Songs of Innocence and Experience in the context of Anaphora (rhetoric)

⭐ Core Definition: Songs of Innocence and Experience

Songs of Innocence and of Experience is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. Originally, Blake illuminated and bound Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience separately. It was only in 1794 that Blake combined the two sets of poems into a volume titled Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. Even after beginning to print the poems together, Blake continued to produce individual volumes for each of the two sets of poetry.

Blake was also a painter before the creation of Songs of Innocence and of Experience and he engraved, hand-printed, and coloured detailed art to accompany each of the poems in Songs of Innocence and of Experience. This unique art helps tell the story of each poem, and was part of Blake's original vision for how each poem should be understood. Blake was heavily inspired by children's literature and juvenile education in his creation of Songs of Innocence and of Experience, and his analysis of childhood as a state of protected innocence rather than original sin, but not immune to the fallen world and its institutions, would soon become a hallmark of Romanticism.

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👉 Songs of Innocence and Experience in the context of Anaphora (rhetoric)

In rhetoric, an anaphora (Greek: ἀναφορά, "carrying back") is a rhetorical device that consists of repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighboring clauses, thereby lending them emphasis. In contrast, an epistrophe (or epiphora) is repeating words at the clauses' ends. The combination of anaphora and epistrophe results in symploce.

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⭐ Core Definition: Songs of Innocence and Experience
👉 Songs of Innocence and Experience in the context of Anaphora (rhetoric)
Songs of Innocence and Experience in the context of London (William Blake poem)

Songs of Innocence and Experience in the context of London (William Blake poem)

"London" is a poem by William Blake, published in the Songs of Experience in 1794. It is one of the few poems in Songs of Experience that reflects a constrained or bleak view of the city. Written during the time of significant political and social upheaval in England, the poem expresses themes of oppression, poverty, and institutional corruption. Scholars have suggested that Blake used this work to critique the impacts of industrialization and to highlight the experiences of London's impoverished residents.

The poem critically examines the social conditions of the time, particularly the exploitation of the poor, while also addressing the loss of individual freedom and the moral decay of society. Blake's writing is thought to reflect his response to the industrial revolution and political unrest in England, as he sought to highlight the suffering of the city's inhabitants.

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