The Garden of Love

Question 1

‘A chapel was built in the midst,
Where I used to play on the green.’

Answer 1

• The chapel is an unnatural intrusion, degradation of land/nature by Christian institutions grabbing at money.
• ‘I’ -> Narrator is a child from the ‘Echoing Green,’
• The chapel embodies Blake’s criticisms of organised religion.

Question 2

‘the gates of this chapel were shut.’

Answer 2

• Blakes criticism of the exclusivity of the Church institution.

Question 3

‘Thou shalt not’ writ over the door,’

Answer 3

• ‘Thou shalt not’ -> Imitation of God’s will/all about restrictions and arbitrary rules.

Question 4

‘I turned to the Garden of Love,’

Answer 4

• Narrator has turned his back on God.

Question 5

‘It was filled with graves,’

Answer 5

• Life has been replaced with an abundance of death.

Question 6

‘tomb-stones where flowers should be, And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,
And binding with briars my joys and desires.’

Answer 6

• Mointering and restriction even after death.
• ‘Black’ monotonous lifestyle, unnatural colour in nature, connotes death.
• ‘briars’ = Thorns, nature is against him. Reminscent of Jesus’ crown.

Question 7

Rhyme scheme

Answer 7

Rhyme scheme is collapsing on itself, symbolic to nature in the Garden.

Question 8

Tone

Answer 8

• Tone gets bleaker.

Question 9

What is Blake criticising in ‘The Garden of Love?’

Answer 9

Blake is criticising the corruption of land and joy by humans.

Question 10

Narrative voice

Answer 10

• The narrative voice is the child from the ‘Echoing Green’,
• Once a child, now older
• Universal character.