Although scholars classify both William Wordsworth and William Blake as "Romantic poets", their writing styles and individual perspectives differ greatly. Wordsworth, while not so blind as to ignore the conflict prevalent in everyday society, tends to focus on the more positive aspects of life and chooses to live in an existence where silver-edged clouds float gently above purple-covered fields of thought. Blake, on the other hand, is more of a realist. It focuses on the numerous injustices that humanity has suffered at the expense of industrialization and the malignancy of society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay “The Tyger” by William Blake clearly shows the speaker's jaded view of society. "The Tiger" laments the advent of civilization in the 18th century. The speaker does not necessarily oppose industrialization per se; the evil he sees lies in what society has done with new technologies. The tiger that Blake drew at the bottom of the poem seems to be caught in a wide-eyed state of wonder and amazement. It certainly has the potential to wreak havoc, but at this time it appears to be reluctant to do so. This beautiful creature must be exposed to the right conditions in order to respond in this way. According to Blake, technology is the same thing as the tiger. Machines, engines, and other technological advances are amazing inventions, but they all have the potential to destroy, maim, and kill. Our society offers technology the opportunity to achieve these disastrous goals. Capitalist factory owners exploit young children, sometimes resulting in their deaths, to become rich while others starve on the streets. Rapid advances in armaments allow governments to achieve their political ends at the expense of soldiers' blood. The speaker believes that the celestial beings "watered the sky with their tears" (5.18) because they foresaw the atrocities that the industrial revolution would bring to society. He wonders aloud if the people responsible for these inventions knew what the outcome would be. If so, did they like this? The fact that such vile people could exist distresses the speaker in line 19: “Did he smile to see his work?” The speaker goes on to ask, “Did he who created the Lamb create you?” (5.20) He finds it hard to believe that a God who could create something as tender and gentle as a lamb could allow the creation of the harsh and ferocious tiger technology. Surely, a loving God would prevent a society from advancing so far as to destroy its own sense of humanity. Blake, through "The Tyger", shows his real understanding of the destructive elements of human society and civilization. Blake continues his commentary on society in the poem "London". At the beginning of the poem, the speaker wanders freely around London, yet sees how orderly the city is, and even the Thames. Even people cannot escape their predetermined course in life: "In every cry of every man, / In every child's cry of fear, / In every voice, in every prohibition, / I hear the handcuffs forged by the mind." (2.5-8) These "handcuffs" are formed in the mind; social status is simply an abstract construction. The company has declared that those born into poverty will remain in that state for the rest of their lives. Even if this were true, who is to say that material wealth determines happiness and fullness of life? The speaker of "London" seems to challenge these social traditions and the society that creates such imposing restrictions. While Blake sees society as aA callous monster who devours the downy innocents caught in his path, Wordsworth believes that society only ruins those who allow themselves to be jaded. In “Resolution and Independence,” the speaker begins the day full of life and youthful exuberance: “The pleasant season has employed my heart:/My old memories are all gone;/And all the ways of men, so vain and melancholy." (3.19-21) While the speaker is happy in the moment, he realizes that humanity cannot, or refuses to, escape an existence marked by "vainness and melancholy." four, he begins to fear that with joy comes the awareness of all that one has to lose; that for every mountain in life there must also be a valley that is at least as low as the mountain is high. However, this has not always been the case. The speaker reveals that “All my life I have lived in pleasant thoughts/As if the affairs of life were a summer mood;/As if all necessary things came unsought/To a genius faith, still rich in brilliant good." 6.36-39) In other words, up until this point, he believed that to achieve happiness, all one had to do was have faith and lead a life of integrity, honesty, and selflessness. Now, however, through exposure to society, he is filled with doubt and despair: "We poets in our youth begin with joy; / But from this come despondency and madness in the end." Independence" is the artificiality of everyday communication. Although he feels depressed, he approaches the leech collector and says, "This morning promises us a glorious day." (12.84) He may simply be trying to give to the leech collector, or even to himself, the hope of a pleasant afternoon. However, more likely, it is revealing that it is society that dictates what can and cannot be said to people in different situations a colleague asks, “How are you?” and gets the expected response: “Does the person who asks really care about how the other person feels?” Will Wordsworth still respond the same way? that people rarely feel free to express what is really on their minds, and brings this to the fore in his ridiculous statement to the leech catcher Wordsworth compares the old man to a huge stone on top of a cliff (9.57-). 60). . Seen in this light, the leech collector is no longer just another person in society, but a marvel who is somehow connected to the universe. Even though he seems to have no reason to enjoy life, he somehow seems content and satisfied. He knows he holds a significant role on earth, no matter how humble, and he refuses to allow the despair and despair of others to affect him. Blake would no doubt have seen the old man and lamented the brutal society that allowed an elderly gentleman to arrive in such a state of apparent despondency. Wordsworth, however, sees an opportunity in the leech collector. Instead of despairing over the old man he sees, the speaker instead chooses to learn what he can from him. Wordsworth sees what few others would see: hope in an old man looking for leeches, wisdom in someone from the bottom of the economic and social ladder. The only people who are tainted by the evils of society are those who allow themselves to be so. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Blake and Wordsworth seem to agree that society is harmful. What they differ on, however, is the extent to which society has the capacity to exhaust the vitality of the body, the hope of the soul, and the sharpness of the mind. Blake doesn't see., 2000. 280-284.