Nurse’s Song The Little Black Boy Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake

Trees that may symbolise ‘shady grove’ The boy is pointing up, maybe towards heaven – mother states; ‘look on the rising sun: there God does live’ The Little Black Boy is helping the white boy to shade him from the love of God; ‘I’ll shade him from the heat till he can bear To lean in joy upon our Father's Knee’ Jesus is carrying a shepherds crook, possibly to signify that the children are like little lambs to him ‘And round the tent of God like lambs we joy’

The sun, which is going down behind the hills, so it is beginning to darken as ‘the dews of the night arise’ Blake has illustrated another series of trees, which go over the children, which could be symbol of natures protection over the children, similar to how the tree provided ‘shade’ in the illustration of ‘The Little Black Boy’ The Nurse illustrated is quite involved, although she’s sitting beneath the tree she’s not completely excluded, as she presides over them, providing protection like a guardian, similar to how The Little Black Boy provides his protection to the little white boy However The Little Black Boy provides protection from the rays of the sun, a symbol for the love of God, whereas the Nurse is providing protection from the darkening day as ‘the sun is gone down’ The Hill ‘Laughing is hear on the hill’ ‘And all the hills echoed’ Theses are the playing children ‘No, no, let us play, for it is yet day’

Images Nurse’s song The Little Black Boy Largely rural scenery ‘children are heard on the green’ ‘laughing is heard on the ’ It’s beginning to darken ‘the dews of the night arise’ Similarly, also a rural scenery ‘the southern wild’ ‘underneath a tree’ However there is a lot more light ‘Heat of day’ ‘Pointing to the East’ (Sunrise) ‘Look on the rising sun’ ‘Gives His light’ hill

Structure Nurse’s Song (I) The Little Black Boy The dialogue structure encourages a caring and understanding behaviour because of the exchanges in conversation between adult and children ‘Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down... And then go home to bed.’ The dialogue structure in ‘The Little Black Boy’ acts as a guidance, as the mother speaks to her son to make him understand earthly life is a preparation for the rewards of heaven ‘And we are put on earth a little space, That we may learn to beat the beams of love’