Songs of Experience

THE HUMAN ABSTRACT

One of the meanings of ‘abstract’ is summary, in which case the poem consists of a depressing definition of what it is to be human. The illustration accompanying the poem depicts a man tied down by ropes at the base of a tree. If the reader takes this man to be the ‘He’ of the poem and the tree to be the Tree of Knowledge, the image would suggest that the man is enslaved to the source of ‘experience’ or original sin, the cause of mankind’s fall.

Like ‘The Divine Image’, this poem begins with a consideration of mercy, pity, peace, and love. Here, however, these qualities are modified by the impure and unfair world in which they exist. Pity and mercy do not arise from altruism, but from human neglect. Similarly, in stanza two, peace and love develop from the rather less praiseworthy contexts of ‘mutual fear’ and ‘selfish [ness]’. Far from leading to goodness, as we would expect, they result in ‘Cruelty’ and imprisonment. This suggests a world of inverted morality, in which good and bad are inextricably entwined, and the human spirit is marred by deception and self-interest.

The image of the tree appears in the third stanza. Instead of leading to good fruits, ‘holy fears’ and ‘Humility’ result in a tree which casts ‘the dismal shade/Of Mystery’. Instead of being liberated, the man finds himself further entrapped in the ‘shade’ of his own mind. The tree is symbolic of the dark and evil nature of mankind. This is emphasised by the parasite ‘caterpillar and fly’, which feed off the man’s dark and hidden desires.

As well as being central to the fall of mankind, trees appear frequently throughout the Bible. Although the fruit of this tree is ‘the fruit of Deceit’, it is superficially attractive. Blake equates this tree with the destructive influence of sin, suggesting that the tree is found within ‘the human brain’. This casts light on the image of the ‘mind-forg’d manacles’ of ‘London’; it is evident that much of the suffering faced by humanity is caused directly by other humans following laws and rules instead of instincts and desires.

Additional Notes

The first stanza suggests that it is us, humans that create and is responsible for evil. Pity and mercy are good qualities as pointed out in ‘Divine Image’, however in ‘The Human Abstract’ they are presented in a negative view and are result of human neglect.

The second verse emphasises this ironically. These good qualities are stemming from evil, they are by-products of poverty, expectations and it becomes necessary

There is this sadistic pleasure of having people failed, suffered, and exploited of their flaws.

Diction – abstract, simple, presented by an allegorical (story-based narrative) vision