There is purpose for the use of the
images with the poem in Blake’s work. For “The Clod and the Pebble,” Blake has
used his organization of his image surrounding the poem for the purpose of emphasizing
the main theme of this poem. The connecting theme of the poem is trying to
convey how love, something very pure, can be turned into the opposite of what
it is meant to represent, due to experiences. Blake made strategic choices in
the layout and format of this poem, however, that echoes a certain religious purpose
as well.
The use of images paired with the
wording mirrors an idea that George Ferguson has put forward. In Ferguson’s
book “Signs & Symbols in Christian Art,” the idea is put forth that images
are what make humans feel closer to God. According to Ferguson, “spiritual
aspiration” is what each Christian strives for and “no words have ever been
found that are adequate to give it satisfactory expression” (Ferguson 7). Blake
is not a stranger to the Christian religion. His many references to Adam, Eve,
and God in his other poems are clear evidence of familiarity. In order to
elevate his writing to an ethereal place, Blake pairs his poems with the
images. The superficial meaning of the manipulation of love can be balanced by
Blake’s need to also enlighten the reader’s soul. Using Ferguson’s theory of
Christians seeking a sense of spirituality through art, Blake’s strategy of
using both words and images is meant to inspire readers to another level.
The actual beginning and end of the
poem are very similar. Blake edits the phrase “builds a Heaven in Hells
despair” for the end of the first stanza and the end of the poem itself. Though
the tone has changed, the words and the symmetry of the poem has not. Blake
uses his own words to create a flow from the start of the poem to the end.
Blake is trying to convey the irony in using the same words to mean something
completely opposite. Love can be used in the same way. Blake, however, pairs
this poem with an image in order to make the poem bigger than just the
superficial theme.
The picture paired with “The Clod and the Pebble”
follows the same physical structure as the words. The writings are framed by
two similar horizontal landscapes. Though the content is different, there is a
sense of sameness that each half of the picture contains. There are clearly
divided lines, creating the three separate sections. The separate sections in
the image also coincide with the three stanzas that are in the poem. Once
again, Blake is echoing the idea that Ferguson puts forth about using art as a
way to reach a new spiritual closeness to God. Not only is Blake using
pictures, but also he uses the holy trinity in his poem. Three lines for each
stanza with three stanzas. Blake is marrying the worlds of creativity and
Christian ideals. The picture is taking the original meaning only the words
provide, and turning the poem into an experience instead of just a lesson.
The importance of the different
animals and organization of the panels comes into play when acknowledging Blake’s
need to elevate his work. The top half of the image (pairing with the first
half of the poem) can be once again given a face value meaning. The cattle
represents the cattle mentioned in the poem. The choice of using the cattle has
a hidden Christian meaning as well. “The ass and the ox symbolize that the
humblest and the least of animal creation were present when Jesus was born”
(Ferguson 11). Blake chose the cattle as the representation of innocence for
this reason. He used illustration to reach to higher level with his poem,
combined with the Christian meaning of animals.
The
ox and the ass are lowly creatures that are meant to be herded and guided. They
know no experiences to learn and grow beside what their masters allow. The clod
which is aligned with the cattle has the same idea of love. The clod is like
the ox in that he knows only little that he has experienced.
The
tone of the poem in the start is echoing that of the Songs of Innocence. “Love
seeketh not Itself to please” (Blake 32). Love is portrayed as this pure and
innocent object. Love is not meant to be complicated, or have any other purpose
than to serve others and to be selfless. The cattle, though in a herd, are not
crowded or snapping at one another. They know their purpose is to serve their masters
and go as they are prodded.
Ducks are not animals that are
restricted to one way of life. They can swim, they can waddle, and they can
fly. They are complicated creatures that do not need guidance on where to go.
They are not in control of humans at all. For now, the duck is sitting in the
brook along with the pebble, but there is no say on how long he will stay.
Experience manipulates people’s philosophies, mentalities, and ultimately their
lives. Birds are also “representations of the soul” which also echoes Blake’s
idea of experience (Ferguson 13). Blake is trying to show how something even as
innocent as love can be just as damaged by reality as anything else. Using the
birds as a representation can show how the soul can also be manipulated and changed.
With the use of words and images, Blake is showing the evolution of the soul
from innocence to experience. Moving from the top to the bottom of the image is
showing the overlying theme of “The Clod and the Pebble”.
Blake is using his words and images
in order to fully express the theme of his poem. The overarching development of
innocence into experience by the medium of love is shown from the beginning to
the end. Using the images and structure of the words paired with the picture,
Blake is trying to convey a deeper meaning that words alone may not have
satisfied. Ferguson’s work on the connection of soul inspiration and images
helps support Blake’s purpose for pairing the two art forms together. Blake did
not shy away from religious themes in his work, which is why Ferguson’s
philosophy, which is rooted in Christian values, works so well with Blake’s way
of writing.
Works Cited
Blake, William. Songs of Innocence and Experience.
Mount Vernon: Peter Pauper, 1937. Print.
Ferguson, George. Signs & Symbols in Christian
Art. New York: Oxford UP, 1959. Print.
I think you explicitly have two arguments in the first paragraph, which really isn’t ideal. If they both matter to you, you should have explored an argument which brings the two together - what do his visions of religion and love have to do with each other?
ReplyDeleteDo you think there is something particularly Christian about imagery as such? You seem to be saying that, but it seems like a pretty big stretch (one point of reference worth exploring is the conflict between the iconoclasts and iconodules).
Question: does his ironic use of love have another dimension - for instance, a religious dimension? It’s just a thought, but is God’s love also ironic, like human love?
Generally speaking I like your reading of the animals and their art fine (although note - ducks mate more or less permanently, which might make some parts of your reading problematic, although the ass & ox discussion was good). They haven’t changed that much since the first draft, though.
Overall: This is a case where your rough draft had a lot of strengths, but where you struggled to really develop those strengths. Your use of Ferguson is generic and clumsy. That’s not to say that exploring the specifically Christian aspects of Blake’s art is a bad idea - but it’s hard to figure out what you’re really trying to accomplish with Ferguson.
What I would have liked to see is an expansion of what is most interesting here: your keen grasp that this is a complex and ironic vision of love, in which love can be selfless or selfish, in the natural world as well as in the human world. You really get the point, but rather than focusing on why that point matters, you kind of get lost.
So why does it matter? Is this ultimately an essay about Blake? If so, fine - maybe you should have expanded into how you can use this ironic vision of love to read the book as a whole. Or is it about love, and the correctness or the limitation of Blake’s vision of it? In this revision, it’s very difficult to tell what you even want to say.