Research Paper on:
Analysis of the Poem 'Earth's Answer' by William Blake

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nature as American transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson did - not as a creation of God but as an independent entity and divine in its own right. Considered quite  unorthodox by his counterparts, in his time, Black was often regarded as somewhat of a mystical madman because to him, there were no limits on the human imagination. It  was born in nature and should remain natural and untainted, with no imposed restrictions by either man or God. This is the message of "Earths Answer," the second entry  in Blakes autobiographical volume, Songs of Experience, which was published in 1794. His first poetic collection, Songs of Innocence, was a celebration of human interaction by nature in which  there was nothing that restricted the development of the imagination. It was child-like, free and happy. However, in Songs of Experience, an older and wiser Blake acknowledged the  obstacles that were placed in nature that intentionally inhibited the imagination. In the poem "Earths Answer," the value lies in the  way in which it emphasizes the importance of keeping creativity fertile, and the unfortunate price that is paid when "the power of renewal [is] not exercised" (Harding 42). Blake  wrote, "Earth raisd up her head / From the darkness dread and drear. / Her light fled, / Stony dread! / And her locks coverd with grey despair. /  Prisond on watry shore, / Starry Jealousy does keep my den: / Cold and hoar, / I hear the Father of the ancient men. / Selfish father of men! /  Cruel, jealous, selfish fear! / Can delight, / Chaind in night, / The virgins of youth and morning bear? / Does spring hide its joy / When buds and blossoms