+2 votes
in Class 12 by kratos

Read the lines from the poem ‘The School Boy’ and attempt a brief appreciation focussing on the theme and the

poetic devices used by William Blake.

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!

O father and mother if buds are nipped,

And blossoms blown away;

And if the tender plants are stripped

Of their joy in the springing day,

By Sorrow and care’* dismay

How shall the summer arise in joy,

Or the summer fruits appear?

Or how shall we gather what griefs ***,

Or bless the mellowing year,

When the blasts of winter appear?

1 Answer

+1 vote
by kratos
 
Best answer

In the above lines, the poet beautifully depicts the inner instincts of a school boy. The poet says that a bird can never sing sweet song when it is caged. In the same way, if a child ** under and tension, he can never enjoy the natural happiness. The poet says that if buds are nipped and tender plants are strapped, they can’t grow and bloom. In the same way, the child rose in the fresh and delightful summer morning can’t be happy when his parents force him to go to school where he spends his time in sorrow. The child means that when he is forced to go to school, he can not learn anything at school. He even can’t enjoy the summer and the ** of the season because he is forced to go to school. Here, the poet differentiates between the freedom of imagination and repression of young souls in schools. The extract follows an ababb rhyme scheme. There are rhyming words like joy-annoy, sing-wing, spring; nipped-stripped, away-day-dismay, joy-***, appearyear. Overall the poem is delightful to read. The poet has made use of alliteration also. For example, blossoms blown, gather...... griefs, etc.

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