Holy Thursday (Song of Experience) : Key info
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, and various study materials of Holy Thursday (Song of Experience).
Key info
Title: Holy Thursday
Poet: William Blake (1757-1827)
Tone: Critical, Bitter, accusatory, sorrowful, angry.
Genre: Poetry (Lyric)
Publication: “Holy Thursday” was published in Blake’s collection Songs of Experience in 1794.
Form: The poem has four short quatrains (four-line stanzas)
Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme of this poem varies. In the first stanza, the lines follow the ABAB pattern. It becomes ABCB in the second stanza.
Structure and Form:
- 4 quatrains (four-line stanzas).
- Simple language but heavy irony and rhetorical questioning.
Important Note: In this poem, Blake criticizes society for neglecting the children. The poem asks: why so many children suffer from poverty in a rich and fruitful country like England? Why are so many children orphaned and dependent on charity? The speaker of “Holy Thursday” from Songs of Innocence (1789) takes an innocent look at poverty and charity. He is happy for the beautiful children who are attending the church service on Holy Thursday. However, the speaker of the Songs of Experience (1794) knows full well that society is to blame for the misery of the children. The rich, who are feeding the children, are selfish. They care more about looking good than truly helping. This speaker’s view is “experience”.