The School Boy. A short story of a school boypptx

By William blake

1. The School Boy William Blake

2. How do you feel about school?

3. William Blake William Blake  (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the  poetry  and visual art of the  Romantic Age . 

4. Introduction The poem “The School Boy” by Wiliam Blake tells us with the sorrow and dismay of a young boy who dislikes going to school every morning. He expresses his displeasure by comparing his situation to that of a caged bird and flower that is withered at its early stage. Although he is well-aware about the importance of learning and is willing to gain knowledge, his only problem is with the restricted and dull environment schools provide, that robs little children like him of all the joy and happiness.    

5. poem I love to rise in a summer morn, When the birds sing on every tree; The distant huntsman winds his horn, And the skylark sings with me. O! what sweet company. Word Meaning: Morn – literary term for morning Winds – (here) plays Skylark – a common Eurasian and North African lark of farmland and open country, noted for its prolonged song given in hovering flight

6. poem But to go to school in a summer morn, O! it drives all joy away; Under a cruel eye outworn, The little ones spend the day, In sighing and dismay. Word Meaning Sighing – emit a long, deep audible breath expressing sadness, relief, tiredness Dismay – distress

7. poem Ah! then at times I drooping sit, And spend many an anxious hour. Nor in my book can I take delight, Nor sit in learning’s bower, Worn thro’ with the dreary shower. Word Meaning: Drooping – bend Learning’s bower – a place where someone comes to learn Worn – very tired Thro ’- non-standard spelling of through Dreary shower – depressingly dull or repetitive

8. poem How can the bird that is born for joy, Sit in a cage and sing. How can a child when fears annoy, But droop his tender wing, And forget his youthful spring.  Word Meaning: Tender – soft

9. poem O! Father and Mother, if buds are nip’d , And blossoms blown away, And if the tender plants are strip’d Of their joy in the springing day, By sorrow and cares dismay, How shall the summer arise in joy, Or the summer fruits appear?  Word Meaning: Nip’d – Nipped; ‘to nip something in the bud’ is to stop or destroy it at an early stage of its development Strip’d – stripped; (here) robbed

10. The one furrow When I was young, I went to school With pencil and foot rule Sponge and slate, And sat on a tall stool At learning’s gate . At an early age, following the milestones of growth set up by the society the poet too was enrolled in school for partaking education, the path everyone has to walk on to attain supposed knowledge and enlightenment. The poet had with him the usual materials needed to attend classes, pencil, foot rule, sponge and slate. Armed with the weapons of education he recalls sitting on a tall stool, at “learning’s gate”, referring to standing at the threshold of the world of learning.

11. poem When I was older, the gate swung wide; Clever and keen-eyed In I pressed , But found in the mind’s pride No peace, no rest. As the poet grew older, learnt more, gained more knowledge, the “gate” of “learning” swung wide, in other words opened wider as he understood way more and knew more than before. Blessed with the attributes of being clever and keen to learn, the poet “pressed” in further , reaching deeper in the world of edification. Enlightened and knowledgeable, his mind was proud of all that it has achieved, It was this pride that caused him to be not able to gain peace or rest.

12. poem Then who was it taught me back to go To cattle and barrow, Field and plough: To keep to the one furrow, As I do now ? Unable to secure peace, the poet from there onwards found his way back to “cattle and barrow, field and plough”, the land he had come from, to “keep to the one furrow”, regaining all the calmness of the soul from that source. However he continues thinking who was it that taught him to go back, who was it who showed him the way and taught him to do as he did then.

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