The poem
Little Fly Thy summers play, My thoughtless hand Has brush'd away.
Am not I A fly like thee? Or art not thou A man like me?
For I dance And drink & sing; Till some blind hand Shall brush my wing.
If thought is life And strength & breath; And the want Of thought is death;
Then am I A happy fly, If I live, Or if I die.
English Literature
The fly is metaphorical of man, for the fly represents mans place in the world. In doing so, the ''little fly" exemplifies the futility of man to God as God simply brushes away mankind with his "blind hand" thoughtlessly. Gods nature is questioned here as the classical theists conception of God is challenged as his carelessness replaces benevolence. The first three stanzas demonstrate innocence through the symbol of…
Read the whole commentThe fly is metaphorical of man, for the fly represents mans place in the world. In doing so, the ''little fly" exemplifies the futility of man to God as God simply brushes away mankind with his "blind hand" thoughtlessly. Gods nature is questioned here as the classical theists conception of God is challenged as his carelessness replaces benevolence. The first three stanzas demonstrate innocence through the symbol of a fly. The engraving which connects to the poem shows a child's arms being lifted by an experienced elder like a flies wings, thus, illustrating that the fly is like an innocent child who inevitably will be exposed to death and the elder is preparing them for this. Initially, within the first three stanzas, Blake likens himself to the fly to show the comparison of the fly being inferior and unimportant to man as is man to God. The fourth and fifth stanza then continue by distinguishing man from the fly as the fly upholds the carefree nature, similar to Lyca in 'The Little Girl Lost'. The fly has no fear as it has little awareness of its futility in life and therefore does not worry about death, this is a state of innocence that Blake admires. However, the ominous state of experience is looming for mankind which exposes humans to the threat of death. By doing so Blake manages to segregate the two contrary states through the structure, yet intertwines them within the poem. The philosophical thought of questioning existence also demonstrates Blake's characteristic concerns about institutionalised religion. The 'happy fly, if I live, or if i die' conveys the flies lack of worry about his mortality. This portraying the message that man should not live in fear of death, which religion imposes upon society. This is found in the last stanza as this is where Blake explores the differences between man and the fly as man cannot share the flies naivety found within innocence as man is exposed to the corruption of life and religion through experience.
(This is what I understand from my analysis of Blake at A2 level)