Theme Of Slavery In William Blake's The Little Black Boy

The Little Black Boy is part of a collection of illustrated poems called Songs of Innocence and Experience written by William Blake. This particular poem was published in 1789 and is a part of the Songs of Innocence half of the collection which focuses on childhood and purity (The Little Black Boy). During the time surrounding the publishing of The Little Black Boy, slavery had yet to be abolished. Slavery in England was not abolished until the mid nineteenth century (Merrill). Contrary to the fact that it was wrong and inhumane, white people were taught from a young age that they were to own blacks. All the while, many blacks were taught that they were nothing more than someone’s property. Even though William Blake only writes twenty eight …show more content…
The boy is born into slavery therefore he does not know any different lifestyles at the time. He does not learn of how life can be until his mom teaches him underneath a tree on the plantation (Blake 5). She tries to keep him well informed so he does not become ignorant to the Devil’s temptations. The Devil feeds off of ignorance and the mother wants to guard him from that. She also teaches him so that one day he can make a difference in what the white people think of the black people. She wants to educate him so that he will not have to live the same life she always has. Equally important is the theme of unity. The young boy does not want to have to live a separate life from the white boy. He wants to be given the same value as him and beyond that he wants to be loved. His mother teaches him that God will break down the wall between the two and they will not see each other as black and white any longer. They will enjoy the benefits of Heaven together “upon [their] father’s knee” (Black 25). The author shows how the black and white race can be unified and held to the same standard. During this time, the racial barrier is one of extreme selfish and cruel …show more content…
There is still slavery but in a different manor. The slavery that exists today is mainly focused toward women being forced into prostitution. The woman and the little boy are similar in the way that they are forced into something they do not want to be a part of (“Modern Slavery”). William Blake also expresses his want for unity during the poem. The United States’ pledge of allegiance that is still said in schools today speaks on unity, “one nation, under God, indivisible” (Bellamy). The chaos going on in the world today has consumed the minds of many Americans creating a tension that people use as an excuse to overreact to events going on around them. An instinct to think only of one’s self comes out during times of crisis. If Americans thought like the young boy did at the end of the poem, then people would be more unified in their decisions and moral standards. There would be less fighting and pointless riots crowding the streets. The young boy wants nothing more than to be treated and loved just like the white boy. However, the symbols of the colors white and black are less prevalent today. In the 1900s, it was very common to wear a white wedding dress as a symbol of purity but today people are wearing more ivory and other various colors. Black is still used as a symbol of darkness but it is an edgy, popular style to wear now and less frowned upon. The colors may not