William Blake, as a libertarian and political writer concerned with romantic values ​​regarding the freedom of the human spirit and liberty, wrote his “Songs of Innocence and Experience” in an attempt to attack the corrupt political systems and institutions of the time he was writing, during the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment; in his songs, Blake proposes rebellion against such systems, while establishing his ideal of utopia in his "Songs of Innocence", with the virtues of "mercy, pity, peace and love" found in "The Divine Image " aptly summarizing Blake's picture of utopia, such virtues clearly not to be found in the corrupt society Blake describes in his "Songs of Experience" in poems such as "London" and "Maundy Thursday". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayOne of Blake's subjects of social and political protest in his “Songs of Innocence and Experience” is that of the Church, as if he were a Christian himself, he can be seen attacking the twisted version of religion that supports destructive ideologies that exploit and harm the most vulnerable, ignoring traditional values ​​of charity and mercy and allowing rather racism and the suffering of children, as shown in “The Little Black Boy”. » and “Maundy Thursday” respectively. In "The Divine Image", the speaker (presumably Blake's voice or expressing Blake's thoughts), personifies the virtues of "Mercy, Mercy, Peace and Love" and declares them to be "God, our dear Father ", suggesting that God himself is the personification of these virtues, and these qualities are what we should aspire to within humanity, creating a link between God and humanity, because all prayers to "Mercy , Mercy, Peace and Love” must be addressed not only to God, but also to God. to “the divine human form”; through this, we can see Blake emphasizing the supreme importance of these qualities of heart within humanity and protesting against religious followers who act hypocritically by allowing children like those in "The Chimney Sweep" or "Maundy Thursday" to suffer while those in power and the hierarchical Church enable such inequalities within society. Blake's "Songs of Innocence" can be seen as creating a utopia, much like More's, where the virtues of mercy, pity, peace and love are abundant and then revealed to be what is lacking to the world described in his “Songs of Experience” which criticize and protest against the corrupt authorities of his time, setting up a proposal for rebellion to establish a more idealized and liberated state. In "The Shepherd", for example, the character of the shepherd can be interpreted as a God-like figure, as he acts in the same way towards his sheep as the omnibenevolent God of the Bible can be seen to act towards humanity, in showing his love. towards his sheep as "his tongue will be filled with praise", suggesting that he plays a role of care and support towards his "darling", with "peace" being at the forefront in the poem as the shepherd is described as " watchful" towards his sheep "while they are at peace,/For they know when their shepherd is near", alluding to a relationship between the shepherd and his sheep where the sheep place their faith in the shepherd as their protector and their loving father figure: just like the loving image of God emphasized by Blake. In this way, the virtues of mercy, pity, peace and love described in "The Divine Image" can be seen to play a role in the description that makesBlake of a utopian society and in his ideal image of religion as a loving, united front. between humanity and God, which in turn allows him to enact his proposed rebellion in the “Songs of Innocence and Experience.” Blake can further be seen exploring the virtues of mercy, pity, peace and love in his “Songs of Innocence”. poem "The Little Black Boy," in which a black child who has experienced racial prejudice describes a conversation with his mother who assures him that his "soul is white" and that he will one day go to heaven where God will show him " his love.” In the poem, the child's mother can be seen showing him the four qualities of mercy, pity, peace and love, as described in "The Divine Image", while the boy describes how "she took me on his lap and kissed me", demonstrating a loving and motherly act that shows pity towards the boy who feels "deprived of light", alluding to God's love as " light" as an image is often used by Blake to refer to the presence of God, suggesting that the boy feels as if God does not love him in the same way as the English children around him who, at the Conversely, are described as "angels", and therefore automatically shown as loving by God. The little boy's mother then goes on to lovingly assure the boy that he is just as, if not more, worthy of God's love than the other children, because he has learned to "carry the rays of love" that have caused "the black bodies and that sunburned face", striving to instill a sense of peace of mind in the child who, before hearing this, showed distress at being set apart from “the English child” and considered by them as “deprived of light”. Blake's depiction of God through the mother's loving voice in the poem shows these virtues further, as he is said to have said "come out of the grove, my love and care, / And round my golden tent, like lambs , rejoice", with the image of a "grove" like little wood suggesting a confined, shady area where the oppressed such as the "little black boy" perhaps metaphorically reside while they are rejected from the rest of society, and the kind tone associated with the imperative to "come out", showing the benevolent and fatherly nature of God as with love, while showing mercy to those who resided in the "grove", he invites the oppressed to "rejoice like lambs" in his "love" and care", the image of the "lamb" is found throughout Blake's poetry as a symbol of innocence and purity. With racial prejudice at the center of Blake's social and political protest, the depiction of God as a loving father figure who shows pity and love especially towards all regardless of their race, as shown in "The Little Boy black", acts as a form of protest against the conservative and racist views of the government of his time and acts as a proposition of rebellion against those who perceive white children as superior to black children because in the eyes of God, Blake illustrates, individuals of all races are seen as equals and are equally worthy of one another's love. Mercy, pity, peace, and love can further be seen as apt descriptions of Blake's proposition for his rebellion when examining his own political ideologies, alongside his depictions of these virtues within his poetry. Blake was politically a radical libertarian, who admired Thomas Paine and can be seen as drawing inspiration from his ideas regarding the defense of equal political rights and the attack on hierarchical government and monarchy, such as’.