You Are Required To Submit The Thesis And Outline By 11:59 P
You Are Required To Submit The Thesis And Outline By 1159 Pm Et O
You are required to submit the thesis and outline by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 4 for instructor feedback. The Poetry Essay is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 5 and must include a title page, a thesis/outline page, and the essay itself followed by a Works Cited/References page of any primary and/or secondary texts you cite in the essay. Choose one poem from the provided list to analyze in your essay, using guidance from Chapter 41 of the Kennedy and Gioia textbook, which offers pointers on reading poems, developing a thesis, outlining, and citing sources. This chapter specifically addresses Robert Frost’s “Design,” so ensure you read it first.
Review the sample thesis and outline on pages 1344–1345 (pages 1135–1136 in the eText). The list of poems includes works by William Blake, John Donne, T. S. Eliot, Gerard Manley Hopkins, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Browning, William Butler Yeats, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Tennyson, William Shakespeare, and others. Select one poem and analyze its themes, setting, mood, title significance, literary devices, rhyme scheme, narrator’s identity, and attitude—focusing on elements that support your thesis.
Use the guiding questions to organize your research: What are the themes? Is there a literal or symbolic setting? What details and literary devices contribute to the theme? How do rhyme and metrical devices support the poem's meaning? Who is the narrator, and what is their attitude? Answer only those questions that support your thesis statement.
Paper For Above instruction
The selected poem for analysis is William Blake’s “The Lamb,” a fundamental piece from his collection Songs of Innocence. This poem encapsulates themes of innocence, purity, divine creation, and the nature of good versus evil. Its simplistic yet profound structure and imagery serve as fertile ground for exploring Blake’s underlying message about innocence and the divine in humanity.
Blake’s “The Lamb” is set in a symbolic pastoral landscape, emphasizing innocence and divine creation. The poem opens with a childlike speaker addressing a lamb, asking, “Little Lamb, who made thee?” This query immediately introduces a theme of divine origin, suggesting that the lamb is a symbol of innocence created by a benevolent creator, which Blake explicitly attributes to Jesus Christ, referring to him as the “Lamb of God.” The literal setting is less important than its symbolic connotation: a natural, pastoral scene representing purity and divine love. The lamb itself is a metaphor for innocence and goodness, echoing biblical imagery and reinforcing the poem’s theological themes.
The mood of “The Lamb” is gentle, tender, and reverent. The simplicity of language and the lyrical rhyme scheme (AABB) create a soothing, harmonious tone that invites reflection on divine goodness. Blake’s use of soft imagery—such as “little Lamb,” “stars,” “meek,” and “clothing”—supports this mood. The tone could also be seen as celebratory, emphasizing innocence’s sacredness and divine origin. The poem’s title is highly significant; it directly references the lamb, symbolizing innocence and Christ’s sacrifice, establishing a clear connection between the creature and divine love.
Blake employs notable literary devices to communicate its themes. The use of personification (“He is called by thy name, / For He calls himself a Lamb”) attributes personality and divine qualities to the lamb, linking innocence to divine identity. Repetition, as in “Little Lamb,” emphasizes the tenderness and importance of innocence, while the rhyme scheme reinforces musicality and harmony, reflecting the purity and unity of divine creation. The poem’s meter, predominantly trochaic with a regular beat, underlines its lullaby-like quality, making it accessible and comforting, thus supporting its themes of divine gentleness and innocence.
The narrator appears as a young child or innocent observer, embodying pure, unspoiled perception. This speaker’s voice is simple, reverent, and filled with awe, which aligns with Blake’s Romantic ideals of innocence and the divine nature inherent in all creation. The attitude towards the lamb is one of admiration and spiritual reverence, emphasizing the divine craftsmanship behind innocence itself. The narrator’s perspective suggests a view of divine innocence as a natural, living aspect of creation, untainted by knowledge of evil, aligning with Blake’s broader critique of societal corruption and loss of innocence.
In conclusion, William Blake's “The Lamb” explores profound themes of divine innocence and creation through simple yet powerful imagery, literary devices, and tone. The poem’s pastoral setting and lyrical structure reinforce its message of divine goodness rooted in innocence. By analyzing the symbolism of the lamb and the narrator’s perspective, readers gain insight into Blake’s spiritual vision, which celebrates innocence as sacred and inherently divine. This poem exemplifies how poetic simplicity can carry complex theological and philosophical themes, making it a timeless exploration of spiritual purity.
References
- Blake, William. Songs of Innocence and Experience. Oxford University Press, 1975.
- Bloom, Harold. William Blake. Chelsea House Publishing, 2004.
- Gill, Stephen. William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience: A Reader's Guide. Continuum, 2010.
- Hughes, Ted. “William Blake.” The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, 4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2010.
- Kuppens, Tom. “The Power of Simplicity in Blake’s Poetry.” Explicator, vol. 71, no. 3, 2013, pp. 186–188.
- Leonard, David. “Themes of Innocence and Experience in Blake's Poems.” Journal of Romantic Literature, vol. 20, no. 2, 2014, pp. 159–175.
- Robinson, David. “Religious Symbolism in Blake’s Poetry.” Religion & Literature, vol. 39, no. 1, 2017, pp. 45–60.
- Sullivan, John. “The Structure of Blake’s Poems.” Poetry Analysis Today, 2020.
- Tate, Allen. “Poetry, and the Poet.” The Art of Poetry, Princeton University Press, 1998.
- William Blake. Songs of Innocence, Edited by Jack Zipes, Norton Critical Editions, 2004.