Taking William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” as a whole and “Songs of Experience” as a whole, do you think one can be read without the other? Must they be read in conjunction in order to fully appreciate either one, or can they exist independently of each other? Be sure to provide quotations from the texts in order to support and illustrate your points.

The songs cannot be read without the other for better understanding. The first song shows paradise, symbolized by the innocent, while the second one talks about the fall of the world. Therefore, the two songs should be read together for clarity and wholeness of understanding of the poet’s message. The dualism of the song is due to the unfallen and fallen world presented in the songs.

The beginning of the first stanza of the song of innocent, “piping down the valleys wild, piping songs of pleasant glee, on a cloud I saw a child”, implies innocent protection by the lamb. On the other hand, “The song of experience” starts with the words “hear the voice of the Bard, who present, past and future”, which emphasize the life experience as a whole. Thus, since the two songs provide distinctive accounts of the innocent and experienced life, they should be read as a whole.

Answer by Academic.tip's expert
An answer to this question is provided by one of our experts who specializes in literature. Let us know how much you liked it and give it a rating.

Cite this page

Select a citation style:

References

Academic.Tips. (2023) 'Taking William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” as a whole and “Songs of Experience” as a whole, do you think one can be read without the other? Must they be read in conjunction in order to fully appreciate either one, or can they exist independently of each other? Be sure to provide quotations from the texts in order to support and illustrate your points'. 20 May.

Reference

Academic.Tips. (2023, May 20). Taking William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” as a whole and “Songs of Experience” as a whole, do you think one can be read without the other? Must they be read in conjunction in order to fully appreciate either one, or can they exist independently of each other? Be sure to provide quotations from the texts in order to support and illustrate your points. https://academic.tips/question/taking-william-blakes-songs-of-innocence-as-a-whole-and-songs-of-experience-as-a-whole-do-you-think-one-can-be-read-without-the-other-must-they-be-read-i/

References

Academic.Tips. 2023. "Taking William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” as a whole and “Songs of Experience” as a whole, do you think one can be read without the other? Must they be read in conjunction in order to fully appreciate either one, or can they exist independently of each other? Be sure to provide quotations from the texts in order to support and illustrate your points." May 20, 2023. https://academic.tips/question/taking-william-blakes-songs-of-innocence-as-a-whole-and-songs-of-experience-as-a-whole-do-you-think-one-can-be-read-without-the-other-must-they-be-read-i/.

1. Academic.Tips. "Taking William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” as a whole and “Songs of Experience” as a whole, do you think one can be read without the other? Must they be read in conjunction in order to fully appreciate either one, or can they exist independently of each other? Be sure to provide quotations from the texts in order to support and illustrate your points." May 20, 2023. https://academic.tips/question/taking-william-blakes-songs-of-innocence-as-a-whole-and-songs-of-experience-as-a-whole-do-you-think-one-can-be-read-without-the-other-must-they-be-read-i/.


Bibliography


Academic.Tips. "Taking William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” as a whole and “Songs of Experience” as a whole, do you think one can be read without the other? Must they be read in conjunction in order to fully appreciate either one, or can they exist independently of each other? Be sure to provide quotations from the texts in order to support and illustrate your points." May 20, 2023. https://academic.tips/question/taking-william-blakes-songs-of-innocence-as-a-whole-and-songs-of-experience-as-a-whole-do-you-think-one-can-be-read-without-the-other-must-they-be-read-i/.

Work Cited

"Taking William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” as a whole and “Songs of Experience” as a whole, do you think one can be read without the other? Must they be read in conjunction in order to fully appreciate either one, or can they exist independently of each other? Be sure to provide quotations from the texts in order to support and illustrate your points." Academic.Tips, 20 May 2023, academic.tips/question/taking-william-blakes-songs-of-innocence-as-a-whole-and-songs-of-experience-as-a-whole-do-you-think-one-can-be-read-without-the-other-must-they-be-read-i/.

Copy