english lit

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RELIGION

THE LITTLE BLACK BOY
- Everyone equal in God's eyes. -Colour of skin not burden, but help from God (sun)
-Both boys are lambs of God

THE DIVINE IMAGE
-Links the for qualities with God and humankind. -God in our own image.
-'heathen, turk or jews'- no caps, all divine and equal.

HOLY THURSDAY (I)
-Blake's dislike of organised religion. -Service at St Pauls Church for charity kids-'Lambs' sacrificial.  -'Lest you drive an angel form your door'- Story from genesis about angels.

HUMAN ABSTRACT
- Religion says unless you do your duty you will go to hell- 'he sits down with holy fears'
-Not instrinsic good.  -The UPAS tree- The tree of knowlege - link to The fall/evil

HOLY THURSDAY (E)
-Lots of quesitons at the start- is it really holy?  -Ascention Day

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Social Injustice/Power/Government/Corruption

THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER (E)
-Boys parents presented unfavourably, 'they think they have done me no injury'
-Created an eternal hell for their child 'who make up a heaven of our misery'

HOLY THURSDAY (I)-Stress how many unfortunate kids- 'multitude' 'thousands'
-The 'aged' men (power) sit 'beneath'- Blakes view that they are not as worth as the innocent kids-Lacking treatment of societies most vulnerable.

THE LITTLE BLACK BOY
-Slavery. Abolished 1830's. -Uses naive characters to portray existence of sinister reality.

THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER (I)
-Isolation- 'my mother dies when i was very young' -So young- 'weep' - PATHOS
-'Thousands of sweepers'-compare to 'mulitude' in HT. -Death will be liberation
HOLY THURSDAY (E)
- 'In a rich and fruitful land'-makes it worse that people around them are living very well.
- No ambiguity, straight to the point 'babes reduced to misery' not 'children walking two and two' (I)

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Love/Sex/Lust

THE LITTLE BLACK BOY
-God loves us all equally. -White boy will only know this when both dead- 'will then love me'
-Mother loves her child, teaches him that he is no different. 'I am blakc but o my soul is white'

THE DIVINE IMAGE
-God loves us because we are created in his own image and therefore have his qualities.
-'virtues of delight'

A LITTLE GIRL LOST/FOUND-Parents love child os much they over protect. -They surpress sexual desire (exotic animals)

THE SICK ROSE
-Perhaps the poem about corruption of innocence (worm penetrates the rose)
-Rose is medieval symbol for chastity and viginity.

HOLY THURSDAY (E)
-Shows lack of love - 'Gold and userous hand' - it is a hand dealing with children, not care/heart-'An eternal winter there' -always sad and cold, not loving.

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