The Little Black Boy, William Blake: Summary & Analysis
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In William Blake's poem " The Little Black Boy ," the speaker addresses the complexities of race, identity, spirituality, and love. Through the voices of a little black boy and a little English boy, the poem explores themes of innocence, acceptance, and the hope for equality. With vivid imagery, symbolism, and a conversational tone, Blake delves into the societal constructs of race and the spiritual yearning for unity and harmony. The Little Black Boy by William Blake
My mother bore me in the southern wild,
And I am black, but oh my soul is white!
White as an angel is the English child,
But I am black, as if bereaved of light.
My mother taught me underneath a tree,
And, sitting down before the heat of day,
She took me on her lap and kissed me,
And, pointed to the east, began to say:
‘‘Look on the rising sun: there God does live,
And gives His light, and gives His heat away,
And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive
Comfort in morning, joy in the noonday.
‘‘And we a…