What Do You Know About “Holy Thursday”?
Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence) 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 (Songs of Innocence).
Answer
What do you know about Holy Thursday?
Holy Thursday is a Christian annual ceremony to commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. On this day, poor/orphaned children come to the Church to thank God and get a little charity.
In “Holy Thursday” from Songs of Experience (1794), William Blake (1757-1827) criticizes the way society treats poor children. He is especially angry at how rich and powerful people pretend to be kind—but actually, they ignore the real suffering of the poor.
Satire of False Charity: The poem describes the annual Holy Thursday ceremony. On this day, the poor orphaned children are taken to church. The children sing and thank God. In Songs of Innocence (1789), this event seems happy and beautiful. However, in Songs of Experience (1794), Blake reveals the truth—the charity and meals for Children are just a show.
Rich people feel proud of their small acts of charity, but they do not do anything to fix poverty itself. The children are still suffering every other day of the year. Blake mocks the idea that this is a “holy” event. He asks:
“Is this a holy thing to see?”
He makes the reader question whether it is truly good to let children live in poverty—and then expect them to be thankful for a little help.
Satire of a “Rich” Country: Blake also criticizes how England calls itself a “rich and fruitful land,” yet so many children live in hunger. He describes their lives as an “eternal winter”—
“It is eternal winter there.”
This image suggests that, even in a rich country like England, children never get warmth, love, or real care.
To sum up, Blake satirizes the hypocrisy of the rich, the Church, and society. He shows that true goodness does not come from giving small charity—it comes from making sure no child suffers in the first place.