William Blake s Poem The Schoolboy - 1551 Words

Many writers construct natural imagery by deploying figurative language throughout their work. Natural imagery is a prominent feature in the works of William Blake, particularly in his 1789 poem ‘The Schoolboy’ published in the poetry collection ‘Songs of Innocence’. He explores the theme of restriction and how freedom can be found in the natural setting, also demonstrating how human-identity can be influenced by these worlds. Blake’s own perception of restriction due to education, and love of imagination and creativity, becomes an undertone of his social commentary. The impact of vivid imagery is further explored in D. H. Lawrence’s 1922 novella ‘The Fox’ . The juxtaposition between natural and domestic worlds is examined through literary devices such as metaphor and symbolism to comment upon the way in which nature can impact identity and relationships. In contrast, Lawrence further uses domestic imagery in comparison with descr iption of the natural world to highlight the internal conflict of characters such as March and Henry. Throughout ‘The Schoolboy’ there is a clear sense of conflict between the restriction of formal learning and the freedom that nature can allow. It could be argued that this theme extends into the form of the poem, with the use of quintain stanzas being unusual during the romantic period perhaps Blake was consciously going against the traditional conventions of poetry. According to Marshall Brown ‘Blake assaulted all the canons of