The School Boy

The School Boy

                          By William Blake

 

Analysis of the poem :

·      The poem “The School Boy’ is composed by William Blake, a renowned English poet.

·      This poem describes that a child enjoys nature’s company in summer morning but all his joy goes away when he has to go to school and spend his time studying.

·      The theme of the poem is that ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. The poem emphasises that the burden of studies in early stage of a child spoils his childhood and hinders his natural development.

·      The poem is lyrical and rhythmic.

     The tone of the poem is critical as the poet criticises the parents who increase the burden of studies in early childhood.

·      The poem gives the message that too much burden of studies takes away the joy of childhood. A child should be allowed to grow in a natural and healthy environment so that a child may receive mental, social, psychological and intellectual development.

 

Line by Line Explanation

 

Stanza 1

I love to rise in a summer morn,

When the birds sing on every tree;

The distant huntsman winds his horn,

And the skylark sings with me.

O! what sweet company.

Explanation:

The school boy loves to rise in the summer morning as he enjoys summer breeze after a hiatus of long and dull winter. In the morning the birds come out to perch on trees and sing joyfully. In a distance the huntsman blows his horn to warn the bird and catch them. The skylark bird sings very sweetly and the boy loves this sweet company of birds and nature. All the human beings and creatures are happy as the arrival of summer is good news to them after long winter.

 

Stanza 2

But to go to school in a summer morn,

O! it drives all joy away;

Under a cruel eye outworn,

The little ones spend the day,

In sighing and dismay.

Explanation:

Sadly, the boy doesn’t get the chance of enjoying such beautiful bounties of nature on the summer morning. Because he is supposed to rise early and go to school in the morning. This thought takes away all his joy and excitement. He along with all the kids feels tired, sad and disappointed spending a tiring day in the school premises.

 

Stanza 3

Ah! then at times I drooping sit,

And spend many an anxious hour.

Nor in my book can I take delight,

Nor sit in learning’s bower,

Worn thro’ with the dreary shower.

Explanation:

He feels bored, sad and disappointed when he has to sit with drooping shoulders and spend long hours in the school premises though he wants to sit in the lap of nature. He has to do tedious school studies and finds no joy in reading books. He is tired of sitting under the strict supervision of the teachers and listening of boring lectures instead of enjoying the refreshing rain showers.

 

Stanza 4

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.

Explanation:

Here, Using metaphor the poet wants to tell that a bird is created to fly in the open sky and sing enjoying its freedom. If a bird is caged, it can’t sing and be happy. Similarly, if a child is burdened with studies, and is under constant fear and anxiety in his childhood, he can’t develop freely and naturally. Childhood should not be deprived of cheerfulness and playfulness. Just the way, a bird sings happily and enjoys the spring, similarly, a child should develop with playfulness and enjoy his childhood.

 

Stanza 5

O! Father and Mother, if buds are nip’d,

And blossoms blown away,

And if the tender plants are strip’d

Of their joy in the springing day,

By sorrow and cares dismay,

Explanation:

Using another metaphor the poet tries to tell the parents that if a bud is plucked, it can’t grow into a beautiful flower and make the world more beautiful with its existence.  If a sapling is stripped, it can’t grow into a tree and bear fruits for the humanity. Similarly, a child should be allowed to grow in a natural and healthy environment so that he/she receives physical, mental, social, psychological and intellectual development.

 

Stanza 6

How shall the summer arise in joy,

Or the summer fruits appear?

Explanation:

Towards the end, the poet tries to tell the readers that a child should be allowed to grow in a natural and healthy environment because the summer is there to be enjoyed after long winter. If people want to enjoy trees to bear fruits in summer, they should not strip the saplings in early stage. A child should be allowed to enjoy his childhood with less hours of studies and more hours of play and exploration. He should be provided with right opportunities for all round development.

 

Summary / Synopsis

The school boy loves to rise in the summer morning as he enjoys summer breeze, song of birds and sweet company of nature. Sadly, the boy doesn’t get the chance of enjoying these bounties of nature because he has to go to school and do tedious school studies. He feels tired and bored under the strict supervision of his teachers and boring lectures.

If a bird is caged, it can’t sing and be happy, if a bud is plucked, it can’t grow into a beautiful flower and if a sapling is stripped, it can’t grow into a tree and bear fruit. Similarly, if a child is burdened with studies, and is under constant fear and anxiety in his childhood, he can’t develop freely and naturally. He should be given opportunities to receive all round development.

Message

Using metaphor the poet wants to give a beautiful message that a child should be allowed to grow in a natural and healthy environment so that he/she may receive physical, mental, social, psychological and intellectual development.

 Rhyme Scheme

ABABA for each stanza

Poetic Devices

When the birds sing on every tree – imagery,

The distant huntsman winds his horn – alliteration,

And the skylark sings with me – alliteration, assonance

But to go to school in a summer morn – repetition, alliteration,

Under a cruel eye outworn – symbolism

And spend many an anxious hour – assonance, transferred epithet

Nor in my book can I take delight – Anaphora

Nor sit in learning's bower – Anaphora, assonance, metaphor

Worn through with the dreary shower – alliteration, metaphor, oxymoron

How can the bird that is born for joy – alliteration, assonance

Sit in a cage and sing? – Assonance

But droop his tender wing – assonance, symbolism

And forget his youthful spring! – symbolism, metaphor

O father and mother if buds are nipped – apostrophe, symbolism

And blossoms blown away – anaphora, alliteration, symbolism

And if the tender plants are stripped – anaphora, symbolism

Of their joy in the springing day – alliteration, symbolism

Or the summer fruits appear? – symbolism