The Child In William Blake's Poetry Essay

If there is one thing that I have learned throughout the course of this semester, it is that the role of the child is immensely important in romantic literature. The Romantic Movement in England was centered on imagination, and regaining the sense of childhood innocence that we lose once we are subjected to the harsh realities of the world. Though there are many examples of the child in different aspects of romantic literature, they are not all depicted in the same way. Some authors see the child as a symbol of innocence and hope, while others see childbirth and parenting as a difficult and unrewarding struggle. The child, during the Romantic period, was a figure seen in prose, poetry, and even during political debates. This is because the idea of what it really meant to be a child was being completely reconsidered. Children were historically viewed as being “miniature adults” before the nineteenth century, and more as …show more content…
They are seen in his Songs of Experience and Innocence. Though they are not children’s stories, the language is simple enough that it resembles that of poetry that was written for children. The poems, however, contain deeper meanings and ironies that are beyond the comprehension of a child reader. The child in Blake’s poems hold a very important political and thematic purpose for the reader. He has controversial topics such as, a child chimney sweeper, an African American male child, and children that are going to lower schools. Blake seems to bring to light the abuse that children face in society. His argument seems to be that society is corrupting the innocence that is only found in childhood. Blake is using the child character in his poems against that of the world, and how horribly wrong things have gone. He juxtaposes the innocence of children with the harsh realities of the world to show how damaging social issues are to the development of