Poetry of William Blake (all questions!)

Right at the middle the speaker wonders if the tiger was created by God. There is a lot of imagery that tells us the tiger could be a demonic creation.

The image of the tiger “burning bright” suggests both enlightenment and revolutionary violence.

What person could fully understand the immensity of your power?

William Blake”s “The Tyger” is a poetic metaphor or allegory using the symbol of the tiger, mythological allusions, and images of Creation, Heaven, and Hell to make a point about the nature of good and evil.

One reason for the poem’s immortality is its exciting, unusual, and evocative imagery and another reason is its universal and timeless theme.

A

A

C

D

B

C

C

B

B

C

B

A

He gives the lamb life, food, clothing and a gentle voice.

b, Explanation: “Serene” is the best word to describe the illustration because it depicts a setting in what looks like a quiet countryside with a child calmly feeding a lamb.

That this little lamb is a firm believer in his creator, God.
*Answers will vary
**this is the answer I wrote down and it was correct!

b, Explanation: In “The Lamb” the Lamb is also the name that Blake gives the child in the lines, “He is called by thy name, / For he calls himself a Lamb: / He is meek & he is mild, / He became a little child …” The child is also a symbol of innocence.

Jesus is referred to as a lamb in the Bible. The stanza reflects the language of Christian values: gentleness, meekness, peace. The stanza also begins to capitalize “He,” which is standard when referring to Jesus or the Christian God.
*Answers will vary

D

D

B

A

B

D

A

A

A

C

B

B

B

C

The following lines contain images suggesting movement: a. “I wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o’er vales and hills,” b. “A host, of golden daffodils; / . . . / Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” c. “Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.” d. “The waves beside them danced; . . .” e. “And then my heart with pleasure fills, / And dances with the daffodils.” The following lines contain light a. “Continuous as the stars that shine / And twinkle on the milky way,” b. ” . . . but they / Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;” c. “They flash upon that inward eye” Students’ answers should reflect the understanding that the movement and light imagery help to create a mood of a. lightheartedness. b. optimism. c. gentle bliss.
*Answers will vary

A sample response follows: The sea baring its bosom to the moon in line 5 gives the poem an ecstatic, romantic feeling and contributes to a tone of lyrical rapture. This figure of speech expresses what the speaker longs for, what he feels modern life has given up. He says that people see little that is theirs in nature, but evidently he sees nature and sees it beautifully as in the comparison of the wind to sleeping flowers in lines 6-7. This figure of speech builds on previous ones and creates a mental picture of a seascape at night, with the speaker viewing it “on this pleasant lea.” The speaker both admires the scene and wishes he could be more completely swept up by it. Soon after these wonderful images, the poet adds, “It moves us not,” which seems contradictory and turns the tone bitter. This underscores the complexity of his response.

A

A

D

C

D.) their over-involvement with economic aspects of life

C

A

Nature

D

D

A

B

A

c, Explanation: Students should note that the sanctity of all wild creatures is stressed by the importance of the change in the Mariner—the Albatross falls from his neck when he sees the importance in the natural world, and can feel empathy and love for other living creatures.

The shipmates are angry with the mariner. They had thought the bird was a good omen.

A woman called Nightmare Death-in-Life, and a man called Death are on board.

There is no wind and only intense heat.

a. The moral of the poem concerns universal love-the importance of having respect and reverence for all things that God has created. b. The killing of the Albatross was a great evil and it is not until the Mariner comes to see “God’s beauty” in even the most hideous creatures (the snakes) that he is forgiven. c. There are universal laws controlling our behavior toward others and there are grave penalties for breaking them.
*Answers will vary

The Mariner also takes a spiritual journey in the poem. Students’ essays should cite passages which illustrate the emotional changes in the Mariner, and analyze the ways he comes to be the sagelike figure that can tell his tale to the Wedding Guest.

Simple Answer!
Luck, nature, and guilt are some of the qualities that students may say the Albatross symbolizes.

b, Explanation: “western” and “wave” begin with the same consonant and are therefore examples of alliteration; “wave” and “aflame” contain the same vowel sound (but dissimilar consonant sounds) and are therefore examples of assonance.

He must travel from country to country telling his tale.

A wedding guest

D

A

C

C

D

C

B

C

C

D

C

D

a, Explanation: the harp is a stringed instrument, like the dulcimer; although a snare drum is played with sticks, similar to the dulcimer, it does not make a melody.

A sample response follows:a.Xanadu is it! A sacred river, caves of ice, fertile gardens, cedar groves in mysterious haunted caverns—and all of it described in the most musical, alliterative and assonant language. I want to go there immediately, at least every few months. To be sure, there are images of dread and savagery in the poem, but these are what Coleridge calls “holy dread”; the awe and mystery that come with sacred magic, with moonlit women wailing for their demon lovers, and damsels playing on dulcimers. Hey, it doesn’t get any better than this! b.Xanadu sounds like a really awful place. It is icy and sunless, as the speaker makes all too clear in his description of the underground river, the caves of ice, and the sunless sea. It must be quite cold if these details are reliable. On moonlit nights the locale is downright dangerous—one wouldn’t be surprised if, in response to that deranged woman wailing for her demon lover in lines 15-16, nothing less than a werewolf should show up. The damsel with the dulcimer may temporarily fulfill a fantasy of the speaker’s, but is she herself fulfilled, or is she one of the countless abused female “entertainers,” including geishas and belly dancers, to be found amid the detritus of world culture? In the midst of it all, ancestral voices are heard prophesying war—a grim prospect of future ruin if there ever was one. Take me back to Wisconsin Rapids! c.(Accept any response adequately supported by details from the poem and having a bearing on the selection standards, for example, imagery, figures of speech, sounds, and mood.)

b, Explanation: “I would build that dome in air.” The poem’s last lines shift the focus to the poet as the inspired creator.

Students should describe the elements of fantasy that Coleridge ascribes to Xanadu, pointing to such details as the spirit of the “woman wailing for her demon lover” and the vision of the Abyssinian maid “singing of Mount Abora.” Students may also point out that a love of the exotic is naturally suited to the Romantic temperament, which revels in the mystery of the unknown and all that lies outside the realm of everyday experience.

D

C

C

B

C

D

B

A

A

C