I need some help interpreting this poem. I need to find all the examples of Blake's mental fight against compromise, hypocrisy and authoritarian impositions.
I need to take it section by section.
The argument: As far as i can tell, this section just sets out the distinctions between Good and Evil as was accepted at the time, and he says that Good needs Evil to exist, and vice versa. I don't see any examples of compromise, hypocrisy or authoritarian impositions in this section, other than the implication that Good and Evil need to compromise and allow the other to exist, though i'm not even sure about this.
The voice of the Devil: This section seems to blaming the Bible for making people believe wrong things, and then, by diminishing their will, takes advantage of them, or "governs the unwilling", thereby diminishing its desires. He also seems to be saying that the definition of good is very narrow in the christian idea, but evil is wide, and imagination can be at liberty while writing about it.
A memorable Fancy: I'm afraid i have no idea about this section. All i can think is that if Hell represents bodily senses, then it's only by those senses that we can propely view the world. "How do you know but ev'ry bird...is an immense world of delight, clos'd by your senses five".
Proverbs of Hell 1: Advocates excess. "Nor bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings"--Don't be bound by what others say you can't do, if God gave you the ability to do it, then it's not sinful to do it. The clergy say avoid temptation, it's the wise thing to do, however, one needs to experience these things to know whats right and wrong, and become wise through experience instead.
Proverbs of Hell 2:Religion in itself creates all the wrongs in the world. By saying sex is bad, and making people avoid it, Brothels are forced to open to facilitate sex. Again, he says anything made by god can't be evil, "the pride of the peacock is the glory of god". Still stagnant religion vs moving, learning energy, and as seen in Proverbs og Hell 3, "expect poison from standing water".
Proverbs of Hell 3: I think this section is saying that whatever religion teaches, the next generation will be. It then goes on to blame priests for taking advantage of this to control others (authoritarian impositions), justifying it syaing God had ordered them to take control, and forced people to forget that Gods are what WE percieve them to be. Agian, saying that our imagination is powerful and should not be denied because it's "evil"
A Memorable fancy: Saying that it was in their imaginination that they percieved god, not in a real tangible way. And by getting rid of the shackles of religion, sensual enjoyment can reign.
A Memorable Fancy: I really don't know what to think about this one. The powerful things that created the world, are, in religion, chained and restrained, and the religious people are picking and choosing what they want. "the giants who formed this world into existence...now in chains...these chains are the cunning of the weak and tame minds..." "...he only takes portions of existance and fancies that the whole."Religion tries to unite all things, but that would destroy both. But i really can't see how this section relates to the quesion.
A Memorable Fancy: In the company of an angel, the narrator see's a hell that supposedly awaits him, it is only when the angel leaves, scared, that he see's a happy scene. This is saying that we are seeing what religion TELLS us to see, and in their absence, things don't seem so bleak as they make it out to be. Using fear to control the people, perhaps? I don't understand the latter part of this section, though.
Opposition is true friendship: Closemindedness? Refusing to talk to the un-religious? Priests consider themselves superior because they rule over easily swayed people? Other than this guess, i don't know much about this section/
A Memorable Fancy: The Devil says love other men for their imagination and genuis (things religion warned against) because they are representations of God. The Angel said Jesus was great, and yet he managed to keep all the commandments. The devil replies that actually, Jesus broke all the commandments, and was still great. Therefore, these rules are constructs of modern relgious companies.The angel sees the reasoning and embraces it.
A song of Liberty: I don't understand this at all.
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