Optimism in Blake's Songs of Experience

To be “optimistic” is to “believe that good things will happen in the future”. Most readers would balk at the poems within Songs of Experience being described thus. Afterall the collection is meant as a contradiction to Songs of Innocence – the latter showing life through the eyes of innocent children, while Songs of Experience illustrate an “experienced” view of the world. However, to simply polarise the two would be a gross injustice to the complexities …

…lead him to set her free, and give her the independence and freedom she requires. “A Little Girl Lost” is representative of the entire Songs of Experience. Though they are bleak and gloomy, Songs of Experience are essentially warnings of the possible consequences if Mankind continues in his current path. Blake does not condemn humans to such a hell, but instead offers a solution and avenue of escape. In this solution, optimism can be found.