb is seen as innocent, meek, vulnerable and dependent. Also, the symbol of a lamb paints a sacrificial picture that alludes back to the picture of Christ.

Paraphrase:    Dear little lamb, do you know who made you? Who gave you life and fed you. Took care of you and protected you, helping you live a peaceful life. Do you know who made you? Dear little lamb I will tell you. He goes by your name, he is also a Lamb. He is just like you and he became a child. We are name after him. God bless you, little lamb.

Devices:          Euphony-this poem was made to be sung therefore it is shadow by musicality.

Rhyme Scheme-AA BB CC DD AA AA EF GG FE AA. This rhyme scheme is very complex in that it has a very mellifluous flow to it with each two lines rhyming however, that is thrown off in the second stanza by the lines “He is called by thy name,/For he calls himself a Lamb” and “I a child, and thou a lamb/We are called by his name.” These lines have their own rhyme scheme to them and cause them to stand out from the rest of the poem, revealing the glory of Jesus and our Creator.

Allusion-The Lamb in the second stanza directly alludes to Jesus from John 1:29 where he is called “The Lamb of God.”

Imagery-a picture of a shepherd watching over the Lamb is painted when Blake says “bid thee feed/By the stream and o’er the mead” (lines 3-4).

Symbolism-A Lamb is a symbol for purity and sacrifice which correlates to the allusion of Christ.

Repetition-The beginning and end of the first stanza are the same couplet. Also, the first couplet of the second stanza is repetitive, along with the last couplet. This repetition enhances the importance of our Creator and everything he has done for us.

Rhetorical question-The first two lines ask questions that the narrator is already going to explain and answer. These questions are there to evoke the thoughts of the reader so they are reminded of the power of their Creator.

Personification-In line15 Blake personifies the Lamb in correlation to Jesus.

Attitude:          Awestruck, humbling, and reminiscent

Shifts:              There are 6 different shifts in this poem. The first shift is after line 2 and it instigates a question to the reader to make them think. The next 6 lines reveal to the reader everything the lamb’s creator does for him. The poem then shifts back to the questions proposed in the first two lines. The second stanza begins with repetitive lines as a marker to the reader so they understand the importance of the creator. It then shifts to display the sacrifice of Jesus and how he became a Lamb just like us. Finally the last shift is before the ending couplet which is the final reminder that God is in control of us.

Title:               Instead of focusing on the vulnerability of a lamb this poem leans toward the sacrifice of the Lord.

Theme/Total Meaning:           In totality this poem seems to be a reminder to the reader about our human lives and how we are all lost without our Creator who sent his son as a sacrifice for us. This poem alludes to many parts in the Bible that reveals God’s love for his people. (ie. Psalm 23, John 3:16 and John 16:9)

"The Sick Rose" William Blake

O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

Poem: “The Sick Rose”                      Author: William Blake                       Date: 1789

Title:   The rose has become infected by a sickness that has caused corruption.

Paraphrase:   A narrator informs the rose that it has become sick by an invisible worm that came during the night. This worm stole its bed in the secrecy of love and destroyed the rose.

Details:           Symbols- A rose is not only the literal flower but a symbol of love. The worm has a complex symbol that alludes to the serpent from the Garden of Eden paralleling the devil and also a worm is an earthbound creature that is symbolic of death and decay.

                        Rhyme Scheme- ABCB DEFE is a short two beat cadence that foreshadows destruction

                        Personification- The rose is personified in the first line to reveal its humanity

                        Imagery- The worm flies in during the night painting a dark, eerie, secretive tone. Also there is a howling storm when the worm flies in which enhances the image of darkness.

                        Allegory- The Rose doesn’t know of its infection which parallels the concept that a secretive love doesn’t know its power of destruction.

                        Allusion- The reference to the worm and its darkness and secrecy makes people think back to the serpent in the Garden of Eden and its ability to manipulate others.

                        Foreshadowing- The presence of an invisible worm coming in the night emphasizes the obscurity of this worm.

Attitude:         dark, foreboding, secretive yet a sense of joy which brings upon shame.

Shift:               The first shift takes place after the first line when the narrator informs the Rose of its impending doom. This reveals the main problem of this play. The next 5 lines display what infected the Rose and how it has brought joy but shame. The last 2 lines reveal the secrecy of this tainted love and its effect of the Rose.

Title:               This rose was infected by the secrecy of love and has been made sick by the course of its actions.

Theme/Total Meaning:         The joyfulness of a tainted love results in corruption and shame that plagues love and makes it sick.

William Blake "A Poison Tree"

A Poison Tree

I was angry with my friend:

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe:

I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears,                               5

Night and morning with my tears;

And I sunnèd it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night

Till it bore an apple bright;                              10

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole:

In the morning glad I see                                15

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

Title:   Poison reveals death, evil; it is usually given to someone in order to kill them. Tree reveals growth, nurture, or a picture of decay. Evil is being harvested on a tree.

Paraphrase:    I was angry with my friend but when I told him my anger ended. Yet when I was angry with my enemy, I held it in and my grudge grew. I watered it with fears and anguish while my cunning façade provided the tree with sun. My anger grew until it produced an offspring that my enemy became jealous of. My enemy came into the garden during the blackness of the night and plucked off the apple that killed him to my delight.

Devices:          Cadence-musical, euphonious

Couplet-enhances the flow of the poem, each couplet contrasts the idea of the previous couplet

                        Euphemism-“foe outstretched beneath the tree” is a lighter way of revealing the death of the enemy.

                        Foreshadowing-“and he knew that it was mine”; from our human nature the audience can derive that the enemy will steal the apple which has already been displayed as poisonous; the line “night had veiled the pole” intensifies the darkness and evil nature of the situation.

                        Imagery-the bearing of fruit through providing nutrients, parallels the concept of a grudge being fed

                        Allusion-the apple alludes to the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Knowledge which was eaten and led to the fall of man; from that the evil nature of mankind prospered, also apples appear in Milton’s Paradise Lost.

                        Symbolism- an apple typically refers to the desire and temptations of humans

Attitude:          hurt, pain, hatred, frustration, jealousy

                                    revealed through words like “deceitful” “wrath” “fears” “tears”

Shifts:              There is a shift after each couplet. The first shows the familiarity with friends and the ability to forgive. The second portrays the frustration that grows when it is towards an enemy. The third and fourth couplets are used to display the ways in which the tree of emotions is provided with nutrients. The fifth reveals how a grudge, when concealed within, grows rapidly. The sixth helps the audience to understand the jealous nature of humans through the foe’s desire of the apple. The seventh couplet helps portray the evil shadows that lurk over humans, and finally the last couplet reveals the innate nature of humans and their self-centered lifestyle because there is no remorse for the death of his foe.

Title:               This tree revolves around one person’s emotions and because poison is used to describe this specific tree Blake reveals the hatred that mankind is able to produce.

Theme/Total Meaning:           Because this poem does not have evidence of remorse the poem does not paint a lesson of releasing anger (although people will come to that conclusion by themselves). Blake wrote this poem to reveal the deep truth about human’s and the ability to harbor wrath and fester desires to an incredible extent. Also, because he has a dark atmosphere around the death of the foe, he reveals the mystery of evil and how it influences humans.

Symbolism Poem

It costs two but you only have one,

You sit inside while the other kids are out having fun.

They call you up and say "let's go!"

You know deep down you'll have to say "no..."

Money, money, money; may provide for opportunities,

Yet others have to work hard and save to pay for those necessities.

They say to chase your dreams,

but will that shiny head land up to pay for all those things?

Or will you see the tails side glaring at you,

and be brought back to reality?