Eng 216 - William Blake’s “the Lamb”

As Innocent as The Lamb

William Blake’s “The Lamb”

Tiffany Baker

ENGL 216-D04

As Innocent as The Lamb

In the poem, The Lamb, by William Blake, the features of a lamb personified as human qualities such as tenderness and humility. This gave connection between nature, God, and people like many of his other poems did from his collection, Songs of Innocence. The Lamb by William Blake can be identified as a Romantic poem due to the themes involving man in the natural world, religion, and innocence. These themes are common in romanticism, while not in neoclassicism.

The Natural World

Compared to the dehumanized nature of the Industrial Revolution occurring almost simultaneously, this poem has many elements about the splendor of the natural world enlaced throughout that fought back against the growing age of the machine. Speaking in terms of scenery, The Lamb has imagery that depicts it “by the stream & o’er the mead;” (4), indicating the literal natural environment. The lamb is also described in the poem, “Gave thee clothing of delight, / Softest clothing wooly bright; / Gave thee such a tender voice,” (5-7), which, is not only a literal interpretation of the physical appearance of the lamb, but denotes an air of beauty in simplicity, hence, the aspect of naivety and innocence. The interpretation of the lamb in the poetry also connects to the natural world emphasized by Blake, such as the connection of humans and animals to God, but goes hand-in-hand with the Romantic aspects of innocence and religion as well.

Religion

One of the main differences in neoclassical and romantic poetry is the worldviews and ideologies. While many neoclassical poets depended on science and reasoning to lead their literary works, spirituality and religion was a very common feature in Romantic poetry. As seen in The Lamb, many of Blake’s poems had a religious meaning behind their words. In the very beginning of the poem, the speaker asks the lamb “Little Lamb who made thee / Dost thou know who made thee” (1-2), as if asking the lamb if it knows who its creator is, amongst other questions in the first stanza concerning its existence, only to answer in the second stanza that whoever created the Lamb is also a Lamb, “He is called by thy name / For he calls himself a Lamb: (13-14). God is known to go by many names, one being the “Lamb” (18).

Innocence

        Compared to the neoclassical facet of the down-play of children, romanticism celebrates them. Often, children are imitated in Romantic poetry, as in the case of The Lamb. The overall tone of the poem is whimsical in nature, almost as if it is being told by a child, which was stated in the poem as “I a child & thou a lamb” (17) as confirmation. Jesus has been referred to as a lamb since the New Testament in the book of John when Jesus is the Passover Lamb, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). It is clear in The Lamb that Jesus is the representation of innocence in the poem. “He is meek & he is mild,” (15) is descriptive of childlike aspects, being weak and docile, and lacking adult strength. Lambs are also but baby sheep, as children are young humans. “We are called by his name.” (18) is a reference to children being called lambs and could be a reference to how God wants Christian’s to be to enter the kingdom of Heaven, “But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, o“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mark 10:14-15).