The Nightingale's Song

Painting and relevance: Jacques-Louis David’s “Oath of the Horatii” was painted in 1784 and it was commissioned by the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on behalf of the Kind Louis XVI. The inspiration of the painting had to come by Corneille’s Play “Horace” which was being performed in Paris during that time. In 1785 the painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon. The painting shows a decisive moment of will as well as a great family tragedy resulting from political consequences. The…

“The Chimney Sweeper” by William Blake is a poem describing the exploitation of children that society unfortunately finds to be socially acceptable. Blake’s anger is felt throughout the poem as he ___ blames the parents and church for allowing the ongoing suffering to the children. Child labor is a major element discussed along with the reoccurring reminder of the conditions the chimney sweepers were forced to endure. Despite all of the harsh experiences, the children’s’ innocence is evident as…

William Blake’s The Songs of Innocence and The Songs of Experience aim to show the two “contrary states of the human soul” by presenting paired poems respectively focusing on the bright and dark sides of the world and human spirit. Among these poems, the two versions of “The Chimney Sweeper” explore the issue of child labor in the 18th century of England from children’s perspective. By comparing the two poems, readers will find that although the former belongs to the “happy songs” that “every…

Rather than a defined period of someone’s life, childhood is an abstract period created only when one can look back at it. In order to explore themes such as remembrance and childhood, it is crucial to consider linguistic features and the communications of emotions or feelings such as warmth. It is believed that copious poems all portray the subject of innocence of the younger; poems including ‘Prayer Before Birth’, ‘Half Past Two’, ‘Piano’ and ‘Hide And Seek’ are no exception to being exemplars…

Structurally, Blake composes the poem as a dramatic monologue utilizing an ABAB rhyme scheme and simple vocabulary. Much of the work uses an anapestic poetic meter, which is often characterized with childish cadence of literature. The composition therefore resembles perhaps a children’s hymn -- establishing the innocence of the boy which narrates it. Ergo, the very nature of youthful innocence is tied inextricably to the overall tone of the poem. Blake not only addresses the reader, but…

interested in philosophy and had an amazing view of nature and life. In his poetry, he often uses animals as his archetypes, such as in “The Lamb” and “The Tyger.” The archetypes he uses in his series of poems entitled Songs of Innocence are very different from those he uses in Songs of Experience. In his poetry, William Blake uses archetypes to illustrate the ideas of innocence, strength, and the power of optimism. First of all, in his poem entitled “The Lamb,” William Blake uses the lamb as…

INTRODUCTION The series is termed as A Song of Ice and Fire written by GRR Martin, and the game of thrones comes from the first book of this series. The name of the series tries to provide a perspective to its readers that at some point of time Fire and Ice will be opposing each other, sometime. The whole series orbits around intensified politics, where a set of houses, take as modern day nations, are trying to take over a common throne, assume being the ultimate super-power. The series…

Of all of the most central characters in the A Song of Fire and Ice novels is Jon Snow who is a main point of view character in A Game of Thrones, A Storm of Swords, and the fifth book of the series A Dance of Dragons. In Martin’s fresh modern depiction of a world of fantasy, Jon Snow is the character who shares perhaps the most stereotypical character when it comes what happens to him. In the third book he is attacked by an eagle who claws his face. (Martin, SOS. 212-213) The attack by the bird…

These poems tell of children whom yell “weep”, not because they are crying, but because they can not pronounce sweep. In two poems we are told similar stories of chimney sweeping children. But what differences can be found between the two children? In the poem of “Experience” the boy is yelling “weep” and while doing so he is asked by someone as to where his parents are and to their surprise they are at the church praying. On the other hand in the poem “Innocence” the boy is completely ignored…

In the first version of “The Chimney Sweeper” from the Songs of Innocence, the boy is having to become a chimney sweeper because it is a necessity. The child says, “When my mother died I was very young, and my father sold me” (1459). During this time, child labor was very popular, and his father sold him because they were in poverty. The second version of “The Chimney Sweeper” the child was more than likely forced to do the job because his parents made him. The child’s parent is very alive…