Close Analysis: English 219
A Cradle Song
William Blake’s ‘A Cradle Song’ was written in Blake’s poetry book, ‘Songs of Innocence’. The main theme to consider about this book is that all of the poetry written inside was about the soul. ‘A Cradle Song’ was written about a mother weeping over her child. The main theme that this poem looks into is parenting and care for the child. A Cradle song is about the love of a mother for her child and God. Upon first reading, ‘A Cradle Song’ seemed pleasant, harmonious and soothing. A clear sense of a mothers love for her child is portrayed by clever words, innuendos and ambiguities. The structure of the poem catches one’s attention with its rhyme, structure and theme. Blake uses interesting connotations of words to create imagery and cast a subtle doubt on the passage.
A Cradle Song has eight quatrains that has a basic rhyming structure of aa/bb, cc/dd/ and so on. The consistent rhyming focuses the attention on the easy flow of the context in which the mother sings a lullaby to her sleeping child. The strong narrative voice of the mother is evident throughout the poem. The tone of the lullaby is one of …show more content…
In stanza two the reference to an angel discloses the mother’s belief that guardian angels exist and she appeals to them to protect her child. Furthermore, the mentioning of doves is another innuendo which is significant to Christ. It is commonly known that doves are a symbol of peace and in the biblical sense, the Holy Spirit. They are also associated with gentleness and innocence, which is the essence of the child. Rhetorically, it could be perceived that the sleeping child is the Christ child and that the mother is Mary. She is appealing to the universe, to the world to protect her child. She weeps because she is aware of the strife and pain He would endure for
A Cradle Song
William Blake’s ‘A Cradle Song’ was written in Blake’s poetry book, ‘Songs of Innocence’. The main theme to consider about this book is that all of the poetry written inside was about the soul. ‘A Cradle Song’ was written about a mother weeping over her child. The main theme that this poem looks into is parenting and care for the child. A Cradle song is about the love of a mother for her child and God. Upon first reading, ‘A Cradle Song’ seemed pleasant, harmonious and soothing. A clear sense of a mothers love for her child is portrayed by clever words, innuendos and ambiguities. The structure of the poem catches one’s attention with its rhyme, structure and theme. Blake uses interesting connotations of words to create imagery and cast a subtle doubt on the passage.
A Cradle Song has eight quatrains that has a basic rhyming structure of aa/bb, cc/dd/ and so on. The consistent rhyming focuses the attention on the easy flow of the context in which the mother sings a lullaby to her sleeping child. The strong narrative voice of the mother is evident throughout the poem. The tone of the lullaby is one of …show more content…
In stanza two the reference to an angel discloses the mother’s belief that guardian angels exist and she appeals to them to protect her child. Furthermore, the mentioning of doves is another innuendo which is significant to Christ. It is commonly known that doves are a symbol of peace and in the biblical sense, the Holy Spirit. They are also associated with gentleness and innocence, which is the essence of the child. Rhetorically, it could be perceived that the sleeping child is the Christ child and that the mother is Mary. She is appealing to the universe, to the world to protect her child. She weeps because she is aware of the strife and pain He would endure for