William Blake's Vision: Imagination, Dualism, and Early Romanticism

William Blake: Poet, Painter, and Radical Visionary

William Blake was born in London in 1757. His origins were humble, and he remained poor all his life. He studied at the Royal Academy of Arts.

As a painter and engraver, Blake emphasized the power of the imagination. He was a political freethinker and remained a radical throughout his life.

Rejection of Neoclassicism

Blake is regarded as an Early Romantic because he rejected neoclassical literary style and themes. He emphasized the importance of imagination over reason and believed that ideal forms should be created not from the observation of nature but from inner visions.

His prose work often consisted of a mixture of aphorisms, anecdotes, and proverbs.

Blake's Philosophy of Complementary Opposites

Blake explored the concept of "complementary opposites," including:

• Good | Evil
• Male | Female
• Reason | Imagination
• Cruelty | Kindness

He saw the figure of the creator God as simultaneously a God of love and innocence and a God of energy and violence.

Heaven, Hell, and Lawgiving

In Blake's philosophy, Hell and Satan represent liberty and energy, while Heaven is the place of lawgiving.

Spiritual Beliefs and the Church

Blake had a strong sense of religion, though his Christianity was not liturgical or moralistic. He believed in the reality of a spiritual world but regarded Christianity, and the Church in particular, as responsible for the fragmentation of consciousness and the dualism characterizing man's life.

Analyzing Songs of Innocence and Experience

Songs of Innocence

Songs of Innocence was produced before the outbreak of the French Revolution.

• Narrator: A shepherd who receives inspiration from a child in a cloud to pipe his songs celebrating the divine in all creation.
• Symbols: Lambs, flowers, and children playing on the village green.
• Theme: Childhood as the symbol of innocence, a state of the soul connected with happiness, freedom, and imagination. The language is simple and musical.

Songs of Experience

Songs of Experience appeared during the period of the Terror in France.

• Theme: Experience is identified with adulthood, thus providing another point of view on reality.
• Viewpoint: The collection is visually more complex, and a more pessimistic view of life emerges in these songs.

Social Commentary and Spiritual Role

Blake supported the abolition of slavery. In his poems, he sympathized with the victims of industrial society, such as children and prostitutes, as well as the victims of oppression by institutions, such as orphans and soldiers.

He is considered the first spiritual voice in a materialist age. Blake sees God like a blacksmith who created and shaped everything, transmitting power into the things He creates.

Modern Dualism: Finding Inner Strength in Crisis

A Blakean Reflection on the COVID-19 Pandemic

Let's reflect on how we felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus was the invisible enemy. The present situation was surreal, especially in educational settings. We hardly accepted this new normality.

It was strange to take temperatures and wear masks all day, but social distance became the new normal. We felt sad, limited by too many rules and sacrifices, and imprisoned by our own responsibility.

However, in this period of constraint, we discovered a strong inner force—the hope for a better future.