Blake Poems
Blake was an English poet who was born in 1757 and died in 1827. Blake was part of the Romantic Age. Although Blake was largely unrecognized as a poet during his lifetime, his work was bizarre for those times. His poetry was reverent to the Bible, but hostile to the Church of England. The fact that ................... are evident in his poetry, especially these two poems.
Nature
The Echoing Green (innocence)
This poem depicts a conventional village in which a whole day’s cycle is portrayed. Within it youth and age all have their parts to play alongside the birds and other creatures of spring. Blake begins the poem with personification of the “skies”, and imagery of the birds which creates a natural idyllic setting. The welcoming of “spring” symbolises new birth. Blake emphasizes on a happy atmosphere by using words such as “merry” and “make happy” After this Blake uses the natural imagery of “the skylark and thrush, which represents an open space and freedom. The rural setting conotates that of innocence and is away from the pollution and urban settings of experience. The first two stanzas both end with a line “on the echoing green”. In both cases it shows the setting in a green area.
Old John still has a place in society, even though in the city he might be displaced or pensioned off. Similarly, the way city children might be brought up is implicitly contrasted with the “natural” cycle of the countryside whereby children rest when they are tired and “sport” naturally ends with the closing of the day. The last part of the second stanza consists of memories by the “old folk” in connection with the play of the children. A natural development from youth to old age is also conveyed. The critic Andrew Hollering says, “Blake use rhyming couplet throughout, and the result is a joyous bound together by the simplest of shared pleasures”.
In contrast, the final stanza continues the life cycle with the sun setting and the green darkening, to show death. It
Nature
The Echoing Green (innocence)
This poem depicts a conventional village in which a whole day’s cycle is portrayed. Within it youth and age all have their parts to play alongside the birds and other creatures of spring. Blake begins the poem with personification of the “skies”, and imagery of the birds which creates a natural idyllic setting. The welcoming of “spring” symbolises new birth. Blake emphasizes on a happy atmosphere by using words such as “merry” and “make happy” After this Blake uses the natural imagery of “the skylark and thrush, which represents an open space and freedom. The rural setting conotates that of innocence and is away from the pollution and urban settings of experience. The first two stanzas both end with a line “on the echoing green”. In both cases it shows the setting in a green area.
Old John still has a place in society, even though in the city he might be displaced or pensioned off. Similarly, the way city children might be brought up is implicitly contrasted with the “natural” cycle of the countryside whereby children rest when they are tired and “sport” naturally ends with the closing of the day. The last part of the second stanza consists of memories by the “old folk” in connection with the play of the children. A natural development from youth to old age is also conveyed. The critic Andrew Hollering says, “Blake use rhyming couplet throughout, and the result is a joyous bound together by the simplest of shared pleasures”.
In contrast, the final stanza continues the life cycle with the sun setting and the green darkening, to show death. It