I love to rise in a summer morn,
When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman winds his horn,
And the skylark sings with me:
O what sweet company!
When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman winds his horn,
And the skylark sings with me:
O what sweet company!
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.
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 learning's bower,
Worn through with the dreary shower.
And spend many an anxious hour;
Nor in my book can I take delight,
Nor sit in learning's bower,
Worn through 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!
Sit in a cage and sing?
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring!
O father and mother if buds are nipped,
And blossoms blown away;
And if the tender plants are stripped
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care's dismay, -
And blossoms blown away;
And if the tender plants are stripped
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care's dismay, -
How shall the summer arise in joy,
Or the summer fruits appear?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy,
Or bless the mellowing year,
When the blasts of winter appear?
Or the summer fruits appear?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy,
Or bless the mellowing year,
When the blasts of winter appear?
The poem describes William Blake's dislike of science and structure. The beginning depicts a summer morning and just how peaceful nature actually is. The lines: "I love to rise in a summer morn, When the birds sing on every tree; The distant huntsman winds his horn, And the skylark sings with me," shows how Blake is infatuated with obtaining the ability to wake up with no limitations. It does not necessarily have to be a "summer" morning to wake up joyfully; society requires children to attend school during the fall, winter and spring seasons, consequently making summer the time of leisure, free expression and spiritual growth. Blake is ultimately comparing the time of summer to nature. Just like nature, summer holds endless possibilities. A person can go absolutely wild, but it will be natural. Blake wants people to have a much larger understanding of who they actually are. Humans are an organic matter, they belong out on Earth. Being thankful for what they have. Enjoying, loving, praising their surroundings. This poem isn't just about the drag of school days. It's about society, industrialization, social evolution. Day by day we go to school and retain more "knowledge" in our minds yet we lose ourselves and set into a character provided by the establishment. True happiness can not be reached if the soul is bound by responsibilities and expectations.
Blake strived for a blissful community. Even though school children are only allowed those few months to take advantage of the free world, they live it to the fullest. Children laugh, scream, imagine, create, destroy, invent and even revolutionize. There is so much that can be accomplished when the mind is not clouded with pointless questions and answers. Blake chose this metaphor to convey that we are able to make our entire life one whole "summer." With the mindset of spirituality and naturalism there is no reason why every moment can't be enjoyable. This message is so simple yet so hard to actually grasp. The world is so concerned about money and materials. To break out of the cycle would be frowned upon.
Blake strived for a blissful community. Even though school children are only allowed those few months to take advantage of the free world, they live it to the fullest. Children laugh, scream, imagine, create, destroy, invent and even revolutionize. There is so much that can be accomplished when the mind is not clouded with pointless questions and answers. Blake chose this metaphor to convey that we are able to make our entire life one whole "summer." With the mindset of spirituality and naturalism there is no reason why every moment can't be enjoyable. This message is so simple yet so hard to actually grasp. The world is so concerned about money and materials. To break out of the cycle would be frowned upon.
I believe that William Blake's poem "The Schoolboy" is about normalcy because he is describing typical feelings that people have. One thing I found while reading this poem is that he wants us as the reader to understand that not everyone is excited about what we do, for example he states "How can the bird that is born for joy sit in a cage and sing." That statement to me states normalcy and it also makes me feel that the poem is leaning towards freedom. Another reason this poem could be about freedom is because he is saying how can a child get up in the morning and be excited to go sit in a classroom for hours at a time. Blake I think is trying to make a statement that he wants everyone to make their own decisions and that whatever that person chooses they have a right to do it.
ReplyDeleteWhy would William Blake try and make us feel guilty about the decisions we make in our everyday lives? I believe that he wants us to feel guilty because he knows that kids don’t want to go sit in school for hours, and that birds don’t want to sit inside cages they want to roam the sky and fly. I understand that the decisions we make is based on our personal decisions but all kids choose to stay in school for education and that they know no matter what, they are going to make something of themselves. This poem could also be stating that global warming is going to happen and that all of us should live our lives because we don’t have that much time. Why I think that he could be talking about global warming is because he says "How shall the summers arise in joy, or the summer fruits appear." This statement couldn’t be specifically being talking about global warming, but I think that it has to do with the world. Why would Blake try and incorporate so many different items into one poem? Honestly I think that this whole entire poem is about guilt, but we'll never know. William Blake is the only person who knows the deeper meaning behind this poem.
nice poem!
ReplyDeleteLOL the fishes are soo cool!
ReplyDelete