Lamb by William Blake Subtleness

Lamb by William Blake

Subtleness and meaning in William Blake's "The Lamb"

Symbolism

Allusions to real-life concepts

The message

One of the principal themes in William Blake's poem "The Lamb" is innocence, as the poet emphasizes this concept throughout the poem. Blake initially presents the lamb with a rhetorical question, as both he and his readers apparently already know the answer to it. The poet was also focused on introducing Christian symbols into the poem, especially considering the fact that he highlights the greatness of the lamb and actually associates it with a little boy (who is presumably Jesus Christ). Whereas upon first reading one might be inclined to believe that the poem is directed at a young audience, further analysis brings into light a series of allusions and thoughtful concepts.

Symbolism

Whereas the first stanza is filled with questions regarding the lamb's origin, its character, and the reason for its existence, the second stanza appears to represent the poet's answers to each of the questions that he asks at first. Blake wants readers to comprehend that even though God created the lamb, he is not much different from it, given that Jesus experienced a similar fate to the lambs that were slaughtered with the purpose of commemorating the fact that the Jewish people escaped from Egypt. Jesus was perceived to be the Lamb of God, sacrificed in order for people to be able to experience happiness. The Book of Revelation actually refers to Jesus having the form of a lamb and holding divine powers enabling him to fight against the Anti-Christ and to save people.

One might come up with a series of reasons for which William Blake appreciates lambs. The most probable motives that influenced him in writing in regard to a lamb are that it can create a connection between the animal world and the human society, between innocence and depravity, between individuals that are tormented by the world and individuals who hold much power but are unable to use it properly. Similar to how Jesus Christ accepted his fate without expressing any opposition, lambs are unhesitant about heading to the slaughterhouse.

From the very first verse of the poem the audience learns that the poet believes that the Lamb is perfectly able to understand him. By asking the lamb who created it, Blake was probably interested in making an allusion to the moment of creation. In addition to considering that the lamb is special, the poet wants his readers to agree, as he relates to its clothing, which is in point of fact its wool. By referring to its wool with the expression "softest clothing wooly bright," the poet creates a sensual image - one that is likely to impress most readers. Blake practically assists readers as they gradually come to see the lamb before them in all of its innocence. From the writer's perspective, the lamb can also be associated with a peaceful Jesus who does not express reluctance concerning his impending death and with a vengeful Jesus, who protects his herd by whoever wants to act against it.

Allusions to real-life concepts

The lamb stands as a classic symbol of pastoral traditions, especially considering that farmers were previously accustomed to assigning a shepherd to care for their sheep and to guide them through the fields. The sound of lambs singing through the valleys contributes to the serene feeling that the poet wants to induce in his readers. Even with the fact that the poem is basically about a lamb, the poet takes his audience beyond the physical world and presents it with much greater topics related to God, the moment of creation, and the concept of God residing in all things, regardless of their vulnerability or their innocence.

The poet does not use slang as a means to alter the general messages of the poem, as the grammatical style is formal for the period during which the poem was written. The vocabulary he uses is standard and although contemporary readers might consider the vernacular to be outdated, it is actually in accordance with the period when "The Lamb" was written. Blake wrote the poem in closed verse and the form changes somewhat from time to time. Considering that each stanza consists out of five couplets that end in a rhyme, the overall structure of the poem can be associated with a song. The vowel sounds and the flowing contribute to this concept and actually help readers as they imagine a song sang by a child or by a lamb. In spite of the fact that the verses or the general context of the poem might initially seem childish, its message is actually strong and spiritual. One can practically consider that the poem is a paradox, as it is both naive and philosophical.

The lamb's vulnerability is reflected in Christian stories regarding Jesus, as He too was very vulnerable when he was young. The fact that the poet relates to a child while speaking about the lamb can influence readers in feeling less hesitant about believing that someone might actually talk with an animal. One can take into account the idea that the narrator is a child, that this is the reason for which he refers to the animal, and that the questions are not actually rhetorical.

The message