Community Assignment: Marriage of Heaven and Hell

       The Marriage of Heaven and Hell By William Bake is a controversial and challenging piece of work to interpret, but an ambitious group of students decided to create a blog dedicated to  Blake’s Marriage of Heaven and Hell called heavenandhell.  I found this blog interesting and informative about one of Blake’s most famous writings, Marriage of Heaven and Hell.  Never reading it, I still felt I have a decent idea of the themes and points by exploring this blog.  This blog is full of content that is helpful to understanding the Marriage of Heaven and Hell.  It is very creative, with a relevant background and symbol  that adds to the content.  A video is also included, giving the viewer an option to experience part of the poem with artwork and music. The video also shows multiple quotes including this one, “Those who restrain desire, do so because they are week enough to be restrained”(Blake). Although I do not fully agree with this statement, it is one that lingers. Including quotes like this one on the blog leaves the viewer with food for thought, causing further research on Romanticism. Andy Abelein’s  The Meaning of "Marriage" In "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" explains how the meaning of marriage is different to many people using the analogy of the game telephone.  Everyone hears what they think they hear and are upset others didn’t hear the same.  This analogy struck me and made me realise it is relevant to interpreting all poetry, everyone can gain something different.  Abelein did a good job of bringing up content that could pose many opinions, explaining the different sides, and displaying their points without diminishing any views.   This blog is important because it helps interpret and break down a difficult poem.  It brings up points of imagery and tackles symbolism that is complex and hard to decipher, giving the reader a better understanding of Blake’s poetry.  To someone who knows nothing of Romantic poetry, this blog is enticing and could serve as an entry to reading more romantic poetry and exploring other authors.  Ultimately, this blog is alluring and shines a positive light on Romantic poetry with creativity, but still remains relevant.