"The Fly" by William Blake: Analysis
"The Fly" by William Blake: Analysis
"The Fly" by William Blake: Analysis
By William Blake
Introduction:
"The Fly" is a poem written by the English poet William Blake. It was
published as part of his collection Songs of Experience in 1794.
Analysis:
Rhyme scheme:
The poem has been divided into 5 small stanzas having four lines each.
The rhyme scheme of first four stanzas is ABCB and of the final stanza
is AABB.
Tone:
There are two lines employing similes, both are located in the second
stanza. In the lines “Am not I a fly like thee?” and “A man like me?”,
the speaker is compared to the fly because he thinks that his life is used
ineffectively; he feels sympathy for himself. When he kills the fly, he
realises that his life can be gone anytime.
2. imagery:
The first stanza is very much employing visual imagery. It is concluded
that the speaker actually watches the fly which plays gaily in the
summer day.
Auditory imagery is also found in the line 10, “And drink and sing”. The
use of “sing” triggers the reader's sense of hearing, making them feel
more immersed in the poem.
3. Metaphor:
In the lines “Then Am I a happy fly”, the speaker is once again
compared to a fly. The other metaphor is found in line 13–16; “If
thought is life And strength & breath”
Blake compares thought to life; it means that in life one must think.
Thought is a gift from God to humans, using thought means living. By
thinking, humans can live and they can have the strength to live.
On the other hand, “want of thought” is compared to death. The
metaphor suggests that humans need to maximize the use of thought.
4. Personification:
Summary:
In the poem The Fly, William Blake compares his life and death to that
of a fly which he happens to kill unintentionally and finally advises the
man to enjoy every day like the fly because no one knows when God
will take away our life.
We don’t have any control over our life or death, so thinking about the
future and fearing from it is something which makes us sad and joyless.
Hence we should accept our life, submit to our fate and live as much as
we can.
Themes: