William Blake: Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience)
Themes: Experience , Exploitation of Children
Image of the Child in the Poem:








Not orphan (parents alive)
Experienced
Exploited
Aware of exploitation
Realistic
Intelligent
Sad
Critical
Comparison Between the Images of the Child in the Poems:
Innocence
Experience
Orphan (Motherless)
Parents Alive
Innocent
Experienced
Exploited
Exploited
Unaware of exploitation
Aware of Exploitation
Dreamy
Realistic
Naive
Intelligent
Happy
Sad
Uncritical
Critical
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William Blake: The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence)
Themes: Innocence , Exploitation of Children
Form:
This poem is written in the form of a lyric.
It is made of six stanzas each stanza is made of four lines. ( Rhyme: aabb… )
Image of the Child in the Poem:








Orphan (motherless)
Innocent
Exploited
Unaware of exploitation
Dreamy
Naive
Happy
Uncritical
John Milton: On His Blindness
John Milton's eyesight began to fail in 1644. By 1652, he was totally blind.
THEME: Patience , Blindness
This poem is a sonnet.
Alexander Pope: Solitude: An Ode
FORM:
This poem is written in the form of an ode.
Rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef ghgh ijij
There are five stanzas in every stanza there are four lines.
The total number of lines in the poem is 20.
THEMES: Happiness, Loneliness
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Elements of Happiness According to Pope
1.
No responsibility.
2.
No noise or problems.
3.
Satisfaction with life in one’s own land.
4.
Self- sufficient.
5.
Health of body & peace of mind.
6.
Quiet sleep at night.
7.
Study & comfort.
8.
Recreation, Innocence & Meditation.
“Life in the countryside”
The poem calls for a life in the countryside away from the noisy life of big cities.
John Dryden: Happy the Man
THEMES: Happiness , Carpe Diem
This is a short poem written in the form of rhyming couplets
Aa bb cc dd
Elements of Happiness According to Dryden
• In possession of the moment.
• Inner peace.
• No worries about the future.
• No worries about the past.
• Enjoying the pleasures of the moment.
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The Concept of Happiness Between Pope and Dryden
Pope
Dryden
I
 No responsibility.
 In possession of the moment.
 No noise or problems.
 Inner peace.
 Satisfaction with life in one’s
own land.
 No worries about the future.
 No worries about the past.
 Self- sufficient.
 Enjoying the pleasures of the
moment.
 Health of body & peace of mind.
 Quiet sleep at night.
 Study & comfort.
 Recreation, Innocence &
Meditation.
 Loneliness.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wondered Lonely as a Cloud
William Wordsworth
Themes: Charm of Nature , beauty , loneliness
Romantic elements in the Poem
1. Subjectivity (through the use of the ‘subjective I’)
2. The celebration of nature
3. Loneliness
4. Power of Imagination
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What impact does nature have on the poet?
Nature enriched the life of the poet because every time he remembers the scene,
when he is alone, it gives him happiness. In other words, nature has a purifying effect on
man and his sensibilities. It also has an enlightening effect on him.
Form:
This poem is a short lyrical poem. The Rhyme scheme is as follows: ababcc
Kubla Khan
S. T. Coleridge
FORM:
This poem is a fragment because the poet could not finish it as he was interrupted by
someone who knocked at his door and stopped the writing process. However, many
critics consider it a full poem. The poem is highly lyrical one and very romantic.
Occasion:
Coleridge took opium as a kind of treatment for some disease and he slept. He claimed
that this poem came to him in that dream. When he woke up, he started writing the
poem, but could not finish it because someone knocked at the door and interrupted him.
The poem remained unfinished as it is.
Romantic Elements in the Poem:
1. Interest in far away places and people.
2. Interest in the East.
3. The celebration of the nature and the natural scene.
4. Interest in the picturesque (nature untouched by man).
5. The use of the subjective ‘I’.
6. The use of the supernatural.
Themes: Nature , Dream
Love's Philosophy
P. B. Shelley
Form:
This poem is a short lyric made of 16 lines.
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