Analysis Of William Blake's 'The Divine Image'

This was my first encounter with this particular poem. I usually do not read any poems in my spare time nor do I find it to be entertaining. But when I first read Blake´s poem aloud it captured my interest. The deep meaning behind the simple words caught my attention. Because of the simplicity of his use of words, made it easier for me to hear and comprehend its beauty but also other darker factors that lie´s in humanity. The fact that the poem itself is easy to understand, makes the content within the dramatic rhymes more powerful. “I did some researching on the Internet and found an anthology; the poem seems to be intertwined with another poem “The Divine Image” of William Blake´s illustrated collection of poems in “Songs of Innocence and Experience”. “The Divine image” comes from the book “Songs of Innocence” written 1789, while “A Divine Image” is written in the book

The picture Blake painted in this poem presents brutality as the nature of humans. These four godlike aspects of humanity are metaphors who deny all reason for everything natural and organic. I realize further in the poem that Blake has interpreted mankind to be forged as a creation from the fearsome Old Testament God. Thus, the 'Human Dress is forged in Iron ', while human form, face and heart are severally 'a fiery Forge ', 'a Furnace seal 'd ' and 'its hungry Gorge '. The overall impression is that it is humans who are being jealous, who cause terror, who create secrecy and cruelty. Mankind is therefore not soft or kind. Humanity has full potential for destruction and is none stop striving for power whilst constructive energy as a forge or a furnace. The human heart is not a reflection of something soft and tender but of a consuming mouth, like that of a beast. Monstrous, unnatural and oppressive are all factor concluding the human nature which imitates a terrifying God, or of a reflection of negative qualities of humanity creating this God. – I agree with Blake´s