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Proverbs of hell poem analysis
International Business (BUS495)
Aspen University
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Proverbs of Hell; Poem Analysis The poem "Proverbs of Hell" has fascinating insights that shine light from many angles, giving the image of a prism. The collection of "The Proverbs of Hell" was included in William Blake's book "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell )." It is a well-known collection of epigrams, many of which are relatively deep. Many of them are enigmatic and difficult to comprehend. Blake claimed to have seen and heard them during a "vision." Blake described another vision in which he read the Bible in "Hell" and saw that it had an "infernal" appearance. In Proverbs of Hell, he expresses that this knowledge will be accessible to everyone all around the globe, and "the world will have it whether they want it or not." The poem "Proverbs of Hell" addresses various themes, including the effects of law and religion, the need to resist established community norms, and the necessity to challenge absolute rules and standards. These are just a few of the topics discussed. The poem Proverbs of Hell discusses and contrasts the outcomes of two separate social pillars: law and religion. The saying "Prisons are built with stones of Law, brothels with bricks of Religion" is one example of this connection. In the first part of this excerpt, the stones are compared to the Law (Stevens). The prison is surrounded by stone walls, preventing the inmates from making a physical break for it and leaving. In contrast, the law is an abstraction that incorporates all of them. In the second portion of the essay, bricks are contrasted with religion.
The establishment's walls are lined with bricks, making it physically impossible for the prostitutes to leave. On the other hand, religion is the overarching notion that encompasses everything. The effect is the consequence of the cause. The existence of the law compelled the creation of jails, while religious influence resulted in the formation of brothels. William Blake's parallel draws attention to an issue that was prominent at the time, particularly spiritual concerns about sexual relationships. Because religion held that sexual contact in marriage was only for reproduction, decent women were prohibited from engaging in sexual activity during the eighteenth century. Consequently, throughout this time, men flocked to brothels to satisfy their sexual desires (Stevens). Because their owners often sold them, women who worked as prostitutes in brothels were thought to be of the lowest social class. They did not have a choice in the subject of their connections. Furthermore, the circumstances in which they resided were unhygienic. According to Blake, religion is to blame for the growth of brothels and the appalling working conditions endured by the prostitutes who worked in them. In addition, Blake emphasizes the importance of opposing viewpoints. A marker of guilt, the jail, stands in contrast to the law, which signifies innocence. If there were no such thing as the law, prisons would not be needed. There would be no need for legislation if there were no jails. Their opposites serve as the yardstick by which their meanings are measured. This concept may also be found in many ways throughout William Blake's collection of work. When the poems in "The Songs of Innocence and Experience" are compared, the reader is brought to an understanding of the underlying meanings of the songs. The book "Proverbs of Hell" exemplifies the need for opposing ideas in the process of meaning formation. William Blake's poem "Proverbs of Hell" emphasizes the need to challenge present cultural conventions since it is the only way to get new information. Blake created the poem to
result, the aphorism ascribed to Blake implies that no viewpoint, no matter how old or new it is, can be deemed genuine. On the other hand, individual perceptions are simply fragments of a larger and more complete reality. Understanding the world's myriad and ever-increasing paradoxes permits knowledge to expand rather than constrain. Finally, Proverbs of Hell demonstrates the need to question absolute societal norms and expectations. Most of William Blake's writings may be seen as an attack on the philosophical school known as empiricism. In his work titled "Proverb of Hell," William Blake argues against the persistent acceptance of absolutes (Blake, English Romantic Poetry: An Anthology ). By doing so, Blake reveals the paradoxes at the foundation of the idea of absolute reality and argues that empirical data that has been "proven" is not more essential than imaginal notions. The imagined and the proven are not permanent but rather temporary states. Consequently, there is a more significant opportunity for the unique interpretation of the events and surroundings a person finds. In other words, man is not obligated to accept the technique that another uses to decide what something means. Blake compels the reader to question the speaker's integrity by including this aphorism among the "Proverbs of Hell." By doing so, the reader replaces the "proven" thought that everything in hell is wholly wicked and misleading with the "imagined" notion that even the devil's words may contain truth. The "proven" belief that everything in hell is entirely evil and deceptive is replaced. This view may be extended beyond "Proverbs" to "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," depicting the book as Blake's disguised attack on the widespread acceptance of ultimate religious authority in society. Blake gives the voice of hell prominence rather than directly attacking the church's position as the preeminent institution. The reader will need to dispute the church's understanding of ultimate evil and absolute virtue as they gain a better experience of the truth contained within these proverbs. In this way, Blake leads the reader
to a position of religious skepticism while at the same time giving the reader leeway for interpretation as he comes to his conclusion. In conclusion, the study demonstrates some key thematic elements addressed in William Blake's Proverbs of Hell, such as the relevance of challenging established social standards, the need to question absolute principles and norms, and the ramifications of law and religion. The bulk of William Blake's poetry is preoccupied with the conflict that arises from the presence of opposites and the simultaneous emergence of contrasting circumstances. The aphorisms included in "Proverbs of Hell" are written in an antimonial language, and their notions are often in direct opposition to those held by most people today. Their diabolical understanding is couched in dialectics to reflect light from various angles and provide the illusion of a prism.
Proverbs of hell poem analysis
Course: International Business (BUS495)
University: Aspen University
