Analysis of William Blake’s The Echoing Green”: Symbolism of Innocence and Youth in a Countryside Setting

Emerson“The Echoing Green” and “The Eolian Harp” “The Echoing Green” is a poem written by William Blake. It was taken from Blake’s Songs of Innocence, and is also a pictorial poem of Blake’s. In this poem, the poet describes a happy country side view where the arrival of spring is welcomed by sunny skies, and ringing bells. It takes place on an ideal day in the British Isles. Blake uses the theme of innocence and peace throughout the poem. The theme plays out here when Blake states that the skies are happy, the children are playing, and the ’old folk’ who reminisce about their own childhood.

This poem is a symbolic and draws a contrast between youth and old age. The spring symbolizes the youth and the children. Morning is the beginning of life and dark evening is the end. The poet symbolizes the innocence of children with birds. The birds are happy and they sing; mocking the children. ’Nest of birds’ symbolizes peace. The poem could be attributed to the life of a person-birth, life, death. Birth being the morning, life being the kids playing, the routines throughout the day, and men reminiscing, and lastly death being the end of the day when all goes dark, and quiet smothers the earth. The Eolian Harp”, is a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Inspired by the peaceful music being played by wind this poem was written for his wife, Sara, while visiting a house of his in Clevedon, Somersetshire. The theme in this poem is also peace, as well as innoncence. Peace comes to him while he ponders on the beauty of nature, and the wonder of God giving him everything around him including Sara. Coleridge personifies nature by comparing it to abstract nouns. For example, the white flower represents innocence.

This abstract noun does exactly this: it gives life and character to nature. Coleridge uses unperceived nature to appeal to the human senses. Each are introduce in turn starting with sight through the watching of the clouds and the evening star. The introduction of God towards the end is another vision. ; a vision to the soul. It is now that the audience visualizes the peace that Coleridge feels. The allusion to sight and vision in these poems are significant because of the dept of imagination needed for physical and emotional imagery. It’s full of emotional feelings, as well as physical sight.

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The audience is needed to picture, and feel what the poet did to understand the poem. For example, both Coleridge and Blake set the poem outside, in nature to show the peace and innocence. These two poems also have central connectedness. They both have vision and sight. Not only emotionally and mentally, but physical as well. There are many times where both poets use deep feelings and thoughts. Hiding meaning behind words, and using polsemes. Blake hides meanings behind his entire poem. Such as: morning being the beginning of life, and evening being the end.

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