Blake: Songs of Experience: The Fly : Flashcards
Plot summary:
What is the plot summary?
The poem reflects on the fleeting nature of life and death.
The speaker compares the carefree existence of a fly to human life, suggesting that both are subject to death and ultimately insignificant.
Quotes:
Key Quotes (CLUE: There are 2)
‘My thoughtless hand’ - personification - higher powers - lack of care - selfish
‘Till some blind hand shall brush my wing’ - lets others have power and living in ignorance - having no care - Blake criticises this.
‘If I live or if I die’ - mocking the speaker for not questioning - surely mankind can be more.
Form and Structure:
What is the form/structure like?
The poem has two four-line stanzas with an ABAB rhyme scheme.
The structure is simple and rhythmic, reflecting the themes of how short life is and the inevitability of death.
Themes:
Key themes e.g. mortality and death
The poem explores the fleeting nature of life, comparing the lives of humans and flies to emphasize their shared vulnerability to death.
Themes:
Key themes e.g. the insignificance of life
The poem reflects on the idea that individual lives, whether human or insect, are small and insignificant in the grand scheme of existence, highlighting the nature of all living things.
Context:
What is the context of Blake?
Blake’s criticises religious views on life and death, exploring the fragility and mortality of all living beings.
Written during a time of societal change, the poem contrasts the innocence of childhood with the inevitability of death, using the fly as a symbol of how life is fleeting.
Other poems it could link to:
What other poems could it link to?
“The Sick Rose” (from Songs of Experience) – Both deal with themes of decay, corruption, and death.
“The Tyger” (from Songs of Experience) – Both explore mortality and the fleeting nature of life.
