William Blake’s Change of Heart (Example Essay)

Change of Heart

                A better choice can change a mind but only experience can change a heart. William Blake, an English poet of the 19th century, underwent a complete change in perspective that can be observed through a significant change in his writing and artwork. Once a joyful “piper” and a hopeful man, Blake turned into a dark and hateful being as a result of him becoming more experienced.

                Initially, Blake had a positive perspective on everything, good or bad, in his life. He repeatedly compliments the lamb and God at the same time by commenting on how perfectly the lamb was crafted. He who created the Lamb “Gave [it] clothing of delight, Softest clothing, wooly bright;” and furthermore, that god that created this peaceful animal “calls himself a Lamb” because he is also “meek and…mild” like the Lamb (Blake 5-6, 14-15). This positive attitude is accentuated more than ever in the Introduction. Everywhere the narrator goes, he pipes his pipe and sings his songs to the child and eventually sits down to write his songs that every child “may joy to hear” (20). Even when witnessing the misfortunes of child chimney sweepers, he tries to think of their wonderful future in heaven earned by their hard work. The children would “rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind,” if “all do their duty” (18, 24-25).

As Blake gains more experience, he becomes a darker person, and rather than looking at the good, he turns around to explore his newfound knowledge of the bad. He starts to wonder if the same god who made animals as peaceful as the Lamb could have created beasts as evil as the tiger. Blake wonders “What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?” (24) He cannot imagine such a powerful and evil god, yet that god who dared create this monster is he who created the Lamb. Along with darkening the overall mood of the poems, Blake literally darkens the illustrations as well, adding thick streaks of black to the background. From his experiences, Blake learns hate and death; and that hate, especially when kept inside, grows until it is sufficiently powerful to kill his foe.

From “Songs of Innocence” to “Songs of Experience” a major change in Blake’s perspective takes place. A dark man full with hatred replaces the happy storyteller that Blake once was. No longer does he look upon everything with a positive attitude. Instead, he turns his attention to the bad that he learns from his experience. However, experience does not always blacken one’s heart like in Blake’s situation. As American author Martin Fischer puts it, “The world is your school” (http://www.quotegarden.com/experience.html). Experience should not be a burden but rather a useful tool in life.