Do Songs of Innocence and Experience need to be read together? Songs of Innocence and Experience are a series of poems on how we see the world at different stages of our lives. ... Both collections contain poems of a similar title, such as The Chimney Sweeper THE Chimney Sweeper and Nurse's song NURSE'S Song , and as the slight difference in title suggests; the poems in Songs of Experience contain an alternative perspective to the versions in Songs of Innocence. ... Songs of Innocence show life through the eyes of innocent children, whilst Songs of Experience demonstrate an older ...

• Word Count: 1564
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1789, 1794) extensively explores the concept of childhood. ... It is therefore possible to suggest that the Songs of Innocence and of Experience presents polarized depictions of childhood. ... In Blake's Songs of Innocence, "Laughing Song" could be regarded as a poem that directly explores the idea of the Romantic childhood. ... It is also significant that "Laughing Song" is a Song of Innocence rather than of Experience. ... Rather than being a poem about children who encapsulate innocence, such as "Laughi...

• Word Count: 2182
• Approx Pages: 9

One of the poems was in his poetry collection Songs of Innocence, and the other in the collection named Songs of Experience. To make it easier, I will from now on refer to the poem from Songs of Innocence as poem 1, and the poem from Songs of Experience, poem 2. ... The speaker in poem 2 is still a child and shows some innocence, although he presumably is somewhat older and more experienced. An element that emphasizes a degree of innocence in both speakers is an expression that is used in both poems. ... It stands for happiness, playfulness, joyfulness, God, angels, children and innocence. ...

• Word Count: 2076
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School