William Blake was born in 1757 and died in 1827. In the year 1774 Blake obtained an apprenticeship with a famous engraver which throughout his life he engraved to make a living. Blake was from a working class background and taught himself how to read from books, one of them being the Bible. He started writing during the start of Britain's Industrial Revolution. Some of Blake's most well-known poems include; "The Lamb", "The Tyger", "London", "The Chimney Sweeper- Songs of Experience" and "The chimney Sweeper- Songs of Innocence", which I will explain the social message about, which Blake is trying to let out. .
The poem "The Lamb" tells us about Blake's religious convictions in the way that he believes God is the Lamb which symbolises innocence. "The Lamb" contrasts with the poem "The Tyger" where the Lamb represents innocence, harmless, playful and vulnerable, whereas the Tiger represents experience, fierce, aggressive and a hunter. A lamb is very much like a child and when Blake writes in the poem; .
"He is called by thy name,.
For he calls himself a lamb;.
He is meek and he is mild,.
He became a little child".
He is referring to God, which is like a child. One of the main themes in "The Lamb" is childhood, as lambs are born in spring time where spring symbolises a new beginning as most animals give birth in spring. This also gives out that God is the creator of the new born. The poem "The Lamb" is very much like a songlike tone and structure. At the end of each line there are rhyming couplets, "delight- bright" "mild- child". This gives the poem a more innocent appeal to the reader, however, more in the first verse than in the second one. This is because in the first verse Blake writes about "softest clothing, woolly, bright" which means that the lamb has such a soft coat which is white which symbolises purity. There are questions being asked in the poem which not only are asked to the reader and for them to think about but are also questions for the lamb.
