Blake Context

Question 1

Industrial Revolution

Answer 1

• Blake lived during the time of the industrial revolution (late 18th to 19th century) , period of rapid economical and industrial revolution
• factories, urbanisation and child labour became widespread (explored in the chimney sweeper and london)

Question 2

Social Inequality and Poverty

Answer 2

• England was marked by stark social divisions during Blake’s time. The wealthy benefited from the industrial boom, whole the poor faced backlash (explored in poems like holy thursday and the chimney sweeper -> experience)

Question 3

Religion and the Church

Answer 3

• Blake was deeply critical or organised religion, viewing it as a tool of oppression that upheld social hierarchies
• his poetry often contrasts with the teachings of Jesus (love, compassion) with the Church’s hypocrisy (the garden of love and holy thursday -> experience)

Question 4

Political Radicalism

Answer 4

• Blake was influenced by the french revolution (1789) and the revolutionary ideas of liberty and equality
• while initially hopeful, Blake became dillusioned with the revolutions violent turn but maintained his support for social and political freedom (London)

Question 5

Romanticism

Answer 5

• Blake was apart of the romantic movement, which emphasised emotion, imagination and connection to nature
• his pastoral imagery (eg the echoing green) celebrated the innocence and harmony of rural life

Question 6

Personal Beliefs and Visionary Ideas

Answer 6

• Blake was a mystic who believed in the power of imagination and spiritual vision
• He saw innocence and experience as two complementary states of the human condition
• Blake’s radical worldview informed his critique of societal institutions