The Human abstract - Synopsis and commentary

Synopsis of The Human Abstract

The Human Abstract

The speaker argues that pity could not exist unless there was poverty and inequality to excite it. Mercy would not be necessary if everyone was enabled to be happy. Peace is simply the result of fear, which prevents open dispute, until the development of selfishness overcomes it. Selfish love leads to cruelty, the desire to hurt, control and trap others. It does so by colluding with ‘holy fears' – such as fear of offending God – and tears of repentance or sorrow for offending God.

These tears water the ground, allowing the tree of humility to develop. This grows into a tree whose foliage is that of mystery. This foliage provides food for both caterpillar and fly. It produces the sweet fruit of deceit or lies. The raven (a bird linked with death) finds its nesting place in it. No gods have ever discovered the tree because it grows in the human mind.

Commentary

The Human Abstract is a symbolic analogy of how the human mind is the agent of its own downfall. This poem analyses the virtues - Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love - that constituted both God and humanity in The Divine Image in the Songs of Innocence.

This poem asserts that the traditional Christian virtues of mercy and pity presuppose a world of poverty and human suffering. By implication, if this is humankind's understanding of God, then he, too, seems to desire or accept such poverty and suffering.

Virtue as a human construct

These virtues represent a kind of passive and resigned sympathy which is blind to the fact that they, in fact, feed off the unjust situations so-called virtuous people create!

People like to experience pity for others and therefore may feel virtuous in giving a donation to the poor. However, few wish to change their way of life to ensure that no-one is poor
Mercy flatters individuals, because they can condescend to those more miserable than them, but it does not inspire them to raise others to their own level of contentment
Peace is similarly self-serving, arising not from love of others but from fear of what they might do otherwise
Meanwhile, love is expressed out of concern for the self rather than for others.

By speaking and thinking in abstract concepts, Blake illustrates how people are able to deceive themselves concerning the true motives for their conduct. It is a way of avoiding the world humanity has created. The poem's title suggests humankind has produced an image of human nature made up of abstract concepts, which actually flatter and conceal the truth about it.

Religion as a human construct

According to Blake, such abstract ideas are at the root of what he observes of contemporary religious practice. For Blake, the whole religious ‘system' issues from self-centred love, which breeds a cruel desire to control and repress human powers.

Blake then uses an allusion to a tree. In the Bible, Jesus describes the kingdom of God as being like a strong plant which develops from the seed of faith. It is an image of freedom and life – all the birds find shelter in its capacious branches Mark 4:30-32. However, the tree described in the poem represents the system of religion devised by the human brain. It is an image of oppression and death:

According to Blake, the mind which has fallen into selfish love begins to develop ideas of God as one to be feared, a God ‘out there' who is ruler, judge and potential tyrant
Fear leads to tears of repentance for causing offence to this ruler, thus keeping the mind in subjection to ‘God'
This gives rise to humility. Rather than the positive association usually given to this, Blake saw humility as an undervaluing of human powers and their capacity to be indwelt by God. He held that humility meant believing oneself to be nothing in comparison to this external authority figure
The more such humility grows, the more incomprehensible and divorced from human beings the human idea of God becomes
This develops into ‘Mystery' – the belief that humankind is living under a system unfathomable to the mortal mind. According to this perspective, individuals are, therefore, subject to powers beyond themselves
This leads to more pernicious beliefs, symbolised by caterpillars and flies which are destructive or disease-bearing
The final result is the ‘fruit' of deceit, the religious system which, to Blake, was a web of lies about the true nature of reality
Unlike the biblical image, the human grown tree in the poem shelters, in its deepest shade, spiritual death, represented by the raven.

Humanity imprisoned by itself

Implicit in the poem is a critique of the way in which people have developed ‘mind-forg'd manacles'. These are systems of thought which have led to the construction of oppressive social structures. Chief among them is the Church, and its authority as the guardian of ‘mystery'. Also included is the monarchical state, underpinned by Church authority. This adds to the image of a regal, hierarchical and controlling God.

So Blake suggests here that the origins for social ills are, in fact, to be found within human beings who have fallen into divided selfhood. They have created a ‘God' and a social order in their own image.

Investigating The Human Abstract

Compare this poem with A Divine Image in the Songs of Experience.

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. ²And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ³Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. ⁶And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. ⁸And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. ⁹And he said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. ¹⁰And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹And he said to them, To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, ¹²so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven. ¹³And he said to them, Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴The sower sows the word. ¹⁵And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. ¹⁶And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. ¹⁷And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. ¹⁸And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, ¹⁹but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²⁰But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. ²¹And he said to them, Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? ²²For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. ²³If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. ²⁴And he said to them, Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. ²⁵For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁶And he said, The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. ²⁷He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. ²⁸The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ²⁹But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. ³⁰And he said, With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? ³¹It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, ³²yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. ³³With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. ³⁴He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. ³⁵On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, Let us go across to the other side. ³⁶And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. ³⁷And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. ³⁸But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? ³⁹And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace! Be still! And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰He said to them, Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? ⁴¹And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

¹And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. ²And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, ³Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: ⁴And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. ⁵And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: ⁶But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. ⁷And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. ⁸And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. ⁹And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. ¹⁰And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. ¹¹And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: ¹²That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. ¹³And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? ¹⁴The sower soweth the word. ¹⁵And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. ¹⁶And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; ¹⁷And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. ¹⁸And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, ¹⁹And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. ²⁰And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. ²¹And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? ²²For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. ²³If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. ²⁴And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. ²⁵For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. ²⁶And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; ²⁷And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. ²⁸For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. ²⁹But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. ³⁰And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? ³¹It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: ³²But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. ³³And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. ³⁴But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. ³⁵And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. ³⁶And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. ³⁷And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. ³⁸And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? ³⁹And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? ⁴¹And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

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Songs of Innocence and Experience Contents