This poem by William Blake centers a lot around spiritual values to love that looks beyond race. The little black boy in the poem classifies himself as “black skin” but a “white soul”. William Blake continues to compare and contrast the light and dark parts of this poem pretty consistently throughout the beginning of the poem. Also compared to a culture in which black and white are defined as bad and good. As the main character thinks about himself we realize that the main character may have a problem with self understanding even though he has came to the terms with himself that he is black. The little black boy’s mother symbolizes that natural relation ship showing selfless love like a mother should. She is always worrying for her son’s self-esteem as well as his connection with God. She informs him of Christianity and elaborates on how this early life is a preparation for the rewards that heaven can bring. When talking to the white child he makes a good point about how they are both the same but will never be free until let go from the physical restraints of this world. He believes that he deserves to be in Heaven more than the white child because it seems that he believes that his darker skin has been looked at as a burden and he has been through more. This is where I am not sure whether the black child’s attitude is servile and self-demeaning or is shown as an example of Christian charity. In the eyes of God involving the Christian faith it is not about what you have went through it is more about how you get through those obstacles. Avoiding sin and being able to confess as well as repent/ask for forgiveness proves that you follow the Christian faith and more importantly Jesus as your role model. In the end I believe the poem tries to get a point across that the child’s attitude I either example both end up meaning the same thing in his eyes. Lastly involving William Blakes form of this poem I was ultimately surprised that it was in heroic quatrains which I found out were stanzas of pentameter lines rhyming ABAB. The poem has a really nice pedagogical tone which suits the slightly longer lines very well.Author scoopah16Posted on March 2, 2020Categories UncategorizedEdit