Comment of the way Blake uses imagery in Songs of Innocence andSongs of Experience Essay

Comment of the way Blake uses imagery in Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience to give different perspectives on the human condition. Blake portrays very different views on the human condition in Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience by using imagery. He uses different sorts of imagery to build a picture in the readers mind. Blake may intend to use language to associate words to a larger picture, perhaps by using connotations. This method adds a lot of depth and meaning to the poem. An example of this can be found in ‘LONDON’. The use of the word ‘blackning’ may appear simple and straighforward, yet Blake may of intended this word to have several meanings. Black is a sinister colour which may be associated with evil, as well as suggesting Londons filth. This foreboding connotation would complement the poems tone and imply rather pessimistic views on the human condition. Blake often uses bold and striking descriptions, which appeal to the readers imaginations and often helps them relate to the poems setting, characters, or overall meaning on a more personal level. In ‘Nurse’s Song’, Blake builds an idealised setting in the readers mind. This gives a happy and postive view on life, by describing a setting typical of dreams, or fairy stories in which evil is non-existent. This is a huge contrast from the descriptive language used in poems from Songs of Experience. Here, stronger and perhaps more realistic and brutal images are portrayed. For example, in ‘The Tyger’, the first two lines set a very specific scene. ‘Forests of the night’ is a fairly simple yet strikingly threatening line. A dark forest is the place the reader would least like to be, especially accompanied by a tiger. The use of alliteration, ‘burning bright’ emphasises the harsh and strong ‘b’ sound, and helps set the scene. Perhaps this use of the word burning is supposed to put the idea of hell into the readers mind. The physical and mechanical language used later on is extremely vivid, and one cannot help associating this with the industrial revolution, which would of been occuring at the time Blake wrote his poems.