Poem #204. The Lamb (Page 274)

The Good Shepherd 

Repetition:

In the poem “The Lamb”, William Blake uses repetition to create a rhythm and mood for the poem. He also uses repetition to stress the importance of certain lines and their symbolism. The poem contains repetition of, “Little Lamb,” as the poet addresses the small animal with questions and statements about its origin. The questions and thoughts themselves are also repeated in the poem. 

In the first stanza, “Little lamb who made thee?” is the first line of the poem and repeated again at the end of the stanza. This question is stressed because it forms the basis for the general theme of the poem which is creation. The question is much broader than a question of literal birth; it is a question of faith. The question used the word “made” to reference the Christian belief about the creation of earth. It is written both at the beginning and end, because in the middle of the stanza there are questions of where each of the lambs characteristics came from. The repetition of the question further installs the power and beauty of the creation of the lamb. 

The next stanza begins with the line, “Little Lamb, I’ll tell thee,” this line is repeated again as the second line of that stanza. This line forms the introduction for the answer to all the questions posed in the prior stanza. This line is repeated to emphasize the importance of the answer to come. It represents a priest or preacher about to teach the word of God. In this case the little lamb is a symbol for the people of the world, since in the bible it is said that we are the lambs and God or Christ is our shepherd. In the stanza the speaker explains that Christ calls himself a lamb as well and relates people to the Lord. 

The last line of the poem is repeated twice in a row as well, “Little Lamb, God bless thee.” This line is repeated as if it was the end of a prayer and to bring the entire theme of the poem full circle. It is determined in this stanza that the voice of the poem is indeed that of a child. Therefore, the child is asking God to bless the lamb. This also brings back the idea of God as a shepherd and the flock as the people of the world. The young boy asks the shepherd to look over his flock. The statement is larger than just a little lamb, it is in reference to all things young, innocent, and beautiful in the world. 

The over all repetition of, “Little Lamb,” is the poets way of continually referencing a symbol as well as creating a rhythm. The little lamb is a symbol for all the beauty and innocents that God created in the world. The poem is written to emphasize the miraculous power of God. The repetition also gives the poem a childlike sound, a very song-like format. This, once again, ties in with the innocents of the subject and the voice of the poem which is a child. 

End Rhymes:

William Blake uses end rhymes in his poem “The Lamb” to create a voice and further develop the theme. The end rhymes give the poem a song like feel along with the repeated lines. The poem develops a sweetness in its rhythm that compliments both the voice and subject. The poem focusses on innocents and beauty. The voice of the poem is a child’s voice. The end rhymes give the poem more of a youthful sound because rhyming is common in children’s rhymes and songs. Primarily, the rhymes portray the poem as a children’s prayer. One that would be taught in Sunday school or something similar. This further ties into the second stanza where the little lamb is being taught about who made him, and that the Lord is too a lamb. 

The end rhymes also focus on words that have positive denotations as well as connotations. Words such as delight and bright, voice and rejoice, and mild and child all give a joyful and light feel to the poem. This further installs the theme of the beauty of the world that God created. 

Reaction: 

William Blake created the embodiment of the positive and innocent aspects of religion. Immediately, one feels the soft and pleasant emotions that caress one’s thought process. The rhythm of the poem makes it a pleasure to read, especially out loud. Coming from a family of the Christian faith I found the poem extremely relatable as well as enjoyable. The way that Blake portrays faith is beautiful. He captures the idea that we have so much in the world to wonder over, and appreciate. Though the idea of the Lord as a lamb, and the people of the world as lambs is very common, Blake does it in a way that is refreshingly graceful and simple. The lines, “I a child and thou a lamb, we are called by his name.” Gives a sense of equality to all of the blessings in the world, and all of the things God created. The child and lamb are one in the same.