In-Depth Analysis
Oscar Wilde famously stated that experience is the name that we give to our mistakes. However, a less quoted Oscar Wilde quote is this: “Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing”. William Blake expounds upon this idea in his poem “The Four Zoas: Night the Second”, a part of his larger uncompleted work The Four Zoas. Blake declares that experience is something that cannot be gained in times of plenty or by watching the pain of others, but only when someone personally undergoes the suffering and pain of attaining experience. Indeed, experience may be more of a burden than a gift.
A massive poem, “The Four Zoas” must be thought of in underlying themes that appear across many stanzas. “The Four Zoas” is the story of four main characters in an abstract storyline revolving around the human condition and spirit. This particular section, entitled “Night the Second” is the second section; however, “Night” reflects the dark and depressing subject matter that this poem entails. The most prevalent theme is an attempt to determine the price of experience, as well as who has paid and who has yet to do so. In the first line, the fateful question is asked: “What is the price of Experience?” (Line 1). Blake’s answer rings clear throughout the poem; the currency of experience is not victory or success, but failure, pain, and loss. Blake writes that it is found in “the desolate market where none come to buy, /And in the wither'd field where the farmer plows for bread in vain” (Lines 4-5). Upon reading this, the reader imagines a merchant surrounded by unsold goods and void of customers; he may desperately wonder if he can avoid bankruptcy. Meanwhile, other readers imagine the farmer solemnly holding up the dusty soil and watching it blow away in the wind, stomach empty and family hungry. Blake uses these personal stories throughout the poem to convey the sense of desperation felt by these people. Both these unfortunate souls are being given the burden of experience. Indeed, it is the suffering victims such as these that he claims are the most knowledgeable in this world. As this introduction conveys, experience comes with a very heavy price to pay.
The first idea entertained by Blake is how easy it is to succeed and believe one has experience, even though one has no idea what true experience is. He explores the cloud of innocence and ignorance that we live under and just how wrong we are to believe that we have experience. He notes “it is an easy thing to triumph in the summer's sun/ And in the vintage and to sing on the waggon loaded with corn” (Lines 6-7). The symbol of the sun represents the life of comfort that many live, while the corn represent their success and happiness. They “triumph” in their supposed knowledge and experience, but in truth, they know nothing. However, Blake notes that such people often will preach to those who have more experience than they could possibly imagine. For them, he notes, “It is an easy thing...to speak the laws of prudence to the houseless wanderer” (Lines 8-9). "Prudence" implies sagacity and wisdom, something that the vagrant has attained all his life. Having such inexperienced people preach to the homeless person is an example of Blake's use of great irony in his writing. The poor vagrant has endured more suffering and trepidations than the people who live in comfort. The person has paid and continues to pay to price of experience. Despite this burden, they preach to him as if he was a child.
Blake then begins to describe those people that do have the life experience attained by suffering. It is here that he enforces the idea of experience as a burden. He writes of the “slave grinding at the mill,/ And the captive in chains, and the poor in the prison, and the soldier in the field /When the shatter'd bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead” (Lines 18-20). Once again, this reinforces the correlation between experience and suffering. However, the last line introduces a brand new idea, that experience is not always desirable. This soldier that whose bones have been "shatter'd" in this foreign field is paying the price of experience; however, Blake notes that the soldier is surrounded by the "happier dead". They are happy to be rid of the burden of experience; death is preferable to them. Indeed, those who have already died do not need to suffer any longer under the cloud of experience, the greatest burden of all.
Blake uses a variety of literary devices to aid his poem “The Four Zoas” including synechode and symbolism. For example, he uses symbolism when he writes “the wither'd field where the farmer plows for bread in vain” (Line 5). Obviously, the farmer is not actually plowing for bread. However, he is desperately looking for some sustenance to feed his family, such as grain, represented by the “bread.” Later there is an example of synechode when Blake says, “the red blood is fill'd with wine and with the marrow of lambs” (Line 11). The red blood is a part of the body representing the whole; after all, food and drink are not digested in the blood or marrow. However, such devices highlight the subject matter and show how inundated many people are in the luxury and comfort of food and drink. Blake’s use of literary devices helps convey his themes to the reader and are the nuances to a very deep and meaningful work.
-Robert Chun
Picture Source
A massive poem, “The Four Zoas” must be thought of in underlying themes that appear across many stanzas. “The Four Zoas” is the story of four main characters in an abstract storyline revolving around the human condition and spirit. This particular section, entitled “Night the Second” is the second section; however, “Night” reflects the dark and depressing subject matter that this poem entails. The most prevalent theme is an attempt to determine the price of experience, as well as who has paid and who has yet to do so. In the first line, the fateful question is asked: “What is the price of Experience?” (Line 1). Blake’s answer rings clear throughout the poem; the currency of experience is not victory or success, but failure, pain, and loss. Blake writes that it is found in “the desolate market where none come to buy, /And in the wither'd field where the farmer plows for bread in vain” (Lines 4-5). Upon reading this, the reader imagines a merchant surrounded by unsold goods and void of customers; he may desperately wonder if he can avoid bankruptcy. Meanwhile, other readers imagine the farmer solemnly holding up the dusty soil and watching it blow away in the wind, stomach empty and family hungry. Blake uses these personal stories throughout the poem to convey the sense of desperation felt by these people. Both these unfortunate souls are being given the burden of experience. Indeed, it is the suffering victims such as these that he claims are the most knowledgeable in this world. As this introduction conveys, experience comes with a very heavy price to pay.
The first idea entertained by Blake is how easy it is to succeed and believe one has experience, even though one has no idea what true experience is. He explores the cloud of innocence and ignorance that we live under and just how wrong we are to believe that we have experience. He notes “it is an easy thing to triumph in the summer's sun/ And in the vintage and to sing on the waggon loaded with corn” (Lines 6-7). The symbol of the sun represents the life of comfort that many live, while the corn represent their success and happiness. They “triumph” in their supposed knowledge and experience, but in truth, they know nothing. However, Blake notes that such people often will preach to those who have more experience than they could possibly imagine. For them, he notes, “It is an easy thing...to speak the laws of prudence to the houseless wanderer” (Lines 8-9). "Prudence" implies sagacity and wisdom, something that the vagrant has attained all his life. Having such inexperienced people preach to the homeless person is an example of Blake's use of great irony in his writing. The poor vagrant has endured more suffering and trepidations than the people who live in comfort. The person has paid and continues to pay to price of experience. Despite this burden, they preach to him as if he was a child.
Blake then begins to describe those people that do have the life experience attained by suffering. It is here that he enforces the idea of experience as a burden. He writes of the “slave grinding at the mill,/ And the captive in chains, and the poor in the prison, and the soldier in the field /When the shatter'd bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead” (Lines 18-20). Once again, this reinforces the correlation between experience and suffering. However, the last line introduces a brand new idea, that experience is not always desirable. This soldier that whose bones have been "shatter'd" in this foreign field is paying the price of experience; however, Blake notes that the soldier is surrounded by the "happier dead". They are happy to be rid of the burden of experience; death is preferable to them. Indeed, those who have already died do not need to suffer any longer under the cloud of experience, the greatest burden of all.
Blake uses a variety of literary devices to aid his poem “The Four Zoas” including synechode and symbolism. For example, he uses symbolism when he writes “the wither'd field where the farmer plows for bread in vain” (Line 5). Obviously, the farmer is not actually plowing for bread. However, he is desperately looking for some sustenance to feed his family, such as grain, represented by the “bread.” Later there is an example of synechode when Blake says, “the red blood is fill'd with wine and with the marrow of lambs” (Line 11). The red blood is a part of the body representing the whole; after all, food and drink are not digested in the blood or marrow. However, such devices highlight the subject matter and show how inundated many people are in the luxury and comfort of food and drink. Blake’s use of literary devices helps convey his themes to the reader and are the nuances to a very deep and meaningful work.
-Robert Chun
Picture Source
