william blake

Question 1

what is blake’s aim in his songs of experience and innocence?

Answer 1

• explores contrasting collections
• sought to exemplify what was good and pure and true
• songs of innocence hold utopian ideas, sense of hope, buoyancy and possibility
• songs of experience present a bleaker world, brutal reality of a broken world that attacks the human spirit to the point of oppression. Still moments of hope however

Question 3

context of holy thursday innocence

Answer 3

• annual service during easter week at St Paul’s cathedral for orphaned children of Londons charity schools
• blake did artwork on this poem
• he saw a decline of his own parish’s attempt at charity as inequality grew more

Question 4

what are the readings of holy thursday innocence?

Answer 4

1. the description of innocence - the purity, natural imagery, youth/new life, radiant, little boys and girls, angels
2. an ironic attack - scathing challenge to readers: why are charity schools necessary, why are children the sacrifice to the exploitative rich? What have innocent children done to deserve this, who will actually protect them?

Question 5

is holy thursday innocence really about innocence?

Answer 5

• no because of the ambiguity and distinctive voice of the speaker
• therefore the voice is both celebratory yet also caustic and accusatory

Question 6

what meter and rhyme is HLI in?

Answer 6

iambic heptameter - hymn of children’s song
AABB - cheerful, innocent tone