Nurse’s Song (Experience): Structure & Language Techniques

Nurse’s Song (Experience): Themes & Linking Poems

Explores the theme of loss of innocence, showing a darker, more cynical view of childhood compared to the Innocence version.
The juxtaposition of the two ‘Nurse’s Song’ poems provides a clear example of Blake’s concept of ‘contraries’.
Looks at authority and control, highlighting the nurse’s dread of freedoms being enjoyed by children.
Highlights the corruption and repression inflicted by institutions, symbolized by the ‘dismal shade’ of the church.

“Whisperings are in the dale” suggesting secrecy and a loss of the open innocence found in its counterpart.
The repetition of the phrase “your spring & your day are wasted in play” emphasizes the nurse’s negative view of play and innocence.

Blake was a Romantic poet who often explored themes of innocence, experience, and societal institution in his work.
He believed in individual freedom and was critical of institutions like the Church which he believed stifled this.
His works are often symbolic and allusive, requiring reader interpretation to fully understand their meanings. In this poem, the nurse and her views may symbolize society’s adult figures and institutions.
Blake’s innovative printing method, ‘illuminated printing’, allowed him to control every aspect of the book’s creation, including both the artwork and the text. It is key to understand this when studying ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’ as the visual and textual elements are intertwined.