Children in Blake’s Poetry Essay -- William Blake Poetry Poets Essays

Children in Blakes PoetryThe use of children is a prominent theme in a number of William Blakes poems. It is apparent in reading such poems as, The beloved, The Little Black son, and The Chimney Sweeper, that Blake sees the world through the eyes of a child and embraces the innocence of the young. Blakes poem The Lamb, from Songs of Innocence unfeignedly illustrates the innocence and purity of a young child. The persona in the poem is of a young child. The child questions the lamb as to where he came from and asks, Little Lamb who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee? (9,10) The child is expecting the Lamb to answer him but it is obvious to the reader that the Lamb cant talk. When the child receives no answer, he decides that hell tell the lamb where he came from. He says, Little Lamb, Ill tell thee (12). The child says He is called by thy name for he calls himself a LambHe is meek & mild,He became a little childI a child & thou a lamb,We are called by his name. (13,18)The child really shows that his innocence here. The Lamb is being referred to as Jesus, the Lamb of God. The child is saying that that Lamb, Jesus and the child are all the same. What the boy does not understand, because he is a child and so innocent, is that the Lamb will be sacrificed, and the child will die, just like Jesus did when He was crucified. The Little Black Boy from Songs of Innocence is another poem that illustrates the innocence of children. The poem is written from the persona of a little black boy who has been told that being white is better then being black. The little boy saysAnd I am black, but O my soul is whiteWhite as an angel is the English child entirely I am b... ...s parents have gone to church to pray. The child blames his parents as well as society for his present position in life and saysAnd because I am happy, & dance & sing,They think they have done me no injury,And are gone to praise God & his Priest & King,Who make up a enlightenment of our misery. (9,12)Unlike The Chimney Sweeper from Songs of Innocence, the young boy in this poem realizes that he is going to die and that this is wrong. He blames God, his parents and society for letting this happened to him. Blake is still perceive the world through the eyes of a child in this poem, however, he is looking at it from a more mature or experienced psyche of view. Many of William Blakes poems contain images of children and depict children as innocent and nave. Blake sees the world through the eyes of a child and he shows this through his poetry.