The motif of the Fall of Man is often used in both poetry and prose. More specifically, William Blake uses the motif of the fall of man in his poem The Book of Thel and in his poem The Shepherd. Blake, in this case, uses this motif in some of his poems to evoke different feelings through allusions to Adam and Eve. The Book of Thel presents us with a world very close to that of Adam and Eve, a pastoral paradise in which man and nature are linked in a form of mystical unity. Thel is able to speak to the nature around her and gain knowledge of the world, just as Eve gained knowledge after eating the forbidden fruit. This world, while seemingly perfect, traps Thel and is a catalyst for her limitation. Just like The Book of Thel, The Shepherd also presents a pastoral paradise, in which there is a Shepherd (an allusion to God) who watches over his sheep (God's people). Drawing a contrast to Thel's situation, however, Blake presents this world as one in which sheep, or people, are given free choice and independence because of their knowledge of God watching over them, an effect of the fall of man. Using this motif of the fall of man, Blake criticizes the way people limit themselves based on different aspects of life (such as mortality) that are an effect of the Fall, and praises the independence people have based on Fall. and the consequent independence from God. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Book of Thel uses the motif of the fall of man to suggest a critique of the way people limit themselves and their based experiences, primarily by bringing together the religious and the secular. The first sign of this motif lies in the pastoral paradise in which Thel lives; this paradise imitates the Garden of Eden in which Adam and Eve lived. Secondly, Thel's innocence and lack of experience are what most resemble Adam and Eve's relationship with the world around them. Thel wonders aloud, “…why does the water lotus fade?” (Blake, p. 45). Her innocence parallels that of Adam and Eve, but unlike Eve's, Thel's fears are ultimately what leads her to limit herself, thus criticizing the way the fall of man affects some people . Thel is said to fear that no one will "find [her] place" when she dies and that "when [she] laments, no one will hear [her] voice" (Blake, p. 45). Blake presents these complaints as normal, especially after the effect God had on humans after the Fall. It is only when Thel goes to her grave and flees after hearing a voice, that we consider the limitations Thel has set for herself (Blake, p. 49). Instead of seeing past mortality, he runs towards it. Furthermore, she is said to have "fled back unhindered until she came to the valleys of Har", implying that she was again thwarted (perhaps by her own means) at Har (Blake, 49). In presenting this scene, which combines with allusions to the story of Adam and Eve, Blake depicts the motif of the fall of man as a criticism of the limits that some place for themselves, for fear of God's wrath. In the same way that Adam and Eve distanced themselves from God, Thel also falls into disgrace by limiting herself and continually questioning herself. Furthermore, Blake combines allusions to religion with mystical allusions to nature to show the way earthly mortality becomes prison-like for Some. In the Book of Thel, the unity between man and nature before the allusion to death and broken bonds seems to mimic the theme of the fall of man almost exactly. Blake describes theClouds, the Lilies, and the Clay as they aid Thel in her quest to gain knowledge of mortality and its purpose; her innocence allows her to gain the trust of the nature around her, recalling the unity that Eve had with nature. It is only once he gains knowledge and learns death that he falls from the graces of God - or perhaps the world -, recalling the fall of man after Eve gained knowledge. We can see in the poem that God's punishments for Eve and Thel, and the fall of man as the reason, relate to the larger question of whether God created a deadly prison for some or instead created the joy of life. Blake seems to think the latter, and apparently Blake is criticizing the prison that people build for themselves. In his poetry, he uses religion, nature, and imagination to convey this position. When Thel fears that no one would notice his passing, the Cloud assures her that when he dies, "It is tenfold sacred life, love, peace and ecstasy," to which Thel immediately replies that she "will not it is like you” (Blake, 47). By saying this, Thel begins to break the ties between herself and nature – or, rather, between herself and life – in a way that is reminiscent of Eve's breaking when she acquired the knowledge of the apple, deception, the Devil, and life. Thel uses his own questions about life, which parallel Eve's questions, to imprison himself, just as others do because of questions about their own mortality. He is alone it is ultimately, however, that Blake's criticisms emerge. “Why can't the Ear be closed to its own destruction?” Blake investigates, through “the voice of pain” (Blake, 49). Here Blake wonders why people are unable to forget their own mortality, why they have to question everything and limit themselves based on it criticism of humans based on their fear of God's wrath, and conveys his feelings by alluding to, among other things, the fall of man motif is used more subtly in the poem The Shepherd; rather than allude to the pain caused by separation from God, Blake chooses to explore the positive side of the Fall, showing God's punishment as a blessing rather than a curse. Although God's punishment due to the fall of man is often seen as a curse, Blake seems to explain here that the tendency to be good to others and not sin comes from our knowledge of God's ever-present power. "He is watchful while they are at peace, / For they know when their shepherd is near," he says Blake of the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd (Blake, p. 2). Although this phrase seems to suggest that the shepherd is only alert when the sheep are at peace, it could also convey an entirely different meaning. Since sheep know when their “Shepherd is near,” Blake seems to suggest that sheep are peaceful (read: well-behaved) whenever their Shepherd – God – is near. If God is always present and omnipotent, it is assumed that they are always driven to be good. Rather than forcing his people to be good citizens and follow his word, God gives them the choice to do so, albeit under the assumption that God is always watching them and will punish them if necessary. Blake emphasizes this blessing of God's influence by noting that God's tongue is constantly “full of praise” (Blake, 2). Blake not only says that people are forced to be good because of the Fall, but he also says that they are rewarded for doing so. The Pastor wonders whether Blake is conveying that people feel compelled to do good, or whether they are voluntarily compelled to do good because of God's influence. Blake seems to think the latter, that God has given people the free will and whatever they are.