Proud Blonde!

The Age of Enlightenment brought about knowledge and intelligence among the common human as never before. Rather than the church holding all power over the “sheep” humans had become, the common human now had the knowledge to accept or decline this power. The church had preached finding God in beauty and sensitivity, but with the availability of rational human thought and mathematics, beauty was being sought in new ways. Aristotle had thought patterns of beauty centered on symmetry of triangles, circles, and other shapes. William Blake, a poet, wrote poems in which the view of both are portrayed.

Romanticists are revived medievalists, placing emphasis again on beauty in art, literature, and music as more worthwhile than rational thinking and reason. They view only the innocence of life, that it is artistic and full of passion and feelings of love, care, forgiveness, and understanding. The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence) by Blake is an obvious portrayal of this medieval-like attitude, as he is putting forth even the chimney sweeper orphans as important and can have worth and beauty associated with them. Blake, considered by some the most pronounced Romanticist in England during his life, was also debated to be mad. His irrational way of thinking was not understood nor accepted by many as this romanticist position held by Blake was against the Industrial Revolution and Age of Enlightenment which had been accepted as the path to the future in the world. Blake was not convinced that true beauty or secrets to life was within math or symmetry, but of accepting the reality as full of beauty, that the divine is present in every aspect of reality. In the poem The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence) Blake identifies the source of all happiness is in what is to come for us, from the angels and God. The young boy who has the dream of the angels rescuing them from black coffins tells the others, and believe should they work hard, this angel will one day save them.

The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience) is another work of Blake, though titled the same and written 5 years apart. In these 5 years the innocence and beauty have escaped Blake, who no longer writes as a romanticist, but as almost a classical supporter. He has incorporated more of a sense of experience and knowledge to his writing, a more rational and realistic view on life seems to have taken over the poem. Classical beliefs such as these first became common during the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, which Blake fought so devotedly in his first publishing of The Chimney Sweeper. Blake had begun to accept the reality of the world which he has clearly learned from in the 5 years between publishing of the poems. The chief beauty of life is finding that symmetry and mathematical perfection in everyone and everything, and rejecting everything which did not possess it. The young chimney sweeper dressed in black weeping in the snow is a pitiful sight for anyone, and to hear his mother and father have left them there as they went on to church is angering and almost pathetic. The angel of hope for the young boys is no more, the desire for finding positives in life is extinguished.

As a young woman, I am just beginning to comprehend the similarities that are apparent among all human beings, and as I relate myself to the orphan in the poems, or to Blake himself, I find striking differences, but more so an ability to relate to their feelings and actions. The desire for all humans is for peace and love between all who they know and are acquainted with, but as seen the in writing of Blake, the ways of achieving this universal ideal is ever changing and differing. Romanticists take action upon giving pitiful orphaned chimney sweepers purpose and beauty, while classical philosophers could not find any beauty in the soul or essence of the chimney sweeper. I can relate to the Romanticists approach in this search more closely, but I can also understand the different paths to finding the human desire for beauty and passion. God allowed us these differences because He created us all different, and with our freedom of thought and speech, we can express our difference of opinions. God has inputted the above all goal of peace, unity, and love among us all, but also with our free will we view each others search attempt as wrong or even as extremist. We must have patience with each other to determine the true key to successful peace and good will among men.

Blake has presented the challenge of interpreting and understanding differing points of view by his publishing of two poems, though based on the same subject, completely altered in substance. Leaving it up to the reader, Blake portrayed two altering philosophical view points occurring in response to the Age of Enlightenment. The Romanticist is a more passionate, caring, and emotional philosophy, embracing the innocence of mother nature in our surroundings. The boys in the first Chimney Sweeper had beauty in their determination that their future will brighten and they will rejoice in love and hard work. The Classical philosophers have more reason and intellect in their work, they look for symmetry and perfection for beauty. The second Chimney Sweeper portrays the young chimney sweeper in a darker light because he is not the idea of symmetrical beauty required. The search for beauty and love is constantly changing routes, and Blake portrayed the battle of the two largest of his time in Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence) and Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience).

A teenage girl’s dramatic life can really be put into perspective when she is reunited with her older sister after a long 5 months. When my sister left home in early August for Salmon Arm, BC she left her little sister in a time where she was just learning how to be the young lady she was. I was in the midst of my first relationship, going into my grade 12 year, and trying to enjoy the last summer I had before I was thrown into the real world of a high school graduate. Little did I know how much my life would change in the time Corissa was away from home.

The relationship ended, school and volleyball were well underway, I was in touch with friends lost over the summer, and life went on. Before I knew it, my best friends were coming of age, my family was bestowing more responsibility upon me, and I was no longer just the teenage girl I had been before. With all the homework, working a part time job, and volleyball my time was booked solid; I kept busy to keep from thinking about the past or the intimidation of the future. It wasn’t yet that I truly realized the changes going on in my life, it would be months before I would have the time and energy to reflect on this growth.

My friends were spending more and more time with their boyfriends, my school workload had me overwhelmed, and even when I had a chance for spare time, all I could think of was catching up on sleep. I started to feel like my senior year was nothing but stressful, and without my sister I had no one to turn to. I could always talk to Corissa about what was going on in my life, but now I had to shoulder it all on my own. Sure I could call or text her, but she would never really understand how I was feeling that way. I realized I had to change my mentality of dealing with life, I had to become independent. Without Corissa, I was going to become a young lady who had the courage to rely on myself.

It wasn’t easy, and there were many times I would just break down and cry. But I had decided it was time to grow up and stop relying on others. I found my priority list and knew that what I needed the most was to be able to be proud of myself and do my best with the remaining time I had at home and in high school. It wouldn’t be long until I was at university or college and I needed to be ready for that. So I put school and homework at the top of the list. Next would be my family and closest friends, then work and sports. I was going to enjoy my last year, and no one was going to take it from me.

I got a tutor for math (something I had never expected to happen), I started all my applications for universities, I wrote essay after essay for scholarships, and I worked hard. It all started to pay off. Not only did my marks improve, I felt more in control of my own surroundings. I started to relax, never slacking in my efforts, but I got into a routine that allowed me to have faith in my abilities and enjoy working hard. It was still overwhelming with evening chemistry 30 classes, morning math 30 pure classes, and 6 page essays for social 30-1. But I battled, and I have never been more proud of myself. I had set my mind to it, and I was succeeding.

I realized the friends I could really count on when I needed them, I got addicted to coffee, and made a commitment to working out. I was actually enjoying my grade 12 year, single and having fun with the people who made me happy. I wasn’t constantly worrying about the next exam or essay, I had time to talk to friends and family, I was getting proper amounts of sleep, and I even found a self-confidence that had never existed before. I had finally found the balance I needed between hard work and happiness.

Christmas break came before I knew it, and wouldn’t you know that I couldn’t think of anything better to do than sleep and relax. Though I worked most days, even attempted studying a few times, I quickly fell out of my killer routine. The break was definitely needed, and I don’t regret a minute of the slack time I had. It was this break that turned out to be my saving grace before the hell we went through as grade 12s in January. The highlight of this break though was without a question when Corissa came home Christmas Eve.

I couldn’t believe how much time had passed since my sister had been home. It was so weird to have her sit at the supper table with us, to get ready with her in my room in the mornings, even just to see her walking around the house. Corissa and I also seemed on a more level playing field than ever before, I was shocked to find that her and I could relate and understand each other so well. It wasn’t until these few days we shared together that I realized how much things had changed. She no longer treated me like I was the annoying little brat that followed her around all those years, she actually seemed to enjoy spending time with me again. We could talk about anything together and not fight with each other.

She must have gotten more reasonable while in BC, my aunt and uncle must have taught her respect and courtesy, I thought of a million different reasons for our sudden ability to be loving sisters. I told her this, and she just laughed. She showed me the real reason we were not only sisters, but friends. I had changed. All the drama and stress I had learned to cope with in the last 5 months turned me into a young lady. Yes, Corissa had changed herself but not near the extent I had. When I told her how my life had been while she was gone, she knew I wasn’t the little sister she left at home 5 months before, I was changed, and for the better. She was so proud of me, I could tell by the way she talked to me, the way she looked at me, and I was happy, truly happy. I found this happiness with Corissa’s help, but I had created it to be found all on my own. With or without my sister and role model, I have become a young lady, and I am prepared for my future. I am ready.