the garden of love Flashcards
(22 cards)
when was it published , and what does it denote
1794
one of the series of poems in William Blakes collection; Songs of experience
- explore harsh realities of late 18th and early 19th century during the time of king George 111 ( romantic era)
whats the lore behind the poems in songs of experience and songs of innocence
each poem in songs of expeience cateogry is matched by an idealised portrayal in the songs of innocence
the contrast is Blakes method of social protest
Garden of love is a poem of exasperation directly towards role of organised religion in governing expression of human desires
how is love presented in ts poem
allegorically
garden is garden of eden
- celestial place of harmony , liberty and innocence.
( link to a room with a view “ garden of eden which you place in the past is really yet to come, itwill come when we no longer despise our bodies “)
- place void of shame and repression
what mode/ tone is used in the GOL
- pastoral mode, bygone time where individuals admired nature
- ends with a gothic, depcition of a graveyard. themes of decay
why did blake use a deceptively simple structure for the garden of love
deceptively simple.
-simplicity as a moral statement, view that life and spirituality should be free flowing and natural , unburdened by social structures
- return to nature
- simplicity is an intentional artistic decision
what was the structure and rhyme scheme GOL
3 stanzas of 4 lines each. ( quatrains)
- 12 lines
- dominant meter is 4iambic feet known as iambic tetrameter but the metric line does vary
- ABCB rhyme scheme
who is william blake
- english romantic poet
- born ldn, son of a hosier and his wife.
- both parents; dissenters ( protestand christians who seperated from the church of England in the 17th and 18th centry
- entered drawing skl, continuing his art studies at the Royal Acamdeny.
- worked as illustrator, engraver and painter
what was blakes religious stance
-devoutly religious though he held criticisms on organised religion and the church.
- found his inspiration from the bible and other religious tets
” i went to the Garden of Love “
- capitalisation of G and L
- I suggests a personal tone
- ## metaphor for the innocent love and an echo of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:3
“And saw what I never had seen:”
- comparison is presented from the first stana . past vs present.
- deeply unnatural, almost invasive transformation
- colon= moment of pause, realization
” A chapel was built in the midst”
- tone is passive
- chapel shoudve been viewed as a + addition but rather it contemptualises the oppresive views he had on the church
- midst ( dual meaning; 1. midst of garden, 2. midst of childhood)
- ’ midst’ = chapel wasbuilt right at the heart of the garden. disrupting natures harmony . transgression?
” Where i ued to play on the green”
’ green’ suggests a plathora of nature. space wasnt owned by anyone ,although it now is
- green could symbolise natural growth and expression of desires, rather than imposed rules and reression, loss of divine spontaneity ?
” And the gates of this chapel were shut “
- what should be a place of peace and prayer is a barrier
- consonance ‘sh’ ‘ch’ - sense of finality and exclusion
- gates= control excess , filter and select.
- contrasts with the garden prior to transformation
“And thou shalt not, writ over the door”
- 10 commandments .
- there no so specific command after ts imperative one suggesting churches commands are arbitrary
- rather than offering spiritual guidance or welcome the phrase dominates entrance of chapel= unwelcoming atmosphere
- contrary to notion of religion as a source of love, freedom and growth
= ‘ writ’ gives impression of sum carved or imposed; imagery of vandalism; intrusion. just as garden itself has been intrudec upon - links to Rousseau “ man was born free but is everywhere in chains”
” So i turned to the Garden of Love. “That so many flowers bore””
- physical turn from chapel
- justapositive of oppression and a free scene.; lack of adjectives to describe church and plethora to describe garden
- conscious choice of shunning the church? would this have seemed blasphemous ?
- yonic imagery ? supported by Blakes broader themes, he equates nature with innocence, shamelessness sensuality .
- typographical contrast. capitalisation of ‘ Garden ‘ and ‘Love’ in contrast to chapel in lower case; ts creates a power dynamic
- ts also alligns with romantic ideals; favoured emotion, feeling , nature and individuality ; returning to minimilism
A03 of GOL at the time
- poem written in early stages of industrial revolution
- industriats were motivated by material greed over care for humans and the planet
- resulted in mass destruction or nature and pollution
“And i saw it was filled with graves, and tombstones”
- death has replaced life ,, tombstones have substituted the flowers
- emotional richness and fulfillment to spiritual desolation
- ‘filled’ overwhelming occupation death has smothered life and feeling
- a romantic stated “to feel is to exist, feelings come incontestably before our thoughts
- imagery speaks to an almost apocalyptic view of the soul under authoritarian control
“Where flowers should be “
- blake feels a moral injustice , yearning to restore a natural order that has been overturned by these organised institutions
- ’ should’ = suggests current state of things is unnatural
“And priests with black gowns were walking their rounds”
- internal rhyme ‘ gowns ‘ ‘ rounds’ creates an almost haunting hypnotic rhythm underscoes the ominous atmosphere
- black associated with death decay and mourning ; paradoxical to the green vibrant garden ,
- ts dichotomy - unnaturalness of the church
- alligns w blaes romantic vision ; nature= authentic visual connection
- they are patrolling the area; surveillance and control
“and binding with briars ( thorny invasive plant ) )my joys and desires “
internal rhymde - haunting hypnotic effect
- assonance ‘b’ ; slows the pace, mirroring the reluctance to accept
- reminiscent of crown of thorns worn by jesus
- suggesting his natural impulses are being constrained and formed into sources of pain by the institutional doctrines
whats the structure of garden of love
- 3 quatrains.
- 12 lines
- 1 stanza= return to the past
- 2nd stanza = transformation tat happened
- 3rd stanza - ominous in tone
- quatrains ABCB
- anapestic trimester ( each of first 3 lines is iamb and then pair of anapaests ( 2 unstressed syllables followed by a stressed
- every line in the final stanza ends with ‘and’ this insertion of polysyndentons built momentum
whats the meter used in GOL
each line in first qutrain = 8 syllables ( creates an expectation 4 reader )
- out expectations are subverted ( second quatrain first 3 lines has 9 syllables )
- meter disrupted momentthe priests enter
- thru meter blake communicates his credence of organised religion disrupting natural order of life
- poems dominant metrical foot = anapest ( da da DUM) eg and the GATES of this CHApel were SHUT’
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