How Did William Blake's Life Affected His Work?

William Blake was a famous English poet, who lived during the Romantic Age. Blake was unrecognized and unappreciated during his life, however, now he is considered one of the greatest poets of his age. William Blake was born on November 28, 1757. Growing up in London, his parents soon realized that he was no ordinary child. He was homeschooled and then later sent to drawing school. Later in his life, he created famous poems including A Poison Tree, London, and The Tyger. William Blake’s quiet and unrecognized life inspired by the bible greatly affected his many writings and paintings he made during his lifetime.
Blake was born on November 28, 1757 and died on August 12, 1827. He grew up during the Romantic Age, a time where poetry and art were based on individual thought and personal feeling. Blake was considered one of the greatest poets of the Romantic Age, and was one of the first poets to start it. In 1793, Blake stated, “a new heaven is begun”, marking the beginning of the Romantic age. Throughout April 19, 1775 to September 3, 1783, Great Britain was at war with The Thirteen Colonies. Blake at the time was living near London, the heart of Great Britain. Blake had many poems and paintings inspired by The Revolutionary War, including America, A Prophecy. In addition to events like the war, Blake’s

writings were also influenced by the bible. At the young age of four years old, Blake explained visons of him seeing God’s head through a window and visons of angel filled trees. These visons would later have a profound influence on his later work, as shown in his poems The Everlasting Gospel, Holy Thursday and
Jerusalem.
Blake was not well recognized during his lifetime.

He was unappreciated and was not considered a great poet until after his death in 1827. Blake was born a poet and a painter. At a young age, his parents realized that he was no ordinary child. He was sent to drawing school, where he became literate. Over the next 14 years, he worked on a collection of poems, called Poetical Sketches, which were published in 1783. However, during that time, he was a more of a painter than a poet. Blake had a hard time being accepted as a good poet. In 1804, a review called him “an unfortunate lunatic”. Blake did not take this well and he stopped trying to get his work

attention.
William Blake’s topics were varied throughout his career. He wrote about many ideas. During his earlier age, he made a collection of poems entitled “Songs of Innocence.” The poems were happier and brighter. Some of the most famous poems from this collection were The Little Black Boy and The Chimney Sweeper. In a later, more troubled part of Blake’s life, he wrote a second collection called “Songs of Experience”. These poems show a darker realistic side of the world. The most famous poems included The Tyger and London.
William Blake’s writing style was largely misunderstood throughout his career. Blake’s works were complicated due to the heavy use of symbolism, metaphors and personification. A great example of this is The Poison Tree, a poem written by Blake in 1794. The poison tree was a metaphor for anger. Blake is reconized today
William Blake was largely misunderstood through his life. In a time where critics and reviewers greatly discouraged his work, Blake kept on writing the way he wanted to write. Throughout his lifetime, he made some of the most famous poems and paintings ever. Now recognized as one of the best poets ever, Blake will always be an inspiration for many.