William Blake Research Paper

The Spiritual Life of William Blake

Introduction

William Blake, the son of James and Catherine Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757. Even though he was born into a family of moderate means, he was able to become the powerful writer he is known to be today. From the seven children born to the Blake household only five survived their childhood years. Despite the family’s hardships, Blake had a good childhood, as he lived every little boys dream by wandering the streets of London instead of inside the walls of a school. Nevertheless, Blake managed to become educated by learning how to read and write at home. With his mother’s influence he read primarily from the Bible and other theological books. Poet, painter, and engraver, Blake worked

The poems found inside the book explore the innocence of children. Even though at first hand these poems have the quality of a children’s book they have a darker meaning. Beneath their words and images, these troubling and argumentative songs reflect Blake’s spiritual experiences and political beliefs. His work touches some delicate subjects such as religion, child abuse, the church, poverty, and the rights of children. For example, in his poem, “The Human Abstract,” from his collection Songs of Innocence and Experience, Blake offers a further examination of the four virtues that constituted God and Man: mercy, pity, peace, and love. In the poem Blake makes the reader question the idea of a perfect world. He starts off by saying, “pity would be no more, if we did not make somebody

Thanks to his family’s background, Blake was born into the Church of England and followed its teachings until his last breath. His work are a reflection of his beliefs. Britanica.com describes Blake as “a religious seeker but not a joiner”. Even though he was very spiritual, Blake detested institutionalized religion. He wasn’t one to follow a structured movement of faith set by others, instead he believed in having his own personal connections with the celestial beings. Like many Christians, Blake never feared his own mortality as he hoped for salvation through Jesus Christ. In his poem “The Little Black Boy” from the Songs of Innocence Blake acknowledges that there is a God and that He lives stating, “Look on the rising sun: there God does live And gives his light, and gives his heat away.” Overall, William Blake lived a life following the teachings of Christ and surrounded himself by people of his similar beliefs. For example, Rev. Joseph Thomas and Rev. A.S Matthew, two of his most important financers were also churchmen. Together they worked to make Blake’s work a