William Blake Little Black Boy

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How does “The Little Black Boy” and “The Lamb” highlight Blakes social concerns? -ESSAY William Blake has captured the mindset of two young boys in his poems “The Little Black Boy” and “The Lamb”, he portrays the boys as being wondrous and open to their existence on the earth. The boys alike seem to be confused and unaware of how their surroundings are feeble. There are numerous social concerns associated with the cultures of the times in which the poems were depicted. Evidently, the two poems are associated with each other in the way that they both portray two young boys of cultural differences (one boy being black and the other, white). Blakes intention of using the two culturally different boys is to show how oblivious a white boy can be about his dilemmas compared to a black boy who longs to be white and believes he is such on the inside. This has clearly taken a toll on Blake and has given him a view of how children are innocent, yet have fallen victim to cultural differences at such a youthful age. The tone throughout “The Little Black Boy” suggests that the boy is putting himself below his fairer-skinned counterpart and longing for his love as if it’s some sort of validation. Being of Black descent, the boy has automatically perceived and become aware that he is different in the world, and it seems as though he believes he is of less importance in contrast with his fellow antagonist. The boy states “And I am Black, but O! my soul is white” as if he truly believes that a white soul is perceived to be better as oppose to a black one. Blakes use of this tone has showed that he contradicts the ways of this time, and strives for there to be a variance of the individuals. The Little Black Boy is portrayed as being very wise for his age, this has been shown in the way he talks, and about how he appreciates the little things in life like the heat from the
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