Church and Religion in the Songs of Innocence and Experience Essay

Church and Religion in the Songs of Innocence and Experience Throughout â€Å"Innocence† and â€Å"Experience,† many poems incorporate religious views and imagery. Blake presents many contradicting views on the Church and religion, the contrast being particularly clear between â€Å"Innocence† and â€Å"Experience.† Within the â€Å"Songs of Innocence† a child-like portrayal of Church and religion is portrayed. Throughout â€Å"Innocence† there are many references to â€Å"The Lamb† representing Jesus Christ who was the Sacrificial Lamb, as shown in the poem â€Å"The Lamb.† Another common image of religion used by Blake is that of religion as the Shepherd, the Shepherd is â€Å"watchful† and ever watching over his sheep, protecting them, Blake is showing religion as being ever-present and constantly present. This is a very child-like and partial view of Christ. Religion is portrayed in a child like manner, as is Christ in the poem â€Å"On Another’s Sorrow,† Christ is portrayed as â€Å"[giving] his joy to all† as he is embodied both within an â€Å"infant small† and â€Å"men of woe.† Also in â€Å"On Another’s Sorrow,† religion is seen as immanent, as God â€Å"gives to us his joy.† A simple view is portrayed: one that God is ever present and is there within everyone. Images of the Church and religion are juxtaposed to images of joy, fun and laughter, showing the simple view of religion portrayed. This view is extended in â€Å"The Divine Image† in which the balanced structure continues the child-like view of religion. The image that God is present within everyone is also shown in â€Å"The Divine Image† is that God is ever-present within everyone. In â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper,† religion is used to help the chimney sweeps get through their arduous days, and the vision of Christ helped h... ...are shown as â€Å"walking around in black gowns† and â€Å"binding briars with [his] joys and desires† thorns, representing the Church and religion, were restricting his life, and joy was prohibited. Within â€Å"The Human Abstract† religion is referred to as the â€Å"dismal shade of mystery,† and the priests are the â€Å"ravens† which have made â€Å"[their] nests in the thickest shade.† A negative image of the Church is explored, as the Church is shading people from the light. The theme of religion is one central to both â€Å"The Songs of Innocence† and the â€Å"Songs of Experience† as a result of this, Blake could be seen as â€Å"primarily a religious poet.† Although the theme is ongoing, within â€Å"Experience† many other themes are also explored, showing that Blake, although concentrating primarily on religion, did explore other themes relevant to everyday and the current state of living.