Thor s Day, 3/19: Heaven and Hell

Transcription

1 Thor s Day, 3/19: Heaven and Hell EQ: How did William Blake synthesize truth from irreconcilable contraries? Welcome! Gather paper, pen/pencil, wits! Lecture/Presentation: W m Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Freewrites and Reading Guide as we progress ELACC12RL-RI2: Analyze two or more themes or central ideas of text ELACC12RI3: Analyze and explain how individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop ELACC12RL6: Distinguish what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant ELACC12RI6: Determine an author s point of view or purpose in a text ELACC12W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas ELACC12W4: Produce clear and coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience ELACC12W10: Write routinely over extended and shorter time frames ELACC12SL1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions ELACC12L1: Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage in speaking and writing. ELACC12L2: Use standard English capitalization, punctuation, spelling in writing. ELACC12L5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, nuances ELACC12L6: Acquire and use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases

2 William Blake ( ) HUGELY important to both poetry and visual art; maybe ONLY such artist FIERCELY independent: didn t care if NO ONE got it: That which can be made explicit to the idiot is not worth my care. Deeply religious, but believed governments, capitalism, religion ANY organized system of thinking worked to destroy Individual Vision

3 And because he believed that organized systems crushed individual vision, his process for publication was the opposite of the massproduction methods that let Milton, Swift, and the rest publish words cheaply. He individually painted and printed syntheses of image and word (iconos and logos), allowing for completely unique and fully integrated art works that looked like this.

4 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1785), like all of Blake s work, synthesizes visual and literary art. One cites not verse or page, but the plate number corresponding to the copper plate Blake engraved, painted, and pressed to create that page of his book. Here, for instance, is Plate 1 of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.

5 Each printed version differs from every other version, and therefore each can mean something different. As you look at each of the following Plates, respond as directed by me.

6 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: Plate 3 Without Contraries is no Progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence. From Contraries spring what the religious call Good and Evil. Good is the passive that obeys Reason. Evil is the active springing from Energy. Good is Heaven. Evil is Hell.

7 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Plates 7-10: Proverbs of Hell The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees. If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise. Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion. The cistern contains; the fountain overflows. Expect poison from the standing water. Every thing possible to be believ'd is an image of truth. Damn braces: Bless relaxes. Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd.

8 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Plate 14: A Memorable Fancy I shall do printing in the infernal method, by corrosives, which in Hell are salutary and medicinal, melting apparent surfaces away, and displaying the infinite which was hid. If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.

9 William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell 1. On Plate 3 Blake declared that Without is no words: Freewrite response to Plate 3 images, words, or both on separate paper. 3. Write down THREE of the Proverbs of Hell from Plates 7-10: a. b. c. 4. On Plate 14 Blake describes his process as apparent away, the which was. 5. If the of were, says Blake, every thing would appear to man as it is,. 6. According to Blake, we don t see the infinite because man has himself, till he sees all things thro of his words: Freewrite response to Plate 14 images, words, or both on separate paper