Painter Painter and poet William Blake (1757-1827) was born in London, England. Image: 2016 Poetry in voice.
SCRIBBLE
WILLIAM BLAKE by Mr Aldridge
The poet William Blake is gradually becoming a canonical, establishment poet, studied by GCSE and A-level students the country over, and he is increasingly being seen as a core British writer, representing British values and embodying the consciousness of a nation.
H
owever, this position is one which Blake may have rejected in his own lifetime, preferring instead to stand as a rebel poet, calling out the establishment’s own values and highlighting the hypocrisies and failings of his time. His is the poetry of discontent, the poetry of rebellion, the poetry
of dissatisfaction and the poetry of enlightening the people, but also poetry rooted in pride in his nation and a steadfast faith in God’s omni-benevolence. The archetypal tortured poet, Blake’s work often reveals a frustration in recognising a tension between seeing an idealised life which he views as easily
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