Nurse's Song

Question 1

Stanza 1 - Nurses song

Answer 1

1. When the voices of children are heard on the green’

• Setting of the ‘green’ to convey the importance of nature, reoccuring symbol for Blake to convey safety
• Use of auditory imagery to create a vivid depiction of childrens joy

2. My heart is at rest within my breast and everything else is still’

• Maternal image of ‘breast
• Internal rhyme continues harmony and edenic setting
• ‘everything else is still’ hyperbole conveys the power of children’s joy

Question 2

Stanza 2 - Nurses Song

Answer 2

1. ‘come, come leave off play and let us away’

• Use of internal rhyme and assonance to create an endearing tone
• Use of monosyllabic terms to further this tone

2. Then come home, my children’

• Use of possessive pronouns to suggest a sense of community and connection

Question 3

Stanza 3 - Nurses song

Answer 3

1. ‘In the sky little birds fly’ ‘and the hills are all covered with sheep’

• Use of animal imagery to suggest children see themselves as part of nature
• Blake often uses sheep and children interchangably, furthering this

2. . ‘No, no, let us play’

• Repetition of ‘No’ emphasises defiance
• However, clear children do not fear speaking up, furthering sense of community

Question 4

Stanza 4 - Nurses song

Answer 4

1. ‘leaped & shouted & laughed’

• semantic field of joy
• Repeated verbs give sense of activity and energy possessed by children

2. ‘bed’ / ‘And all the hills ecchoed’

• ABAB scheme subverted with last word, but can be found if you push eccho-ed. Like a child, one must use their imagination to make the most of the poem (overall message found here)

Question 5

1 Critic

Answer 5

An article in the Vassar Critical journal says the nurse “recognizes the children’s wisdom, knows they must take advantage of their day in the sun and that the day, indeed, still shines.”

Question 6

2 Broad contexts

Answer 6

1. Enclosure acts

• The enclosure acts were the systematic privatisation of Land, starting in 1604 and ending in 1914
• There were 5200 acts passed, privatising over 6.8m kms of Land
• Blake’s poetry often spoke out against the restriction of land, as this eden became unrealistic

2. Children and Nature

• This poem combines two of Blake’s great inspirations, the natural world and children
• In a letter to to a Reverend, Blake said they “have taken a greater delight in contemplating my Pictures than I even hoped.” Clearly, he values the perspective of children
• For over 3 years, Blake lived in a cottage in Felton. Countryside living led to one of his most famous and respected poems, Jerusalem (Which many consider to be a strong candidate for a modern national anthem of England) Showing the importance of nature to Blake