Examine Blake's Protest Against The Suffering Of Children In The Late 18th Century

Examine Blake's Protest against the Suffering of Children in the Late 18th Century

William Blake was 'radical poet'; a true revolutionary, born in 1757 in Soho, although he never entered mainstream education (he was schooled by his mother) he trained as an engraver, a skill that he utilised when publishing his poems. He published the Songs of Innocence in 1789 and the Songs of Experience in 1792; which represent times of hardship as both collections act as a critiqued 18th Century society, as Blake was a social reformer. He lived through a time of revolutionary Art, a new innovative style of Literature and change in politics in both England and wider Europe. A particular event which influenced Blake was the French revolution, in which the French rebels demanded; 'Liberty, Equality and Fraternity'; this inspired Blake who also had a theory about contraries; as he felt that "Without contraries there is no progression., he believed; "Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate are necessary to human existence." The main focus of both collections of poetry; to focus upon the honesty and happiness that Blake felt children should be allowed to experience from the negative aspects of society that control and manipulate them such as authority, the church and education. Blake believed that if a child's freedom was taken away from them, they would not adopt fully to the adult world. Blake is also known to use a lot of religious symbolism in his poetry to highlight the aspects of both innocence and experience which can only be harnessed if both are understood.

Blake wrote The Chimney Sweeper; in both the songs of innocence and the songs of experience to express his outrage at the exploitation of children in the ruthless and perilous chimney-sweeping business. In the first stanza of the songs of innocence poem Blake writes the words "weep! 'weep! 'weep!"; the persona is a young child and the real meaning of the word is sweep, however because the child is uneducated, young and innocent he can not even express his profession. This statement is proof of the children trying to have a positive outlook on life rather than fearing their fate. However it is not the same in songs of experience as the line "weep weep weep" is used in an entirely different context - "Crying weep, weep, in notes of woe!". This heightens the aspect of repression a child was exposed to. In this poem the child blames both his parent and religion for his lifestyle as his parents were visiting the church to worship "God & his Priest & King" rather than take care of their child. This version of The Chimney Sweeper is from an experienced point of view, unlike the songs of innocence version it is not written in a child like manner at all, it is very much more sophisticated; the experienced version of The Chimney Sweeper is more sophisticated because it shows the truthful aspects of the children's lives; this creates a subtle seriousness as it is no longer a small sweet child in a dream, there is also no confusion of the true fate that the children await.

William Blake also wrote echoing green is a very different portrayal, it uses the aspect of family to create a bright and happy image; using all generations of a family "Old John with white hair Does laugh away care" The Echoing Green is a detailed exploration on the cycle of life. Blake uses natural imagery to compensate for the natural growth in a person; physically and mentally. In many cases he uses a rural landscape to compliment the innocence of the `green` - how child's play distances us from the urbanised world of pollution and experience. It is all about the freedom of children on the "echoing green", where the children are welcomed by birds of all kinds; "The skylark and thrush, The birds of the bush" Parents and elders of the community are sat under an oak tree watching the children play whilst forgetting all of their cares. "Sitting under the oak, Among the old folk, They laugh at our play". The rhyme scheme in this poem is very much like that in the chimney sweeper from the songs of innocence it is childlike in the way that it is written in rhyming couplets. A, A, B, B; this poet structure is reminiscent of the poetic structure of nursery rhymes which also highlights the essence of innocence within these poems.

Holy Thursday 'Songs Of Innocence' was written in 1789, it is very much the opposite of echoing green as it uses the poem is actually written to describe society's issues and Holy Thursday describes the oppression felt by Charity Children this can be seen in "two and two" which is a biblical metaphor for Noah`s Ark, the children are being restrained and herded in like animals; you can also use flowers and wands as examples from the text to show examples of control. Blake also criticises those in power through `Beneath them sit the aged men, wise guardians of the poor`, this is an ironic statement as these are not wise men. It is all about formality and ensuring children dress correctly and smart. Blake uses his imagery in order to portray his negative opinion of the church elders and authority. Holy Thursday describes the English church's celebration of Jesus' ascension which takes place on a Thursday 39 days after Easter. The last line of the last stanza of the poem is "Then cherish pity, lest you drive an angel from your door." This is an allusion to Hebrews 13:2; "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." This shows the true meaning of the poem as it portrays the children as angelic.

Holy Thursday 'Songs Of Experience' was written in 1794. This poem is also about Jesus' ascension but it s tone is a little more depressing. The last line of the second stanza, "It is eternal winter there," is how the view of the ceremony is seen from a different point of view that is more cynical than in the 'Songs of Innocence' poem. The image created is very different from the one created in 'Songs of innocence'. The last stanza of the poem adds to the analogy of the ceremony to winter by saying that when the sun shines and the rain falls, there can never be hunger or poverty. This winter imagery, relates to the hunger and poverty felt amongst the children; it is only in the Song of Experience then Blake presents such a negative images.

Infant Sorrow was written in 1782 and is about the birth of a child into a dangerous world is made up of only two stanzas, both quatrains, with long lines, rhyming couplets, and defined meter. The meaning behind this poem is that when a baby is born, they are entering that is unfamiliar to them and is full of hazardous circumstances and then seeks for safety and comfort by sulking on the mother`s breast. Instead of blatantly telling the reader, Blake uses several poetic devices to deliver the meaning of Infant Sorrow. Some of the devices he uses are images, sound, figurative language, and the structure to bring out the meaning of his poem. The persona of the poem is a newborn infant. The entire poem uses images to highlight its meaning. For example, in lines 2-3, "Into the dangerous world I leapt: Helpless naked piping loud..." Blake writes in such a way that allows the reader to see the change that takes place such as, when a baby enters this world. The poem reveals that it is not a pleasant and peaceful entrance, but an unkind and dishonest world that the innocent is forced to come into. Also, lines 5-6, "Struggling in my fathers hands: Striving against my swaddling bands..." gives the reader vivid images of a poor young 'innocent' child struggling against the cruel shackles of life. The child is struggling because they can't fight back with words of truth of the unfair circumstances they have found themselves in.

Throughout the work of Blake, he not only suggests that the suffering of children is in important issue, he firmly states it is one to be addressed. In the 18th Century, his poems sought to reach out to those both in states of suffering or abuse in a desperate attempt to bring freedom and justice to those he sees as the most vulnerable in society. His protest extends far beyond his work, and his personal opinions reflect the unspoken words of many. As all the poems link to the theme of childhood and relate through either their nature or background purpose, Blake is clearly suggesting that it is imperative to extinguish the difference between right and wrong at such a time of hardship and suffering.