INTRODUCTION (EXPERIENCE)

Question 1

What happenes in the poem?

Answer 1

• Introduces a prophetic voice, the Bard, who perceives the continuum of time
• And calls upon the Earth to awaken from a state of spiritual slumber.

Question 2

Symbolic interpretation of the poem

Answer 2

1. The poem is seen as a dialectic with the Songs of Innocence which represented a prelapsarian idealistic view of humanity, whilst the Songs oF Experience introduce themes OF disillusionment, corruption and repression.
2. Presents a vision of human existence marked by moral ambiguity and existential despair.
3. Representation of man who has succumbed to ideologies of rationalism, logic and repression.

Question 3

Describe the structure of the poem

Answer 3

• 4 QUINTAINS
• Lines are of uneven length, giving an irregular, springy rhythm unusual for Blake.
• Epizeuxis

Question 4

Describe the language of the poem

Answer 4

• Imperatives (gravity of the message)
• Religious allusions (sermonising, tree of knowlege and life) the bard has no interest in superfical or corporeal matters.
• Metaphor (slumering mass- loss of innocence reflecting the fall)
• Symbolism/ pastoral imagery- evokes the vasness and beauty of the cosmos

Question 5

What is a bard?

Answer 5

a poet of epic tales

Question 6

Why did the romantics reject rationalism?

Answer 6

Romantics believed that ideals such as reason, science, and progress had been elevated at the expense of values like beauty, expression, or belonging. In other words, they thought the Enlightenment paradigm established in the 18th century was limited

Question 7

What did rationalists believe?

Answer 7

• Through logical reasoning, deduction, and analysis
• humans can uncover universal truths and principles that govern the natural world and human existence