The imagery of the young child as a 'black thing', juxtaposed against white 'nature' (snow), confronts the reader of the first line. It implies the dehumanising effect (thing = object, non-human) of this form of child-labour on the once 'white', pure soul of the child, a key aspect of Romantic thought.
One of the most influential poets in English history, William Blake’s works as a painter, poet and printmaker inspired a major part of the Romantics movement and the beginning of the anti-slavery campaign. His ideas made him a seminal figure of poetic and artistic movements’ way ahead of his time. His views on religion, sexuality and slavery were regarded as ‘mad’ by society of his time but his modern influence has turned him into a symbol of
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His father, James, was a hosier, creating simple legwear for the middle class. Only four of Blake’s siblings survived through the highly vulnerable infancy period, with two of Blake’s siblings passing at that age. Even though Blake’s family were English Dissenters, people who classified themselves as Christians but excluded themselves as a part of the Church of England throughout the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, he was baptised at St. James Church in central London. This gave him an early religious influence, allowing Blake to create and build his own unique views and approaches towards the Bible and the Roman Catholic societies of his …show more content…
After she responded positively, Blake declared his love for her and married her a few months later on the eighteenth of August 1782 in St. Mary’s Church, Battersea. Blake taught Catherine simple literary skills, such as reading and writing, and also trained her as an engraver with his skills. Her developing skills made her a valuable asset to Blake by aiding print his artworks and being constant psychological and moral support. Blake and Catherine’s relationship was strong and was devoted until the Blake