IN-Introduction Flashcards
What is the style of this poem?
It is in a conventional 18th century style
How is the innocence of the poem evident?
as it is symbolised by the pastor terms by the shepherd’s pipe
The narrator, arguably Blake, is asked by a child to “pipe” songs “with merry chear” in what line is this?
line 5-6
What type of rhymes does this poem have?
jaunty rhymes and simple rhymes
Amid the apparent simplicity of structure and narrative stance, there is something ______ about Blakes work, something that always calls attention to itself as an act of writing or inscription/
reflexive
The poem looks forward to the ‘Lamb’ as a symbol of innocent happiness and through its associations to Jesus, as a religious image which thus points us towards what sort of complicated arguments?
religious arguments which Blake will mount throughout both sets of Songs
When the “song about a lamb” is first piped, we are told of the pipers “merry chear”; but when he pipes again, we are told that the child what?
“wept….to hear”
How is there a duality of reaction in the second stanza?
as When the “song about a lamb” is first piped, we are told of the pipers “merry chear”; but when he pipes again, we are told that the child “wept…. to hear”
While in the third stanza we are told that the child is weeping “with joy” this does not entirely erase the impression of the second stanza. Why might the child have “wept… to hear” in the second stanza?
this could have been because of the fragility of the lamb, with a sense that the world of innocence might not be all there is to apprehend as a sort of preparation for the later poems.
What could Blake mean by “stain’d” in line 18?
this could suggest the inevitability that even the act of writing about innocence will taint the subject matter
Blake envisions himself as a Shepherd
“piping down ____ ______ ____”
the valley’s wild
How many quatrains does this poem consist of?
five
What is the significance of the “child”?
the child is both an embodiment of innocence as he is young, and the inspiration behind poetry as he charges the shepherd to play, sing and write.
That the child charges the shepherd to play the song specifically about “a Lamb” is a main foci for Blake’s work, what is this foci?
the portrayal of Jesus Christ as the innocent, spotless Lamb of christianity
Ostensibly (as appears to be true) the intended audience for this collection is innocent as the poet writes what?
“every child may joy to hear”
