IN-The Ecchoing Green

Question 1

What does Blake suggest about “Old John, with white hair”?

Answer 1

that the old shepherd still has a place in family and society even though in the society he might have been displaced or pensioned off.

Question 2

What does the artificiality within the city children implicitly contrast to in the poem?

Answer 2

with the natural cycle of the countryside whereby children rest when they are tired and ‘sport’ naturally ends with the closing of the day

Question 3

Why is it interesting that Blake speaks of the natural idealism of life in the countryside?

Answer 3

As since he was a lifelong Londoner, he may very well never have witnessed such a scene as in the “echoing green” however it serves him a contrast to the physically and emotionally polluted environment of the city

Question 4

What can be suggested from the first person plural in the poem, particularly in the form of “our”?

Answer 4

it could primarily be to signify a common sense of ownership and belonging

Question 5

What could be the purpose of the last part of the second stanza which consists of a reminiscence by the ‘old folk’?

Answer 5

Blake could be meaning to allow us see the natural development from youth to old age making this harmony seem ‘real..’ He could also be saying that we must recreate happiness even if it no longer exists

Question 6

What are the 2 signs which suggest the world of the village green is under threat?

Answer 6

Both from the reading of the last 2 lines where

1) sports is ‘no more seen’ and
2) the green itself -darkening.

Question 7

What could be implied from the fact that the green itself is “darkening”?

Answer 7

this may not only signify the natural end of the day, but also a possible ending of a certain tradition, the coming in of night to menace our safety and that of our children’s innocence

Question 8

How can the title of the poem be read in a solemn way?

Answer 8

as while “echoing” could reverberate with laughter and play, it also resounds with the ‘echo’ of something either already or imminently lost

Question 9

How is the poem structureed?

Answer 9

into 3 stanzas which reflect the three temporal frames of morning, noon and night.

Question 10

What does the second stanza serve to do?

Answer 10

it serves to remind the reader that innocence does not last as the cheer of the first stanza is looked at in remembrance that was in their `‘youth time seen” but that in the communal setting of the countryside, the old can take pleasure in the sheer innocent “cheerful sounds.”

Question 11

What could be a positive spin to the presence of the old people within the poem?

Answer 11

the fact they were still around is a testimony to the persistence of life as the”oak”in the second stanza stands in the green as a symbol of strength and security to accentuate this feeling of family and tradition

Question 12

How does a hint of melancholy affect the poem in the last stanza?

Answer 12

as the “echoing green” becomes the ‘darkening’ green. Spring will always come and with it all the joys and vitality of the season, but it aways eventually ends, giving way to the death autumn and winter brings

Question 13

There will always be youth to celebrate the joy in the world, but ________ symbolises the idea of maturity and how you must content yourself with remembered joy

Answer 13

Old John

Question 14

The beauty of the poem comes in the form of life enjoyment showcased through the children playing, but how is the melancholy subtly dealt with?

Answer 14

in the guise of an undertone of how fleeting youthful zeal can be.

Question 15

What is the effect of the first stanza having introduced no specific person, only the scenery?

Answer 15

this suggests that Blake views the idealised state as being something which is natural and centred around the simplicity of life such

Question 16

how are the lively qualities and happiness expressed in the first stanza?

Answer 16

as life is still as early and fresh as a “sun” thats high in “happy…skies”

Question 17

How does Blake glorify old age and experience in the pastoral setting of the “echoing green”?

Answer 17

“the oak” tree becomes a symbol of wisdom and provides a representation of older superiority and strength which suggests Blake is commenting on the similar wisdom to be had in the elderly group which now looks at the “youth-time” and their “merry” cheers with remembrance and nostalgia

Question 18

How does Blake present the old as genuinely finding enjoyment?

Answer 18

as he observes how they “laugh at [the] play”

Question 19

In the last stanza why is there no more playing?

Answer 19

as “the sun does descend”

Question 20

What can be suggested by the fact that the narrator claims that their “sport have to end”?

Answer 20

as this implies the leaving behind of childhood merriment

Question 21

By the structure of the 3 stanza poem what does Blake indicate with life?

Answer 21

that childhood is over as age comes and death approaches

Question 22

The vivacity of childhood is draining, and as life passes, the “Green” is no longer “echoing” its “______________ like the light of life slipping away

Answer 22

darkening

Question 23

How do the themes throughout change?

Answer 23

it begins as a purely beautiful tale in the first stanza and progressively delves into melancholy until the beauty, in the end, has shifted from the primary focus to the underlying theme. He has effectively created a poem to showcase the beauty and melancholy of aging and life

Question 24

What could be Blake’s intention with the children in this poem?

Answer 24

During the industrial age, young children were treat as young adults in the workforce such as chimney sweepers; here Black instead portrays them as they really are and provides them security in “Old John” with “white hair” who acts as a guardian of their innocence