Poem: The School Boy
Poem Summary
In this poem by William Blake, a young schoolboy expresses his unhappiness with the formal and restrictive nature of school. He argues that school stifles the natural joy and creativity of childhood.
The boy loves to wake up on a summer morning, listen to the birds sing, and hear the hunter's horn. This connection with nature brings him happiness. However, the thought of going to school on such a beautiful day "drives all joy away."
He describes the school environment as dull and oppressive. He has to spend his day "in sighing and dismay" under the "cruel eye outworn" of his teacher. He finds no joy in his books and feels that the classroom is a prison. He compares himself to a bird trapped in a cage, which cannot sing because it is not free.
In the final stanzas, the boy makes a powerful appeal to his parents. He uses metaphors from nature to explain his point. He questions how a plant can grow if its buds are nipped and its blossoms are blown away in spring. Similarly, he asks how a child can flourish if their joy and youthful spirit are crushed by the harsh discipline of school. He warns that a childhood spent in sorrow and fear will lead to a fruitless adulthood, like a winter with no summer harvest.
The poem is a plea for a more natural and joyful approach to education, one that allows children to learn from nature and experience happiness rather than being confined by rigid rules.
Working with the Poem
1. Find three or four words/phrases in stanza 1 that reflect the child’s happiness and joy.
Answer: The words/phrases are "love to rise," "birds sing on every tree," "distant huntsman winds his horn," and "sing with me."
2. In stanza 2, the mood changes. Which words/phrases reflect the changed mood?
Answer: The words/phrases are "drives all joy away," "a cruel eye outworn," and "sighing and dismay."
3. ‘A cruel eye outworn’ (stanza 2) refers to
(i) the classroom which is shabby/noisy.
(ii) the lessons which are difficult/uninteresting.
(iii) the dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.
Mark the answer that you think is right.
Answer: (iii) the dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.
4. ‘Nor sit in learning’s bower worn thro’ with the dreary shower’.
Which of the following is a close paraphrase of the lines above?
(i) Nor can I sit in a roofless classroom when it is raining.
(ii) Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers go on lecturing and explaining.
(iii) Nor can I sit in the school garden for fear of getting wet in the rain.
Answer: (ii) Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers go on lecturing and explaining.
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