William Blake

Industrial Revolution  Began in 1760s in Britain  Transition from agricultural society to a factory based culture  Also the transition from hand power to power-driven machines  Unhealthy and dangerous conditions of the factories

William Blake   Poet, printer, and print-maker  Published his first collection in 1783, Poetical Sketches  Influenced by the French & American Revolutions

William Blake’s Poetry  Poetry is childlike, but tells of universal ideas or experiences  Embraced the imagination as the body of God or human existence itself

William Blake’s Poetry  Recurring themes of good vs. evil, heaven and hell  His use of symbolism instead of metaphor allows readers to draw their own conclusions from his poetry

“The Lamb” & “The Tyger”  1789 – a collection called Songs of Innocence was published and contained ‘The Lamb’  1794 – a collection called Song of Experience was published and contained ‘The Tyger’

Sources  y/blake.htm y/blake.htm   world.org/Industrial%20Intro.htm world.org/Industrial%20Intro.htm