Class 12 NCERT English Kalidoscope Lesson 3 Poem by Blake Poerty Question and Answers.
Part I The Divine Image
Understanding The Poem
1. How are these two matched poems related to each other in content? How is the human being depicted in the Song of Innocence and how is he/she depicted in the Song of Experience? Do we find both aspects working in an average human being?
2. How much you explain the lines
For Mercy has a human heart,
Pity a human face,
And love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.
3. How do Mercy, Pity , Peace and love get distorted in the human brain?
4. Blake’s poetry expresses one aspect of his multi-dimensional view of human experience-of mankind once whole and happy, now fallen into discord any tyranny, from which it must be rescued. Explain with reference to these two poems.
Answer:
1. How are these two matched poems related to each other in content? How is the human being depicted in the Song of Innocence and how is he/she depicted in the Song of Experience? Do we find both aspects working in an average human being?
Answer:
These two matched poems—one from Songs of Innocence and the other from Songs of Experience—present two contrasting views of human nature and society.
- In the Song of Innocence, the human being is depicted as pure, divine, and full of virtues like Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love. These qualities are shown to be the very nature of both God and man, making human beings sacred and spiritual.
- In the Song of Experience, the human being is shown as corrupted by selfishness, fear, and deception. The same virtues are now used to justify inequality and cruelty. Human nature is no longer innocent but influenced by power, ego, and manipulation.
Yes, we find both aspects in an average human being. Every person has the potential for kindness, love, and peace, but also faces temptations, fear, and selfishness. Blake’s poetry reveals this duality of the human soul—a constant tension between innocence and experience.
2. How do you explain the lines:
For Mercy has a human heart,
Pity a human face,
And Love, the human form divine,
And Peace, the human dress.
Answer:
These lines personify the four virtues—Mercy, Pity, Love, and Peace—by giving them human characteristics:
- Mercy is described as having a human heart, implying that it comes from deep empathy and compassion.
- Pity has a human face, meaning it is visibly felt and expressed when we see others in pain.
- Love is called the “human form divine”, suggesting that love is the most godlike quality in humans.
- Peace is described as human dress, symbolizing that peace should clothe and surround us like our garments.
Together, these lines show that divine virtues live through human beings, and they connect the spiritual with the physical.
3. How do Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love get distorted in the human brain?
Answer:
In the Song of Experience, Blake shows that these virtues are corrupted in the human mind when people start using them for selfish or deceptive purposes.
- Mercy and Pity only exist because someone is poor or suffering—meaning society allows inequality and then pretends to be kind.
- Fear replaces genuine peace, and people become selfish, using virtues to appear good but hide their cruelty.
- These distorted thoughts take root in the mind like a poisonous tree, growing into Mystery (symbolizing ignorance and confusion).
- This “tree” bears fruit of deceit and becomes a place where evil (Raven) thrives.
Thus, the brain twists these pure emotions into tools of control, manipulation, and false morality.
4. Blake’s poetry expresses one aspect of his multi-dimensional view of human experience—of mankind once whole and happy, now fallen into discord and tyranny, from which it must be rescued. Explain with reference to these two poems.
Answer:
William Blake’s poetry reflects his belief that human beings were once united with divine innocence, full of joy and virtue. This is clearly seen in the Song of Innocence, where humanity and God are one, and virtues like Mercy and Love are natural and universal.
However, in the Song of Experience, humanity is shown to have fallen from grace. The world is now ruled by fear, cruelty, and false religion. Instead of peace and equality, there is division, suffering, and manipulation.
Blake shows that this fall is not just physical but psychological and spiritual. People have lost touch with their inner purity and replaced it with false appearances and social structures.
He believes redemption is possible—by recognizing both innocence and experience, and restoring the balance within. Thus, his poetry calls for a rescue of the soul from ignorance, fear, and control, back to a state of freedom, love, and true understanding.
Language Work
1. Certain words in the poem have been capitalised, Can you think of reasons for this?
2. Count the syllables in the lines of ‘The divine Image’. Do you see a pattern?
The first line has eight and the second line has six syllable. Two syllables make a foot in poetry. Here the first syllables of each foot is unstressed and the second syllable is stressed.
Answer:
1. Certain words in the poem have been capitalised. Can you think of reasons for this?
Answer:
Yes, William Blake capitalizes certain words deliberately to:
- Emphasize important abstract ideas or virtues, like Mercy, Pity, Peace, Love, Man, God, and Human. These aren’t just feelings or roles in the poem—they are almost treated like characters or divine forces.
- Give symbolic or divine importance: By capitalizing these words, Blake shows they are universal ideals or spiritual truths, not ordinary words.
- Highlight contrasts between good (virtues) and evil (like Cruelty and Deceit in the Song of Experience).
- Reflect a style common in the 18th century, where capitalization often added weight or significance to words, especially in poetry or religious writing.
So, capitalization helps draw attention to Blake’s key themes and values.
2. Count the syllables in the lines of The Divine Image. Do you see a pattern?
Let’s look at the first few lines from The Divine Image:
To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
(Syllables: 8 → To Mer-cy, Pit-y, Peace, and Love)
All pray in their distress;
(Syllables: 6 → All pray / in their / dis-tress)
Pattern:
- The poem generally follows a metrical pattern of alternating lines:
- First line of each couplet = 8 syllables (4 poetic feet → tetrameter)
- Second line = 6 syllables (3 poetic feet → trimeter)
This creates a rhythmic balance between the lines and gives a musical, flowing quality to the poem.
Poetic Foot:
As you noted, each foot has two syllables—an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one. This is called iambic meter (iamb = da-DUM).
Example (scansion):
to MER / cy PI / ty PEACE / and LOVE
(4 iambs = iambic tetrameter)
all PRAY / in THEIR / disTRESS
(3 iambs = iambic trimeter)
Conclusion:
So yes, there is a clear metrical and syllabic pattern in The Divine Image. Blake’s use of rhythm, meter, and capitalization all work together to highlight the divine nature of human virtues and give the poem a calm, prayer-like feel.
Try this out
Read ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ in Songs of Innocence, and then ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ in Songs of Experience and contrast the two. You could also read ‘The Lamb’ and ‘The Tiger’.
Answer:
Absolutely! William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience are beautifully contrasting collections that explore two sides of human existence: purity and corruption, hope and despair, divine presence and spiritual confusion. Let’s examine the contrasts in the poems you mentioned:
🌿 1. ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ – Songs of Innocence
📜 Theme: Hope in suffering, spiritual comfort
- Tone: Gentle, sympathetic, almost dreamlike
- Narrator: A young chimney sweep who maintains hope despite hardship
- Imagery: Soft and comforting, like angels, bright clouds, green plains
- Message: If you’re good and obedient, God will care for you; even the harshest life can lead to heaven
- Innocence: The child doesn’t fully understand his misery; he finds joy in a dream of salvation
🧒 Example lines:
“And by came an Angel who had a bright key,
And he opened the coffins and set them all free”
✏️ Interpretation: The children dream of liberation and believe goodness leads to divine reward—even amid suffering.
🔥 2. ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ – Songs of Experience
📜 Theme: Hypocrisy of society and loss of innocence
- Tone: Bitter, critical, accusatory
- Narrator: A child who understands the injustice and cruelty he faces
- Imagery: Dark and harsh—snow, black clothes, weeping
- Message: Society and religion preach love but abandon the poor and helpless
- Experience: The child is aware of his suffering and the false promises made by church and parents
🧒 Example lines:
“They clothed me in the clothes of death,
And taught me to sing the notes of woe”
✏️ Interpretation: Religion and family use moral teachings to cover up social injustice.
🐑 3. ‘The Lamb’ – Songs of Innocence
📜 Theme: Divine creation, innocence, gentleness
- A simple poem where a child praises a lamb and sees it as a symbol of Jesus
- Reflects the kind, nurturing side of God
- Tone: Sweet, repetitive, childlike faith
- Message: God created all life, and both the Lamb and the child are His creations
🧒 Example:
“He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb”
🐅 4. ‘The Tyger’ – Songs of Experience
📜 Theme: Awe and fear of divine power, complexity of creation
- Contrasts with ‘The Lamb’; it questions how the same God could create something so ferocious
- Tone: Intense, fearful, full of wonder
- Message: The creator of the universe is not only loving but also powerful and fearsome
- Spiritual maturity: The speaker no longer accepts easy answers, but questions deeply
🔥 Example:
“Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”
✏️ Interpretation: Suggests the duality of God and creation—innocence and terror, good and evil.
🧭 Overall Contrast – Blake’s Vision
| Theme | Innocence | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| View of God | Loving, protective, gentle | Distant, fearsome, or absent |
| Tone | Hopeful, sweet, naive | Bitter, wise, disillusioned |
| Child’s understanding | Limited, trusting, faithful | Aware, questioning, critical |
| Society’s role | Kind or irrelevant | Corrupt, hypocritical, cruel |