Two of William Blake's poems really stood out to me. The first one I really liked is "The Lamb," on page 335. It reminds me of when my brother and I were younger, he had a stuffed animal (a lamb) named Lamby. My brother loved that thing and I'm sure he still has it somewhere; but it was definitely worn out and old.
The flow of Blake's poem is very rhythmic and has that rhyme to it. Even the layout of the poem caught my eye. It seems to tell a story of a Lamb and how that lamb came to be born and fed and looked after. An interesting line, "Gave thee clothing of delight, / Softest clothing wooly bright..."(Pg. 335) makes me think of how a lamb was born, fed, then used the wool for soft clothing "of delight." The second stanza, in my opinion, seems to say that the lamb was born and the wool was used, and whomever "made thee" is God, "Little Lamb God bless thee."
Another poem I liked is actually the one right after "The Lamb," called "The Little Black Boy." This poem made me a little sad but also a little happy, too. It's like the narrator of the poem doesn't like being black, and it seems to say so right away, "My mother bore me in the southern wild,/And I am black, but O! my soul is white..." (Pg. 335) Why would be want to be white instead of black? I know times were tough, but still. I also like the line where Blake writes, "But I am black as if bereaved of light." This line struck me as dark because the narrator is stating that he is so dark it's like he never got to see the light of day. But is there another meaning, like his soul never gets to see the light of day either? Or that he is bereaved of light because he is black and not white? I just thought this poem had some interesting lines that may have other meanings.
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