INTRODUCTION (INNOCENCE) Flashcards
NAME
- Literally introduces the songs of Innocence within the context of the pastoral
WHAT IS THE POEM ABOUT?
Purity + joy of childhood- the speaker is guided by angelic child to play a pipe
WHAT IS THE MAIN MESSAGE OF POEM?
- Celebration of innocence- purity and joy arise from a state of being uncorrupted by harshness of world
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERISE THE SPEAKER?
The speaker is receptive to the child’s call + is willing to make something beautiful
“Piping down the valley’s wild.”
- ‘wild’ but not threatening- pastoral idyll
“Pipe a song”
- Repetition + imperatives: child is in charge
- represents poetic inspiration
- Reciprocal relationship
“Pipe a song about a lamb”
- Purity imagery
- Song of Jesus
General repetition of ‘so’ + ‘and’
Obedience and order
“Piper sit thee down and write in a book that all may read.”
divine message for all
“And I made a rural pen…”
Anaphora: emphasises the speaker is willing to do anything that will spark joy for the child
“And I stained the water clear.”
Hint of darker future- aim is to create something pure but can this really be done?
STRUCTURE
- Ballad form, alternating rhyme- suggestive of childhood songs
KEY THEME IT BELONGS TO
The world of innocence, safety and security
