Revision:Blake's View on Religion - Essay Plan

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Intro

• Blake belonged to the Dissenters, an unorthodox christian group
• He believed that there was no need for a 'go-between' person such as a priest and that this became a restrictive force
• Everybody could have a one-on-one relationship with God

Para 1

• Restriction of the Church, organised religion was common at the time, but Blake believed it to be corrupt.

'Garden of Love'

• 'gates of the chapel were shut', immediately says that there is no comfort in organised religion. Church could be seen to be turning its back on the needy
• 'Thou shalt not' echoes of the Old Testament ideology of punishment and retribution. Spondee on 'shalt not' emphasises the words and gives them force
• Colour imagery- 'black gowns' connotes badness
• Pain caused by church shown through 'binding with briars my joys and desires', internal rhyme ensures maximum impact of the line

Para 2

• Inappropriateness of the Church and lack of moral standing, this is in relation to mistreatment of the vulnerable in society, such as chimney sweepers and orphans, Blake recognised the great inequalities of society and wanted to expose them
• 'Little Vagabond'
• 'Church is cold', simplistic childish language displays how vulnerable gain little from partaking in orthodox religion
• Ale house is 'pleasant and warm', so Blake is using contrast and juxtaposition of words to convey beliefs about the church
• Children described as 'bandy' and 'fasting' shows physical hardship of life and inappropriateness of certain religious traditions
• Similar to 'Chimney Sweeper' (ex): 'gone to praise God, Priest and King', how church can even encourage neglect

Para 3

• Spiritual beliefs as more important than mortal life, in this case it is purely faith that sets the persona in the poem free. Blake thought that a close relationship with God could offer this
• 'it is Raised a Spiritual Body' becomes important as this seems the main aim of the persona, they want to be with their spiritual creator and not stuck with their mortal mother, this phrase also links to Corinthians in the bible
• Mortal life 'binds in senseless clay', extreme, emotive language which demonstrates how useless the mortal life is in allowing freedom of expression
• 'Death of Jesus set me free', use of simplistic monosyllabic language important here as it shows the easiness of this spiritual life
• Couplets reflect the relentless, faultless faith in Jesus, so faith becomes a reassuring force in Blake's life

Para 4

• Belief in Gospel of Jesus and the creator as an omnibenevolent force
• 'The Lamb'
• 'Little Lamb', alliteration softens tone, so voice is gentle and caring, symbol of lamb as innocence or 'lamb of god'
• Euphonic sounds reiterate all this
• 'made vales rejoice', personification and sibilance illustrate mighty power of God, but also the beauty of his creations
• Anapestic rhythm, makes the poem almost soporific, like a lullaby, adding to a sense of youth and innocence and suggesting that this creator is also a guardian and protector
• 'He is meek and he is mild' echoes Matthew in the New Testament
• Repetition of phrase 'little lamb' and the framing of the poem shows constancy of this relationship with God

Comments

These notes are aimed at A Level English Literature students at A2 level.

Originally written by Cooksie5 on TSR Forums.