The Clod and the Pebble by William Blake

Summary of the poem:

The poem, “The Clod and the Pebble” by William Blake depicts a conversation between a clod

of clay and a pebble stating their contrasting perspectives on the nature of love. The poem begins

with the clod of clay singing that love is about selflessness or giving yourself to someone else.

This clod of clay in the earth has been trodden down by the feet of cattle yet it is unbothered and

optimistic, continuing to praise love. Once the clod of clay has offered this view, a pebble from a

brook declares that love is selfish and makes a lover manipulate another to their own desires

instead of serving in their favor. In this way, love turns a heaven into hell, the polar opposite of

what the clod of clay believed.

Significant poetic devices and their significance (e.g. metaphors, symbols, rhyme scheme,

form, imagery, repetition, etc.):

1. Symbolism: Blake chose a clod of clay and a pebble as symbols for contrasting perspectives

on love due to their appearance and nature which align to their beliefs. He specifically utilizes a

“Clod of Clay” which is small, soft, and feasible to change to symbolize its innocent narrative on

love about being selfless and submissive to another. On the contrary, the solid “Pebble” which is

unaffected by its surroundings parallels its harsh narrative on love about being selfish and

benefiting from another. In addition, clays capability to harden may symbolize that it still has not

gone through what the pebble has experienced which is potentially heartbreak. Furthermore, both

of these characters being small in nature may symbolize how they do not have the full

perspective on love which is insignificant in the grand scheme of life.

2. Personification: The personification of the clod of clay and pebble melodically expressing

their respective perspective on love in different manners creates a specific tone or atmosphere for

the audience, placing further emphasis on how each character perceives love. For instance, the

clod of clay is stated to have “sung” their opinion creating a more positive, joyful, and hopeful

tone towards love implying that the clod of clay praises it. On the other hand, the pebble

“warbled” their opinion on love which is another way of singing, however it is considered

unsteady and the word does not sound as elegant or smooth as “sung”, making their depiction of

love seem further negative. This unfavorable choice of verb correlates to how the pebble's

perspective on love is viewed as less attractive in society.

3. Visual/Kinesthetic Imagery: In line 6, the visual or kinesthetic image of the clod of clay

being “Trodden with the cattle's feet” places further emphasis on it being too naive or innocent as

its selflessness it carried to an extreme as it neglects the harm that others (cattle) bring upon it.

On the contrary, if the pebble were to have been trodden by the cattle it would have brought no

apparent affect to the pebble but it would cause possible pain to the cattle. In addition, in line 7

the pebble is stated to be from a “brook” illustrating how its presence causes the flow of water to

bend around it which corresponds to the pebble's belief of being dominant or controlling of

another in love. These two visual or kinesthetic images demonstrate to the audience how when

one is selfish in a relationship it causes the inevitable suffering of another.

4. Alliteration (sonic devices): Throughout the poem alliteration is utilized especially in the

second stanza which contains phrases such as “So sung” and “metres meet”. These alliterative

phrases along with assonance, consonance, and the simple rhyme scheme or rhythms (ABAB

CDED AFAF) causes the poem to feel musical which correlates to how the clod of clay and
pebble sing their opposing perspective on love. This allows the audience to better memorize the

poem like a lesson being learned which in this case is about love.

5. Antithesis/Juxtaposition: The poem's entire structure is an antithesis between two different

perspectives on love. This can be seen in the dialogue between the clod of clay and pebble when

they repeat many contrasting words and phrases, but in a different sequence to emphasize their

own opinions. For instance, the clod of clay states in line 4 that love “builds a Heaven in Hell’s

despair”, while the pebble states in line 12 that love “builds a Hell in Heavens despite”. This

juxtaposition between “Heaven” and “Hell” supports the ideas that the clod of clay and pebble

both propose and underscores how love can either hurt or help someone.

Identify the speaker of the poem: Third-person narrator who narrates the conversation between

the clod of clay and the pebble.

Identify the speaker’s attitude(s) toward the subject of the poem:

The speaker itself does not express any particular attitude or perspective on love however the

characters do. The clod of clay has an innocent view towards love and praises it believing love is

the act of being selfless in caring for another. On the other hand, the pebble has a more

experienced view towards love and believes that it is the act of taking advantage of another or

being selfish. These two different perspectives are seen as negative as one brings upon

self-destruction while the other causes harm on others showing that neither is perfect or correct

which leaves the audience to interpret and decide what they believe in. However, while the

author does not explicitly state his opinion on this matter, the poem does suggest that he believes

being selfish is incorrect and incompatible in the beauty of love bringing happiness.
Paired poems (identify three poems from the anthology and describe why they would pair

well with this poem) Two points of comparison.

1. Passion: The poem, “Passion” by Kathleen Raine follows the speaker or narrator going

through the process of healing after a heartbreak by connecting with nature and becoming aware

that they are never alone due to eternal love and passion. Like the poem, “The Clod and the

Pebble” they both demonstrate how love can cause one to suffer through visual imagery. For

instance, in line 9 of “Passion”, the speaker correlates her loss of harmony with nature due to

heartbreak through the image of, “the savage conches of the beach”. This illustration emphasizes

how the author feels out of place or threatened in environmental settings that are known for

being peaceful. Additionally, conches represent the sound of the ocean and the speaker viewing

them as “savage” further implies that they lack connection with nature due to their feelings of

loneliness or separation after being heartbroken in a relationship. Similarly, in line 6 of “The

Clod and the Pebble”, the visual/kinesthetic imagery of the clod of clay being “Trodden with the

cattle’s feet” demonstrates how a lover who is too selfless neglects their own value causing them

to allow harm be brought upon them. Another point of comparison can be seen through both of

these poems utilizing personification of nature to demonstrate their themes on love. In line 10 of

“Passion”, the “sky” is personified and shown to speak to the speaker in order for them to

understand that their loneliness and what they desire can be found through the eternal love of

existing with nature. Likewise, a “Clod of Clay” and a “pebble” which are both pieces of the

earth are personified to express their own perspectives on love. While the clod of clay suggests

that love is about selflessness the pebble states that love is actually the exact opposite, being

selfish. Overall, both poems use the same poetic devices to show common attributes of love's

effects in society.
2. Winter Song: The poem, “Winter Song” by Elizabeth Tollet follows a narrator who proves

their love and commitment to their beloved by describing the suffering they would endure to be

with them while keeping them safe and happy. Similar to the poem, “The Clod and the Pebble”

they both share the common theme of being selfless to an extreme of suffering to meet the

desires of their lover which can be seen through their uses of visual imagery. This can be seen

through the visual imagery in line 4 of “Winter Song” which states that the speaker would go to

“regions of eternal snow” in order to be with their lover. The exaggerated setting of perpetual

coldness emphasizes the speaker's willingness to suffer demonstrating their love and

commitment they hold for their lover. Likewise, in line 6 of “The Clod and the Pebble” the visual

imagery of the clod being “Trodden with the cattle’s feet” illustrates how the clod of clay happily

takes its suffering as self-sacrifice or selflessness in order for the cattle to be able to stand on

something soft/comfortable. Another point of comparison can be seen through both of the poems'

heavy use of alliteration to make their poem feel musical and memorable while also evoking a

specific feeling for the audience. For instance, the first line of “Winter Song” contains an

alliteration that states, “Ask me no more, my truth to prove”. The repeated use of the “m” sound

makes the speaker seem more determined and insistent on what they will be trying to

accomplish. On the other hand, in line 5 of “The Clod and the Pebble” the alliterative phrase “So

sung” causes the clods perspective on love to seem more elegant and smooth. Overall, both

poems share the common theme of suffering for love and establish it with poetic devices that are

used similarly.

3. Love (III): The poem, “Love (III)” by George Herbert focuses on the sacred love between a

worshiper and God. Like the poem “The Clod and the Pebble”, these two poems personify love

in different manners in order to show its characteristics. For example, in “Love (III)” love is
personified as God and is seen to speak to the speaker which is clearly shown in line 13 when the

speaker acknowledges this love as “Lord”. In the first stanza, it is stated that this love “drew

nearer” to the speaker “sweetly questioning” if they “lacked anything” showing that this form of

love (God) is forgiving and pleasantly embraceful despite the worshiper (speaker) having guilt of

“sin”. On the contrary, in “The Clod and the Pebble” love is personified in two different manners

one being the “Clod of Clay” who represents love as selflessness and the other being the

“Pebble” who represents love as selfishness. These characteristics of love in both poems are

further emphasized through the poems' use of alliteration which in this case both compare two

different things. For instance, in the first line of “Love (III)” it states that, “Love bade me

welcome; yet my soul drew back”. The alliteration and assonance of “ba” in the words “bade”

and “back” contrasts the feelings between love from God and the worshiper. It places further

emphasis on how this love is welcoming and wants to help others who avoid it no matter if they

face guilt of committing sin. Similarly, in “The Clod and the Pebble” the alliterative phrases of

“Heaven in Hell” or “Hell in Heaven” emphasizes the contrast in each perspective or

representation of love creating despair in peace or peace in despair. In retrospect, both poems

contain a different form of love however they use similar poetic devices such as alliteration and

personification to show its attributes and effects on individuals/life.

Memorable lines (include lines that reinforce poetic devices, theme, concepts, etc)

1. “Love seekth not itself to please,”

2. “But for another gives its ease,”

3. “Love seekth only self to please,”

4. “Joys in another’s lost of ease,”