summary of 'The school boy'
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"The School Boy" is a 1789 poem by William Blake and published as a part of his poetry collection entitled Songs of Experience. These poems were later added with Blake's Songs of Innocence to create the entire collection entitled "Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul". This collection included poems such as "The Tyger", "The Little Boy Lost", "Infant Joy" and "The Shepherd". These poems are illustrated with colorful artwork created by Blake first in 1789.[2] The first printing in 1789 consisted of sixteen copies.[2] None of the copies of Songs of Innocence are exactly alike as some of them are incomplete or were colored in posthumously "in imitation of" other copies.[2]
"The School Boy" is a poem written in the pastoral tradition that focuses on the downsides of formal learning. It considers how going to school on a summer day "drives all joy away".[3] The boy in this poem is more interested in escaping his classroom than he is with anything his teacher is trying to teach. In lines 16–20, a child in school is compared to a bird in a cage.[3] Meaning something that was born to be free and in nature, is instead trapped inside and made to be obedient.
Answer:
The School Boy summary. The School Boy poem is written by William Blake. The poem is about a schoolboy who is unhappy. He says that his childhood is crumpled for the sake of learning and teaching. The boy likes mornings, trees, and birds. He loves being in nature. However, due to his school, his mornings are unpleasant and unhappy. He does not like going to school and is not interested in studies and books.
The poet further advises the parents to not deprive the child of joy and freedom that he deserves to have. In case we have unhappy children, our world will be full of sorrow. We will never be able to experience joy.
The School Boy poem is about an unhappy schoolboy. He likes the summer mornings and is fond of seeing the trees and the birds. We know that morning time is full of hopes and aspirations. He finds the distant sound of the huntsman’s horn pleasant. Also, he wishes to sing with the skylark. In short, he enjoys being in the company of nature.
As he has to go to the school, his morning hours pass unhappily. As a result, his life at school is also worrisome. He is not interested in studies and books. Even the teacher’s lecture bore him. The teacher also keeps a strict eye on all the students so that they follow all the rules and regulations.
Thus, his day is spent in distress and sadness. Also, he loses all his joy. The poet compares the school with a tree under which children sit and learn. The boy says he does not find peace sitting under this tree also.
We all know that the pleasure of childhood lies in being free and happy like a bird. The poet here compares a child in school as a bird in a cage. He thus says that as a bird is unhappy in the cage so is a child in school. He says that a child who is scared by his parents and teachers cannot be happy and joyful.
The poet further says that the parents should not deprive a child of joy and freedom for the sake of studies. Depriving them of joy and freedom is similar to deprive the world of its spring. The poet also compares it with nipping the buds and flowers from the plants. He is of the opinion that this world will be a sorrowful place in the absence of a happy childhood.
The poet beautifully compares it with nature. He says that without a happy childhood, we shall only have a winter of sorrow. We shall never be able to experience the summer of joy.
Conclusion of The School Boy
The poem teaches us that being parents we shall take due care of our children. It is our duty to see that our children are happy, joyful, and free. If we want our generations to be happy and prosperous we need to make their childhood a happy one.