Inliterary technique, symbolism is used to make a statement more comprehensiblein the authors intention. In William Blake’s poem, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,he uses many animals to express his mystic ideas. During his time, he wasvery much into physical, spiritually, philosophy and the natural broader of theenvironment around him. In his poem, you can clearly make out how he tries tomake a connection between making a home and making a friend by using animalanalogy. “The birds a nest, the spider a web, man friendship” (Blake).
Thisanalogy shows how birds naturally know how to create and build their nest,spiders create and build their web, and so humans are able to build afriendship. This just emphasize how the animals are able to create what theyneed, in which this is how humans should form their relationships with others.It also suggests that forming friendships is just as complicated as animalsmaking those creations. Blake also writes, “The eagle never lost so much timeas when he submitted to learn of the crow” (Blake). This proves Blake’s pointabout how it is important to honor talented people and given them their due. Blakeuses these kinds of animal-based lessons to show simple examples to illustratemore complex truths. In the ParadiseLost by John Milton, it has many different symbols and imageries.
Insteadof using things to explain his imagination, he used words. The poem begins bytalking about a man’s first disobedience and the fruit of that forbidden tree. Thefirst humans that disobeyed God happed to be Adam and Eve and the firstcreation that God made was Satan. Although, it was Satan’s own decisions torebel against God as he was not persuaded to do so like Adam and Eve was. ForSatan’s sin, he made himself fall out of Heaven and into Hell. The firstimagery that is noticed in this poem is about the fall from grace. Though, itis important to add that Satan made himself fall.
For man will heark’n to his glozinglyes, And easily transgress the sole Command, Sole pledge of his obedience: So will fall Hee and his faithless Progenie: whose fault? Whose but his own? ingrate, he had of mee All he could have; I made him just and right, Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. Such I created all th’ Ethereal Powers And Spirits, both them who stood & them who faild; Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell. (Milton). Thisemphasis that God did not push Satan out of Heaven. Satan and his army threwthemselves out of Heaven. Milton uses this as his first imagery to show anobject falling.
The second imagery or symbolically is using God as a powerfulman. At the first start of the poem, Milton uses the fact that Adam and Eve sincould only be righted by one man which is Jesus. Milton uses these symbolismsto introduce the biblical story that Christians believe in. TheRape of the Lock by Alexander Pope uses the classical imagery to show howinsignificant his society was. Pope uses a lot of religious imagery emphasize. Therape in The Rape of the Lock symbolizesthe rape of Belinda’s hair. The cutting of her hair symbolized a rape of herinnocence.
Belinda’s grief was not because of the loss of her hair but for hersocial reputation. Oh had the youth been but content toseizeHairs less in sight, or any hairs butthese!Gods! shall the ravisher display thishair,While the fops envy, and the ladiesstare!Honour forbid! at whose unrivalledshrine. (Pope).Popeemphasizes in his poem about how woman’s priorities are limited to personal pleasuresand social expectations. In his poem, he focuses on how society is more focusedon their appearance rather than their moral principles.
During this time,woman’s appearance enhanced their attitudes towards honor and virtue. But anxious cares the pensive nymphoppress’d,And secret passions labour’d in herbreast.Not youthful kings in battle seiz’dalive,Not scornful virgins who their charmssurvive,Not ardent lovers robb’d of all theirbliss,Not ancient ladies when refus’d akiss,Not tyrants fierce that unrepentingdie,Not Cynthia when her manteau’s pinn’dawry,E’er felt such rage, resentment, anddespair,As thou, sad Virgin! for thy ravish’dHair. (Pope).Toattract a suitable husband, woman had to keep their innocence. Which brings outthe fact that, when Baron cut Belinda’s hair, it changed everything in thesociety has people thought she had lost her virtue. As, if a woman hadcompromise herself, society would have been disappointed that she lost herinnocence.
Pope’s reasons of writing this poem was to introduce his society andhow the simply fact of a loss of hair meant something more such as a lost virtue.
