Student essay on The Chimney Sweeper

Brainstorm:

·         Innocence: uses of lexical discourse which has connotations of innocence and purity – ‘white hair’, ‘Angel’ and ‘joy’. White is often associated with pureness, as it is untainted, the Angel which was sighted by Tom has religious connotations (creating heavenly imagery), and the abstract noun ‘joy’ is associated with happiness and delight, all of which have evidently been incorporated in Blake’s world of innocence.

·         Experience: juxtaposes entirely the semantic field of virtuousness presented in the Songs of Innocence → e.g. ‘black’, ‘weep’ and ‘woe’. Black is the stark opposite of ‘white’ and is often associated with death and doom. The visceral verb ‘weep’ suggests poignancy and the repetition of this intensifies this indication. The abstract noun ‘woe’ has connotations of despondency also. This negative ambience contrasts that of the Songs of Innocence.

·         Innocence: The Biblical references are used to connote positivity and the view of religion in an optimistic light, for instance ‘He’d have God for his father’ suggesting Blake believes God will look after this unfortunate child chimney sweeper, and the ‘Angel had a bright key’ implies the Angel will unlock the opportunity for Tom to be cared for.

·         Experience: The Biblical references in the Songs of Experience are much more so associated with negativity. The phrase ‘who make up a heaven of misery’ makes the assertion that God’s kingdom is one of deceit, as while his parents attend church he is left to work in the chimneys. Also, Blake negatively presents the priests as well, and uses sarcasm in the line ‘and are gone to praise God & his Priest & King’.

·         Innocence: The plot to the Songs of Innocence is about a child finding it’s way to love and care. The first stanzas of the poem set the scene and evoke sympathy for the child who (is potentially an orphan) has to work in poor conditions, and he then is able to find God within himself and proceeds to feel much more able to continue working.

·         Experience: The plot to the Songs of Experience is very different, as we learn of how parents think they are being righteous by attending Church while they’re child goes to work in bitterly poor conditions, and it is inevitable that he will become cynical of the world.

Discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience in both poems of ‘The Chimney Sweeper’.

 

    Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience in both poems of ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ to be completely juxtapositional realms. The Chimney Sweeper in the Songs of Innocence is presented in almost the form of a story whereby a child reaches enlightenment and contentment as a result of his discovery of religion. The Chimney Sweeper in the Songs of Experience, however, is contrasting to this and has a consistently melancholic ambience throughout. The two dimensions are therefore dissimilar in many aspects in relation to the atmosphere of the poems, however, the literary and linguistic techniques may not be so disparate.

   Firstly, Blake represents the world of innocence to be one revolving around the idea of hope. The character in the Chimney Sweeper, Tom Dacre, is portrayed to be a symbol of this yearning. It is evident that the children of this time period are often the victim of poverty, but Blake cleverly injects his own personal religious beliefs in the poem to illustrate to the reader how religion can act as a saviour. The biblical references throughout the poem are used to connote aspiration and the view of religion in a positive light. For example, the line “He’d have God for this father” suggests that God will care for this unfortunate child, and furthermore, the line “The Angel had a bright key” implies that the Angel would unlock the opportunity for Tom to be cared for. As a result, the world of innocence therefore seems to be one of tenderness and has the chance for those in need to be cherished. However, the biblical references in the Songs of Experience indicate the stark opposite of that illustrated throughout the Songs of Innocence. The phrase ‘who make up a heaven of misery’ leaves the reader under the impression that God’s kingdom is one of deceit, as whilst this poor child is cleaning chimneys his parents are attending church to clear their conscience. This is further reinforced through the line ‘and are gone to praise God & his Priest & King’, which has a surreptitious hint of sarcasm; which allows Blake to insert his own negative view of priests. The world of experience is considered to be very cynical of religion, as it is evident that there is a distrust between the character in the poem and the theme of the Church. The perception of religion is therefore differentiated greatly between the two poems, as one is overwhelmingly positive, and the other is significantly more despondent.

   The world of innocence is considered to be almost a utopia; as Blake uses lexical discourse which has connotations of innocence and purity. For example, the adjective ‘white’ to describe Tom Dacre’s hair is often associated with pureness, as it is untainted. This suggests that in the worlds of innocence there is nothing target to corruption, as we learn of how Tom Dacre is able to find cheer within himself. In addition to this, the abstract noun ‘joy’ is induces the ambience to be filled of happiness, and suggests that the world of innocence very much operates on the basis of this emotion. We are therefore left under the impression that delight is a welcoming environment that the world of innocence is founded upon. However, when we compare the general mood of the poem to the Chimney Sweeper in the Songs of Experience, we are greeted with a much more poignant setting. The world of experience is entirely contradictory to the world of innocence and this harsh comparison conveys it to be a dystopia. The semantic field of virtuousness presented in the Songs of Innocence has been eradicated, and lexis linked to much darker emotions are presented. For example, the repetition of the visceral verb ‘weep’ suggests to the reader that the character in this poem is the object of dejection, as the fact that it is repeated twice in conjunction with emotive language, such as ‘woe’, provides an engulfing sense of guilt. Additionally, the adjective ‘black’ is used to describe the character, ‘a little black thing amongst the snow’; which demonstrates that his misery vividly stands out. There is an overpowering realisation that in the worlds of experience the strong emotion of depression cannot be escaped, which only intensifies the intense difference between the two worlds.

   However, in spite of the two domains existing with contrasting vibes, they often contain many similar techniques to present the way the worlds serve. For example, both poems encompass a semantic field of naturalistic imagery and description. The world of innocence is portrayed to be one of happiness, as the lines ‘then down a green plain leaping laughing they run And wash in a river and shine in the Sun’. The ‘river’ in culmination with the dynamic verb ‘wash’ has connotations that the orphaned chimney sweepers are washing away their sorrows as they relish the opportunity to find faith within themselves after an apparition of an Angel appeared to them. The eradication of sorrow conveys the perception that any misery existing in the world of innocence will always be diminished as sanguinity prevails. In addition, the reference to the ‘Sun’ in aggregation with the visceral verb ‘shine’ expresses the idea that optimism will always radiate throughout the world of innocence, despite whatever circumstances these ill-fated children may encounter. Analogously, in the Songs of Experience, Blake uses antithesis in the line ‘And smil’d among the winters snow’; again using the semantic field of nature and the seasons to convey emotion and sentiment. The stative verb ‘smile’ used alongside the ‘winter snow’ is juxtaposed as winter notoriously is associated with harsh weather conditions and the bitter cold. This leaves the reader with a captivating sense of pity; as it is evident that the child in this poem has to work in these environments whilst feigning that he is content. This emotional abyss and torment creates a conflict for the reader, and Blake cleverly evokes empathy and commiseration for a potentially hypothetical child. Although the idea being presented is entirely contrasting, Blake uses similar techniques to convey opposing messages, which ultimately illustrates how Blake can ingeniously embody different notions through similar literary techniques.

    In conclusion, Blake presents the worlds of innocence and experience to be zones of one’s lifetime that are entirely opposing, in terms of events and emotions. The juxtaposition between his multitude of concepts are so intense that the disparities between the two poems are exaggerated even more extensively. The world of innocence is renowned to be one of bliss and happiness, whereas the world of experience, on the other hand, is a realm of dismay. Blake uses a range of techniques to convey these emotions, such as imagery, abstract nouns and a semantic field of lexis to ensure the reader is experiencing the sensations he intended them to.

A student's analysis of the Chimney Sweeper in 'Songs of Innocence and Experience'

The Chimney Sweeper (songs of innocence and experience)

In Blake’s poems both innocence and experience (The Chimney sweeper) we see child cruelty during the time of Blake’s life and his views on such an act. We see that Chimney sweeping in this instance is merely one act of many just to show the vindictiveness brought on to children but could be changed to anything such a Work houses, and being a pupil at school.  

In The chimney Sweeper (songs of innocence) we notice that the imagery is very biblical. Although Blake describes the horrific job of the chimney sweepers, we are also made to believe that they are insulated from their working conditions by religious views. The use of religious descriptions of ‘angel figures’ implies very innocent surroundings as religion connotes innocence because it frowns upon temptation and evil acts. This challenges the idea of the ‘real world’ in which Tom Dacre lives in where Child Slavery is rife. Blake at a young age was very spiritual and claimed that he could see angel and spirits and this could be very influential in his writing and his idea of innocence. These issues of child cruelty also come across in The chimney Sweeper (songs of experience). ‘They clothed me in the clothes of death’, this suggests that the mother and father of the child have sent them to work in clothes they will one day put on them for a funeral as Chimney Sweepers’ families were often very poor. The idea of sending a child to their doom nowadays seems horrific as we cannot imagine killing off our own children for money. However, this could mirror a modern day civilization where there are many incidents of child cruelty through neglect and child abuse. This shows that Blake’s poems are very timeless and can be related to modern day society three hundred years later. 

The line ‘That curl’d like a lambs back’ suggests that the child is explained as if he were a lamb. In the bible Jesus(the lamb) was sacrificed o the cross to save the Christians. Maybe Blake views the children as ‘a lamb’ because society had almost sacrificed their children as slaves to get more money and save their poor society? However the horror of Child Labour is that children are locked in a society of unkindness and cannot get out. Tom’s Dream allows the angel to unlock an idealistic paradise where the children are freed to go without any rules. This could be Blake’s idea of innocence shown through playing in paradise. 

The colour white shows the innocence of the children in the paradise. Blake is writing a message to society that children should be playing. ‘then naked and white’, this reflects in the Poem in songs of experience where Blake calls the child ‘a little black thing’. His choice of colour shows that in this poem that the child is tarred with experience which is all over his body. Underneath the black, the child is white, suggesting that this child is innocent and should not be treated cruelly. Using vocabulary such as ‘little’ makes the reader empathise with the child as it seems helpless and weak, this also demonstrates the experience that the child has at he obviously has been mistreated for his outcome to be weak or helpless.  Finally, the use of colour in Blakes poems can show the difference in innocence or experience, in this poem Innocence is portrayed pure and white on the inside and experience is shown on the outside through the colour black. 

In the songs of experience- The chimney sweeper, the Parents think their child is happy? It is suggested by the language ‘praise God & his Priest & King Who make up a heaven of our misery’ that the chimney sweeper is angry at his death. The imagery made in ‘heaven of our misery’ creates appearance that all children that have died are angry at society ignoring the pain of their death. This is reinforced with the sarcasm that comes through this line and maybe shows he has lost his innocence by the ignorance of the parents and church. Which undermines the importance of the church in the Chimney Sweeper (songs of innocence) where we think that religion is there to blanket the children from their cruelty by Tom’s dream of the angel. 

723 words 

Analysing the rhythm in Blake

What is rhythm? How does a student analyse the effects of rhythm in poetry?

Definitions

Prosody = the study of rhythm in poetry, sometimes called metrical analysis.

Rhythm is the BEAT of language: it is the most important element of language in combination with meaning… “Rhythm is the heart-beat of language” F Gilbert 11th October 2013

1. Read the poem out aloud.

 2. Then clap out the rhythm.

3. Then think about the effects of the rhythm: what does it make you think, feel and see? What is the difference between rhythm and rhyme?

Rhythm = the beat of the poem, where the hard and soft stresses go.

Rhyme = is where there are similar sounds, usually vowel sounds, that chime together, eg blue shoe poo you

The most important thing with rhythm and rhyme is to discuss the EFFECTS they create: What mood does it create? What ideas/themes/images/emotions does it emphasize or highlight?

Use these descriptions to help you describe the effect of the rhythm:

Fast: speedy; fast-paced; quick; lively; energetic; enthusiastic; passionate; fiery;

Slow; sluggish; heavy; slow-paced; emphatic; leaden; lethargic; tired; lugubrious; gloomy;

I have highlighted the heavy beats in bold here:

Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee
Gave thee life & bid thee feed,
By the stream & o’er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing wooly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice:
Little Lamb who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee

Metre = the science of rhythm in poetry, metrical analysis 5 main types of metre: A rising rhythm Iamb = di-DUM, ie a soft beat followed by a hard beat, eg “I wander through each chartered street near where the chartered Thames does flow”, this an iambic rhythm, The iamb has two syllables in it. More than two syllables: Anapaest (anapest) = di-di-DUM A falling rhythm Trochee = DUM-di, or trochaic metre, ie a HARD beat followed by a soft one. Eg “Little Lamb who made thee” Dactyl = DUM-di-di SPONDEE = two HARD BEATS

Analysing the lexical choices in The Divine Image, The Human Abstract, The Lamb and the Tyger

13Enb: Essay titles

Michael:

Using these poems: Holy Thursday, the Songs of Experience and Innocence and two other poems of your choice, discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience.

Jez:

Using these poems: A Cradle Song and the Poison Tree; A Dream and The Angel, discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience.

Sarah and Harry:

Using these poems: The Sick Rose, Pretty Rose Tree, Ah Sunflower, The Lilly; Blossom; Spring, discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience

Emily and Georgia:

Using these poems: The Lamb and The Tyger and two other poems of your choice, discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience

Sophie and Georgia:

Using these poems: The Chimney Sweeper poems (both Innocence and Experience) discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience.

Nahum and Millie:

Using these poems: The Ecchoing Green and The Garden of Love and two other relevant poems;  discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience

Kabir and Britney:

Using these poems:  The Laughing Song, Infant Joy and Infant Sorrow discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience 

Hollie :

Using these poems: On Anothers Sorrow, The Divine Image, The Human Abstract discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience.

Jez:

Using these poems: The Little Boy Lost and Found (Innocence), The Little Girl Lost and Found (Experience) The School Boy; discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience.

Student presentation on The Songs of Innocence and Experience

My videos on the beginning of the Songs of Innocence: Introduction, The Shepherd, The Ecchoing Green, The Lamb

 

 

Learning Objectives: to learn how Blake builds up a sense of a world of innocence through the introductory poems to the Songs of Innocence.

 

Look at these videos and then write at least a page of explanation as to how and why Blake builds up the sense of a world of innocence. In order to do this, you could answer these questions: what sort of emotions do people feel in the "world of innocence"? What do they do, and how do they behave? What is the atmosphere and setting? How does Blake use poetic techniques to evoke this world of innocence? 

One student's analysis of the Chimney Sweeper, the Introduction and The Shepherd

The Chimney Sweeper:

The chimney sweeper is a poem which shares a story from the perspective of what seems to be a child who is a chimney sweeper. It addresses the tragedy of young children being sold due to their small size and in turn ability to sweep chimney efficiently in the early past of London. It highlights the innocence of the children as it is detailed that Tom, perhaps a friend of the speaker of the poem, has his head shaved and as a result cries. As this is detailed the comparison is made of Tom to a lamb: ‘curl’d like lambs back’. This is one of many references by Blake to Lambs throughout his poems as a lamb is typically seen as a symbol of sacrifice particularly within religion. Of course the lamb cannot defend itself which in turn reflects its innocence. Furthermore it has committed no sin to deserve to be sacrificed. We later see Blake compare the discussed chimney sweeping children to Lambs yet again: ‘naked and white’. I believe the end of the poem seems to suggest that death is perhaps a better option for the children forced to perform manual labor as the last two stanzas seem to detail their journey to heaven: ‘he’d have God for his father and never want joy’.

Introduction:

The first poem within the songs of innocence is yet again one which clearly reflects the theme of innocence. We see references to children, lambs and general references to feelings of happiness and joy, these being directly related to innocence. We see Blake describe water as ‘clear’. This adjective connotes purity as it insinuates that the water is in its purest form, having not been in any way polluted of affected from its natural state. The continual references to ‘pipes’ is perhaps in connection with the myth of the greek god Pan. This is as this god is associated with playing a pipe in the countryside spreading joy. Again relating to innocence. \=

The Shepherd:

The shepherd is another poem with which posseses religious context. The poem details the shepherd’s dedication to his sheep, much like several quotes from john 10:11 detail. Furthermore this position of course directly relates to sheep, a recurring symbol throughout the songs of innocence, as well as a direct reflection of innocence. Quotes from john 10:14 also detail a shepherd’s awareness of his sheep, as does this example of Blake’s poetry: ‘He is watchful while they are in peace.’ Perhaps this is due to Blake’s spiritualist background and belief in God, although not in a conventional Christian sense. We see Blake describe the Lambs of the poem as innocent also: ‘the lambs innocent call’. 

Blake’s ‘Clod and the Pebble’: is love unselfish (the Clod) or selfish (the Pebble)?

Love seeketh not Itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care;
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hells despair.

So sang a little Clod of Clay
Trodden with the cattles feet;
But a Pebble of the brook,
Warbled out these metres meet.

Love seeketh only Self to please,
To bind another to Its delight:
Joys in another’s loss of ease,
And builds a Hell in Heaven’s despite.

You can compare different versions of the poems here.

Essay titles for 13c En

Essays – Deadline Friday 11^th October

 

 

Liam:

Using these poems: Holy Thursday, the Songs of Experience and Innocence, discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience.

 

Poppy:

Using these poems: A Cradle Song and the Poison Tree; A Dream and The Angel, discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience.

 

Meaghan:

Using these poems: The Sick Rose, Pretty Rose Tree, Ah Sunflower, The Lilly; Blossom; Spring, discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience

 

Ellena:

Using these poems: The Lamb and The Tyger and two other poems of your choice, discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience

 

Harry:

Using these poems: The Chimney Sweeper poems (both Innocence and Experience) discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience.

 

Alice:

Using these poems: The Ecchoing Green and The Garden of Love and two other relevant poems;  discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience

 

Tiffany:

Using these poems:  The Laughing Song, Infant Joy and Infant Sorrow discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience

 

Danielle:

Using these poems: On Anothers Sorrow, The Divine Image, The Human Abstract discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience.

 

Matthew:

Using these poems: The Little Boy Lost and Found (Innocence) The School Boy;  discuss the ways in which Blake represents both the worlds of innocence and experience.

 

A student's analysis of London

Analysis of ‘London’

Throughout the poem ‘London’, Blake portrays London as a very unforgiving, ruthless city, both through the use of the tone he deploys, and the use of both nouns and verbs connoting sadness and woe. Blake deploys a very mechanical rhythm and regimented tone through the repetition of ‘harsh’ consonants, like the ‘w’ and ‘ch’ sounds in the opening line ‘I wander thro’ each charter’d street’. When read aloud, there is a continuous beat, almost like a drumming, that creates the industrial aspect of London, which juxtaposes the use of nouns in the first stanza like ‘weakness’ and ‘woe’, as the tone of the poem portrays London as the binary opposite of this. This is also similarly seen in The Handmaids Tale, where Atwood deploys the use of asyndetic listing in Chapter 21 when the Handmaids are chanting for Janine to push the baby out. The adjectives used in this style of listing such as ‘Breathe. Pant. Push. Push’ create a semantic field of soldiering, which is seen throughout the novel, and also creates a regimented style and an almost drumming rhythm. This relates to what is almost the whole essence of the book, and how oppressive and regimented the regime actually is.

The use of the verbs ‘sigh’, ‘tear’ and ‘cry’ create a semantic field of sadness and portray a depressing, negative tone and view of London.  The verb ‘sigh’ in particular is almost onomatopoeic, as when read aloud the reader’s voice instinctively creates a ‘sigh’ sound. This, once again, supports the interpretation that Blake is creating a miserable, gloomy tone. The opening sentence of the second stanza ‘How the chimney-sweepers cry’ creates imagery in the audiences imagination of an industrialised world, which combined with the alliteration of ‘chimney’ and ‘cry’, emphasizes the way that London has weakened these workers. In context, Blake is actually describing the work of very young boys at that time period, at the age of only four or five. However, it is important as the reader to realise that this was socially acceptable at the time, and may not be Blake’s criticism of London at all.

However, the poem could be seen to be a depressive view on the capitalist nature of society. The tone of the poem is at times biblical, as Blake writes ‘Every blackning church appalls’, reflecting his strong interest in religion. The use of the verb ‘appalls’ also shows how the churches, and in turn religion, are disgusted at the city, which may be a metaphor for their dismay at society. It is as if the speaker is offering a prophesy of the terrible consequences unless changes are made in the city. This is supported by imagery such as ‘blood down Palace walls’, which contrasts the noun ‘blood’, which connotes death and horror, with the proper noun ‘Palace’, which connotes a sense of regal and power. These two opposites create a confused tone for the reader, which therefore could be reflecting Blake’s confusion at the culture and society he was living in.

The poem ends with a startling contrast in the language chosen- "marriage hearse". To Blake, marriage should be a celebration of love and the beginning of new life. Yet here it is combined with the noun "hearse" - a vehicle associated with funerals. This is giving a sense, to the speaker of the poem, that the future brings nothing but death and decay. This contradictory phrase supports the rest of the poem, which expresses Blake’s negative view of humanity and society, which develops, essentially, a strong political argument throughout. This view of humanity is similar to The Handmaids Tale, in the sense that Offred uses her narrative voice to present a world with no hope or aspiration, and deploys an almost exhausted frame of mind, that has given up trying to rebel against the regime, that will be there in the future.

A student’s analysis of ‘Spring’, ‘Blossom’, ‘The Laughing Song’ and ‘The Fly’

Spring

Spring is a poem that is used to “welcome in the year”, the fact that the poem is written in spring time makes the reader think that Blake’s new year starts in the spring time and that his new year is when nature is remade and renewed, it’s when nature starts it’s new life when Blake celebrates his new year. At the time the romantic poets led a movement to celebrate nature and natural environments and felt that nature embodied the human imagination, this could be why Blake celebrates his new year in the spring time because as a poet he feels that nature is key to his imagination and creation, this makes the poems key meaning more clear, as they celebrate nature the biggest celebration would come when nature starts its new cycle of life.

The Laughing Song

This poem describes all the different ‘laughter’ of nature and its surroundings, for example the woods, stream, air, hills, and meadow are each said to laugh just by being there, maybe the different sounds made by them are their way of laughing for example the stream trickling and the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees that make up the wood.

Blossom

This is another one of Blake’s poems that describes nature and life. It is full of many cheerful images such as “leaves so green” and “happy blossom”, this is representative of Blake’s view on nature, he sees it as key to life and something to cheer people up. This poem tells a story of two different birds and their experiences with their lives, the first a sparrow, who is content with its living and the surroundings it’s in, the other is of a robin, who is distressed in its existence, this makes the second stanza full of negativity. The two birds could be representing two classes of Blake’s time, the first a upper-ruling class who is content with itself, and a lower, poorer class who sees no meaning to their life and lives under the upper classes.

The Fly

The poem is told in a voice of mindlessness. The poem sees the narrator, being the fly, go from its thoughtless state to one of realization and mindfulness. It leads to the ending of “Then am I a happy fly, if I live, or if I die”, this makes the fly aware that can it really be happy and careless as it once was even if it dies, how the fly comes to this conclusion as the poem goes on is amazing because of how it comes to the quick conclusion it takes many to come to for an age.

A student’s analysis of ‘A Dream’ and ‘London’

A Dream- William Blake

Taken from ‘Songs of Innocence’, the poem by William Blake ‘A Dream’ you see a man who left home, then finds his way home. However is also possible that he had found his way to some form of heavenly home, which is a recurring theme in Blake’s poems such as ‘The Chimney Sweep’. The tone of this poem seems to be very dark and gives the very strong image of someone being lost, as a reader you feel fairly sympathetic for towards character especially as the start of the fourth stanza; ‘I dropped a tear’ and when the rhetoric question ‘do they hear their father sigh?’. Both of these quotes also suggest that the traveller isn’t away from home out of choice and thus creates further sympathy. The tone of the poem put further emphasis on the point that the traveller may have found some form of heavenly sanction rather than finding his way back to his actual home.

London- William Blake

This poem was taken from William Blake’s writings in ‘Songs of Experience’ and basically speaks about the division between rich and poor, he especially puts emphasis on the misery of the poor people. Blake focuses mostly on pain and misery throughout this poem through lines such as ‘in every infants cry of fear’ which presents a certain amount of imagery for the reader, and may make them quite uncomfortable. This feeling is kept up through the whole poem and shows that Blake wants to show the city of London at its worst and shows his dislike for the way people were having to live during that time.

First thoughts on reading Blake: my classes’s response to innocently reading him…

Posted on September 12, 2013

Today, the William Blake project began in earnest with my Year 13 classes reading all the poems in groups together. I asked them to read them all at a go, without lingering too long over what they are about. The whole point was that they would get an overview of the poems.

I introduced the poems today by getting the students to sit in my “poetry circle” which some seemed excited about! I talked about how I appeared on Radio London this morning talking about a letter a number of experts have written about the need to raise the formal schooling age to 7. Their remarks tie in a great deal with what William Blake thought: he believed that children learnt through play, that it was through play and being creative that children learnt, that it is not a “bolt-on extra” to learning but absolutely integral to the learning process. I spoke on the Radio London breakfast show defending their approach, saying that if learning is too formal at an early age, then children can become like “robots”, programmed to learn but without creativity.

He wrote in The School Boy:

But to go to school in a summer morn, O! it drives all joy away; Under a cruel eye outworn, The little ones spend the day, In sighing and dismay.

Ah! then at times I drooping sit, And spend many an anxious hour, Nor in my book can I take delight, Nor sit in learnings bower, Worn thro’ with the dreary shower.

How can the bird that is born for joy, Sit in a cage and sing. How can a child when fears annoy, But droop his tender wing, And forget his youthful spring.

The task of reading all the poems through in a group without teacher commentary/intervention is not a “traditional”, “upfront” teaching approach; I suppose some teachers would immediately start reading and analysing the poems as a whole class, without giving classes a chance to read the poems for themselves. Or possibly getting them to read them for homework by themselves. Reading them together in a group for the first time is possibly a different approach; one that immediately invites communal discussion.

However, many teachers would do what I am doing; encourage independent reading skills and a sense of independent inquiry.

As I listened to the groups, I could hear a degree of laughter and enjoyment as they read the poems; the lexis is not difficult and the poems have an easy, lilting music. The rhythms of Blake’s words really came through for me. I heard one student saying, “I quite like that one!”.

It was strange listening to the words I know so well mouthed by unfamiliar voices, but also invigorating; it made me see these poems in a new light. They live in the mouths of young people.

Here is one response from a student which is illuminating:

“I found William Blake’s Songs of Innocence thoroughly enjoyable and pleasant when reading them in todays English lesson. The majority of poems in this collection included an obvious rhyming scheme that continued throughout, making the poems easy to read and far more entertaining. A theme throughout all of the poems in Songs of Innocence was religion, whether this was a direct address to religion or a subtle undertone running continuously through the poems. The poems were written in a period of history when religion was a major part of everyone’s lives. The poems contained within Songs of Innocence are all relatively short and sweet, a lot revolving around children – this is due to the fact that children are often associated with innocence.”

What are students’ favourite Blake poems on first reading?

Posted on September 13, 2013

 

My students finished reading ‘The Songs of Innocence and Experience’ today and then read out their favourite poems. It was interesting to see their diverse responses.

The first group chose: ‘The Fly’, ‘The Chimney Sweeper — Experience’, and ‘The Lilly’.

Harry says: “I like this poem because It uses the fly as a symbol of day to day life: it could be metaphoric in the sense that the fly represents different daily troubles.”

Millie: “I like the Chimney Sweeper I thought it showed the hypocrisy of the people living in Blake’s time who would go to church and then at same time neglect their children.”

Sophie: “I like London because it gives an insight into the context of the time; it shows how children were chimney sweepers, families were really struggling and everyone was unhappy.”

Nahum: “I liked the Lilly because it is saying that everything else has its opposite side; the Lilly stands out against the rest, she’s just there being beautiful. It can’t be touched by all this other stuff, the thorns, the roses can’t touch it or her. She’s on another level to everything else.”

Group 2:
The Chimney Sweeper: Innocence
The Ecchoing Green
The School Boy
The Clod and the Pebble

I was interested in the comment about ‘The Clod and the Pebble’ from a pupil who felt that the poem represented the problems we encounter in everyday life. ‘The Ecchoing Green’ was chosen because of the way it travelled through the different phases of the day. Interestingly, The Chimney Sweeper from the Songs of Innocence was chosen for its representation of the horrors of child slave labour and the terrible treatment of children generally.

I was fascinated to notice that some students were already beginning to sing and do drum beats to the poems.

Group 3:
Chimney Sweeper – Experience
The School Boy
Introduction to Innocence

This group liked the Introduction because of its happy atmosphere and its last line that invited every child to hear the poems.

Here are some more detailed, written responses from the students:

G writes:

The School Boy

I really liked this poem because it shows Blake’s anger and his protest against the destruction of innocence and youthful joy. The powerful animalistic imagery of the bird symbolizes freedom and innocence which is juxtaposed with the Cage which represents the education system 200 years ago. Blake’s self education influenced his views on education which we can still relate to today.

The Chimney Sweeper (experience)

The first line in this poem shows strong imagery of contrast between the black boy (covered in soot) and the snow which connotes innocence and heaven. This poem has a lot of anger in it.  I like the fact that Blake is attacking authority and blames parents for  inflicting cruelty on innocent children.

Introduction (innocence)

I like the way Blake sets the scene for his songs showing innocence throughout the introduction. He uses symbolism for religious purposes to show innocence such as the lamb and also children which is a main theme in his poems. The last line for me shows that the children are his audience, this could be why his songs of innocence seem very sweet and short?