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Blake's Use of Symbolism
Introduction:
A symbol is a mode of expression in which a writer depicts indirectly through the
medium of another object
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Almost all romantic poets use symbolic language and it is no exception with Blake
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These poets had the picture of their own ideal world; they wanted to get
rid of social evils and from the drawback, which had plagued their era
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They faced considerable difficulty in figuring out this world
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Therefore, they had to take resort to symbolic language
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The use of symbols is one of the most striking
features of Blake's poetry
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The greatness of his poetry lies in the flight of his imagination
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Blake's remarkable poetry depicts him as a highly symbolic poet, whose poetry is rich in
symbols and allusions
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He breaks the shackles of language
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Blake's poetic eye is seldom on the
perceptual object
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Principal Symbols in Blake’s Poetry:
The major symbols in Blake's poetry are; lamb, rose, children, tiger, garden, stars, forest,
looms and net
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W
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I
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III
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V
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g
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Energy Symbols: Energy symbols have creative, heroic, unrestrained revolutionary and
destructive images, e
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lions, tigers, wolves, eagles, frogs, summer, sun, fire, frogs, swords,
spears and chariots are energy symbols
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g
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Corruption Symbols: These symbols include hypocrisy, secrecy and town influences, e
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looms, curtains, cities, houses, snakes, evening, silence, and disease, etc
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g
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Important Symbolic Songs:

Blake's symbolism is organically related, it means that one symbol sustains and
strengthens the other
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For example, Rose is
essentially the floral symbol of experienced love
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This symbol is most powerfully used in Songs of Experience where Blake
explores many aspects of this Symbol with disturbing effect
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Examples of symbolism in Blake's Poetry:
Songs of Innocence and Experience are exquisite examples where
we find plenty use of symbols, some of which are following: Rephrase into a shorter sentence


The Sick Rose is also very symbolic poem
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As poet says,
“O Rose, thou art sick!
The invisible worm
That flies in the night,
In the howling storm,”
On the other hand, "Crimson joy" of the rose connotes both sexual pleasure and shame
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



London symbolizes the exploitation of the poor by the hands of prosperous and opportunist class
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" London seems to be the most
expressive and touching because the author wants to protect his original and unique perception of
the society and the world in them
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Symbolism is used to underline the end of traditions
and the desire to fight against oppressors
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Throughout the poem, William Blake uses symbols and images to convey the message
directly to readers
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The third stanza of the poem represents the use of religious and destructive
symbols
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Religious imagery “black’ning church” symbolizes the loss of
innocence and, possibly, represents society’s abandonment of religion
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Thus, Black
uses the sense of destruction, stating that people are forced to cope with weakness
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For example, “youthful harlot’s curse”
shows that the next generation will be affected by the sinful deeds of the youth
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The
poem is very symbolic, a living representation of the pains and weaknesses of society
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”
Tree and Apple are contextual symbols in the poem “My Poison Tree”
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The tree symbolizes the feeling of anger that is buried inside the speaker for his
enemy
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It is indicated from the second stanza “And I watered it in
fears
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” This feeling is always full of a smile, but there is a lot of

hatred that is anchored in his heart
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It symbolizes the result of the
hatred that has developed within the heart of the speaker
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He makes it a trap to kill his enemy
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In the morning, glad, I see,
My foe outstretched beneath the tree
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“The forest of night” symbolizes, “ignorance, repression and superstition
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It may symbolize the violent and terrifying forces within the individual man
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At the same
time, the tiger is symbolic of the Creator's masterly skill, which enabled Him to frame the
"fearful symmetry" of the tiger
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Stars are often used to symbolize,
'Heavenly bodies, purity, distance, unattainable things and eternity
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

In the opening poem of Songs of Innocence, the poet says:
“On a cloud I saw a child” /
“Pipe a song about a lamb”
Here poet is using “child” and “lamb” as symbols of innocence, purity and joy
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Here word “pipe” evokes our
sense of hearing; both child and lamb represent gentleness and vulnerability to exploitation
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Blake often uses symbols to express increasingly subtle
and complex intellectual distinctions
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This is not to suggest that Blake's symbols are always easy to understand
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The problem for readers of Blake's poetry is to maintain
a balance between what he is trying to say and what the words commonly convey
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His use of symbolism is unique and cinematic
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His handling of symbols is markedly different
from that of French symbolists
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