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Poet: William Blake
Poem: How Sweet I Roam'd
Comment 1 of 1, added on July 16th, 2006 at 1:48 PM.
This poem makes me think of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, the chinese tale of the nightingale, and Dunbar's poem about the caged bird. This bird was having a wonderful time in its natural setting until the "Prince of Love" captured it. The prince enjoyed the bird's singing, but at the same time, managed to be cruel by sporting with it, stretching out its wings, and mocking its loss of freedom. Lenny, (character in Of Mice and Men) loves soft things, but because he doesn't realize his strength, kills what he loves. The Prince of Love thinks that the bird is singing for him and for his pleasure, but the bird is really singing out of pain and doing what comes naturally for it.
This is a poem that can apply to those that feel like they are trapped in a gilded cage: Everything is show, but substance is missing. It is a poem with cruelty and loss weaved throughout its images. With its four stanzas, an emotional story is told and Blake manages not to get "preachy". The moral is left to the reader's interpretation.
dallas holsten from United States
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This poem makes me think of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, the chinese tale of the nightingale, and Dunbar's poem about the caged bird. This bird was having a wonderful time in its natural setting until the "Prince of Love" captured it. The prince enjoyed the bird's singing, but at the same time, managed to be cruel by sporting with it, stretching out its wings, and mocking its loss of freedom. Lenny, (character in Of Mice and Men) loves soft things, but because he doesn't realize his strength, kills what he loves. The Prince of Love thinks that the bird is singing for him and for his pleasure, but the bird is really singing out of pain and doing what comes naturally for it.
This is a poem that can apply to those that feel like they are trapped in a gilded cage: Everything is show, but substance is missing. It is a poem with cruelty and loss weaved throughout its images. With its four stanzas, an emotional story is told and Blake manages not to get "preachy". The moral is left to the reader's interpretation.
dallas holsten from United States