Holy Thursday (Song of Experience) : Literary devices
Holy Thursday (Song of Experience) is a notable literary work by William Blake. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of Holy Thursday (Song of Experience).
Literary devices
Symbols
Rich and Fruitful Land: Symbolizes a prosperous society.
Babes Reduced to Misery: Represents suffering children.
Cold and Usurious Hand: Signifies oppressive actions of the powerful.
Trembling Cry: Depicts children’s distress.
Eternal Winter: Symbolizes perpetual hardship.
Sun and Rain: Represent blessings and prosperity.
Thorns: Signify obstacles and dangers.
Hunger and Poverty: Emphasize suffering.
Mind Appall: Shows lasting psychological impact.
Figures of Speech
Repetition: The recurring question, “Is this a holy thing to see,” is repeated at the beginning of each stanza, emphasizing the central theme.
Rhetorical Questions: “Is that trembling cry a song?”
Irony: The contrast between the supposed holiness of “Holy Thursday” and the children’s suffering serves as irony.
Imagery: Descriptive imagery paints a bleak picture of poverty (“Fed with cold and usurous hand”).
Metaphor: “Their ways are filled with thorns” metaphorically describes the hardships people with low incomes face.
Personification: Poverty and hunger are personified as forces that “appall” the mind.
Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds adds rhythm ( “Fed with cold and usurious hand”).
Parallelism: Parallel structures reinforce ideas (“And where-e’er the sun does shine”).
Hyperbole: “Eternal Winter” exaggerates the unending nature of suffering.
Oxymoron: “Holy” and “misery” form an oxymoron.