Infant Joy

By William Blake

"I have no name:

I am but two days old."

What shall I call thee?

"I happy am,

Joy is my name."

Sweet joy befall thee!

Pretty joy!

Sweet joy but two days old,

Sweet joy I call thee:

Thou dost smile,

I sing the while,

Sweet joy befall thee!

Infant Sorrow

My mother groan'd! my father wept.

Into the dangerous world I leapt.

Helpless, naked, piping loud;

Like a fiend hid in a cloud.

Struggling in my father's hands,

Striving against my swaddling bands;

Bound and weary I thought best

To sulk upon my mother's breast.

Print the poems out.

Read the poems over at least twice and then answer the following questions in writing to prepare for discussion.

1. Look up all the words you do not know in a good dictionary. Make sure you record multiple meanings of words.

2. Look up the words which you think you know but may be used in the poem with a different shade of meaning.

3. Circle the verbs in the poem. What conclusion can you draw about the verbs?

Before you proceed further, paraphrase the poems in your mind.

Of each poem, ask these questions:

4. Who is the speaker in the poem? What do you know about the speaker? On what evidence do you base your conclusion?

5. How would you characterize the form of the poem? Does it have a pattern? What is it? What is the effect of the form on the reader?

6. Identify and circle all the figures of speech in the poem.

7. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? Indicate the rhyme scheme on the poem.

8. What is the meter of the poem? Indicate the rhyme scheme on the poem.

9. What do you think is the point of this poem?

10. What is the dominant effect of the poem?

At the end of the analysis, type a personal response to the poem (about 300 words) contrasting the two views of infancy.