Holy Thursday (Song of Experience) : Summary
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).
Summary
In this poem, the speaker is asking a serious question: how can we call something “holy” when we see little children suffering in a rich country like England? England has a lot of wealth and food. Yet the poor children live in sadness and hunger. The people do not truly care for them. They help them with a cold and selfish attitude. It means they only want to show that they are helping.
The speaker knows that the song they (the children) are singing cannot be a joyful song. How can anyone be happy when there are so many poor children? The speaker then says that England is not a land of joy, but a land full of poverty.
In this country, the sun never shines for these children. It means they never feel warmth, love, or happiness. The fields are empty. Nothing is growing there. Their paths are full of thorns. Life is full of pain and problems. It is like an endless winter there, full of sadness and suffering. Because where the sun does shine and rain falls, the children cannot be hungry. Poverty cannot exist there.