Blake was a strong supporter of the American revolution, which he saw as a necessary break with European tyranny. In the poem

he portrays some of the events of the revolution, albeit mainly in terms of a battle between mythical figures. Washington, it is true, opens the action through his defiance of the British government; but that government is represented by 'Albion's Angel' (angels for Blake were usually negative figures of false purity and sanctimonious repression), who menaces the Americans. The presence of Albion's Angel necessarily produces a counter-presence, that of Orc, the spirit of violent revolution, who, interestingly, starts to revisit the weapons of war on Britain itself. The action, however, comes to no conclusion because there is an intervention by the more…

191 words

Citation: Punter, David. "America, A Prophecy". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 July 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6740, accessed 26 November 2024.]