WILLIAM BLAKES CONCEPTION OF CONTRARIES AS PATHWAYS OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND AWAKENING
Abstract
William Blake employs contraries as a foundational framework to establish and integrate his philosophy of the duality of contraries in his seminal poetic collection of Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1789, 1794). His works juxtapose the two states of human awareness - innocence and experience, not as moralistic opposites but as independent agencies that engage in a composite integrating dialogue throughout. This study intends to elucidate the engagement of Blakes dialectic of contraries, which aims to deliver both thematic and structural meaning, shaping the poetic artists collective vision and philosophy. Qualitatively constructing from the hermeneutic methodology as the basis, this paper executes a close textual analysis of poems such as The Lamb and The Tyger, showcasing the contrasting interplay of innocence and experience. The study presents how Blake has contrasted imagery, diction, and form in the structure of his work to incorporate the tension between the states of purity, faith, and the state of incorporating knowledge, alienation, and social critique, unfolding a dimension with the potential for spiritual integration through a Gestalt panoramic view through his artistic work.