Contradictions and Paradoxes in the Human Soul in “the...

Contradictions and paradoxes in the human soul in â€Å"The Human Abstract†, by William Blake Before being good or bad, human beings are just humans who have to live with their own nature, which they sometimes cannot control. Man can do good or evil but he always makes it with a unique purpose, his personal satisfaction, because it is simply in his nature. Thus, human beings aware of good and evil are confronted with conflicting choices but they never act against their will. The poem, â€Å"The Human Abstract†, written by William Blake reflects on these characteristics of human beings and demonstrates how they are unconsciously corrupted by their own nature in a selfish way. The poem â€Å"The Human Abstract† contains several contradictions†¦show more content†¦One is real and the other one is more conceptual but both represent nature as a tree of life and knowledge which influences the decisions of people. Furthermore, the tree of knowledge of good and evil makes reference to the decay of humanity, in the Book of Genesis, because of Adam and Eve. The f ifth stanza makes clearly the link between â€Å"the fruit of Deceit† in the poem and the forbidden fruit eaten by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The first two lines of the paragraph contain a contradiction between terms which are commonly not compatible: â€Å"And it bears the fruit of Deceit / Ruddy and sweet to eat†. Indeed, â€Å"the fruit of Deceit† reveals the decadence of humanity, the sins of human beings and also the end of innocence. Besides, only because of his appellation, this fruit is supposed to be bad and bearer of misfortune. Nonetheless, â€Å"the fruit of Deceit† is described as â€Å"ruddy and sweet to eat† which gives the urge to eat it. Thus, despite the contradictions, men are corrupted by their selfish desires because â€Å"Of the Mystery over his head†. Moreover, the tree of knowledge gives birth to the nest of raven which symbolizes death: â€Å"And the raven his nest has made / In its thickest shade†. E ffectively, the paradox is that the tree carries the fruit of Deceit and the nest of the raven which both signify mortality and darkness. However, near these two symbols of death stands a gorgeous andShow MoreRelatedwisdom,humor and faith19596 Words   |  79 Pageshumor. Genuine humor is replete with wisdom.† Mark Twain, quoted in Opie Percival Read, Mark Twain and I (1940), 17. â€Å"Humor offers both a form of wisdom and a means of survival in a threatening world. It demands that we reckon with the realities of human nature and the world without falling into grimness and despair.† Roger Shattuck, The Banquet Years: The Origins of the Avant-Garde in France—1885 to World War I, rev. ed. (1968), 248. â€Å"Humor is, in fact, a prelude to faith; and laughter is theRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesUnderstanding Work Teams 307 Communication 335 Leadership 367 Power and Politics 411 Conflict and Negotiation 445 Foundations of Organization Structure 479 v vi BRIEF CONTENTS 4 The Organization System 16 Organizational Culture 511 17 Human Resource Policies and Practices 543 18 Organizational Change and Stress Management 577 Appendix A Research in Organizational Behavior Comprehensive Cases Indexes Glindex 637 663 616 623 Contents Preface xxii 1 1 Introduction Read MoreStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 Pageswe should be spending most of our lives airborne at 40 000 feet. â€Å" . . . world population, and also the available labour force in industrial countries, is doubl- This can be contrasted with a rather more serious comment made by Professor William H. Pickering of Harvard in a speech made during June 1908, in which his lack of imagination is as extreme as De Jouvenal’s excess: † carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steamship. It seems safe to say that such ideas