Holy Thursday Innocence Flashcards
1
Q
Context of Holy Thursday
A
- Annual service on Maundy Thursday.
- Thursday before Good Friday and the Easter weekend.
2
Q
'’Twas on a Holy Thursday, their innocent faces clean,’
A
- ‘Twas’ Story-telling quality.
- ‘clean’ Cleaned to look innocent to hide experiences ad the fact they are exploited for work.
- In reality, these children are exploited for work, neglected, physically abused and under a miliant regime where they must obey or die.
3
Q
‘The children walking two and two in red and blue and green’
A
- Allusions to Noah’s arc.
- Militant, restricted. The children must obey or die.
- Children can only hope for the future.
4
Q
‘Grey headed beadles walked before with wands as white as snow;’
A
- ‘Wands’ hitting children, child abuse.
- ‘white as snow’ simile, unnaturally clean. Keeping up an appearance of charity.
5
Q
Thames waters flow
A
- Polluted. ‘Chartered’
- Control imagery
6
Q
‘what a multitude they seem, these flowers of London town.’
A
- ‘multitude’ highlighting there is an abundance of children, thus Blake is criticising the scale of poverty.
- ‘flowers’ The children are mere decoration. Romanticism, these children are only nature within Industrial London.
7
Q
‘The hums of multitudes was there, but multitudes of lambs:’
A
- ‘Lamb’: Jesus/innocence/sacrificial imagery
8
Q
‘Thousands of little boys and girls raising their innocent hands.’
A
9
Q
‘like a mighty wind they raise to Heaven the voice of song,’
A
10
Q
‘harmonious thunderings’
A
11
Q
‘wise guardians of the poor’
A
12
Q
‘Then cherish pity, lest you drive an angel from your door.’
A
