The Schoolboy

The Schoolboy

Language

Contrast & Juxtaposition in first and 2^nd stanzas  –  'O what sweet company!' vs. 'O it drives all joy away!' 'The skylark sings with me' vs. 'Under a cruel eye'

Positive language: 'sing', 'sweet', 'born for joy', 'delight', 'youthful spring'

Negative language: 'droop/drooping', 'tender', 'sighing' 'worn through', – vocabulary which connotes weariness and weakness, highlighting the oppressive nature of education.

Rhetorical questions – 'How can the bird that is born for joy sit in a cage and sing/ 'How shall the summer arise in joy or the summer fruits appear?'- highlights the child's anxiety, lack of certainty. Already being corrupted by worries about the future. 

Personal pronouns…