[ A Critical Analysis of William Blake's Poem The Echoing Green]
William Blake's “The Echoing Green” begins with the spring morning. The sun rises and the sky
looks bright. Church bells are ringing and the boys come out to play in the green field. We see a
happy milieu in the entire green field.The green field reverberating with the joyful sound of the
children at play .The entire stanza is echoing with happy notes of jocund words - “happy",
"merry", "spring", " cheerful” that beautifully portray the jollity of the scene.
The second stanza shows a group of old persons sitting under an oak tree . They look at the
children at play and they are reminded of their own past days when they were children. They
remember those days when they used to play in the same manner, filling the green field with
their happy cries.
It is to be noted here that the title of the poem is ‘echoing green’ and the term "echo" is used in
more than one perspective. Firstly,it suggests the physical echo of the laughter and joyful noise
that fills the green field. Secondly,it represents the emotional echo within the heart of the old
folk, which reminds them of the joy of their childhood days. The children's happiness stirs a
reflection of past pleasure in the mind of those old men , creating a symbolic echo of their own
jollity. Thus the echoing green becomes a space where the past and present joys resonate
together.
The sun has set and the children's play comes to an end. They began to think of returning home
just as birds go back home to their nest. The image of the birds and their nest creates a sense
of carefreeness and that's why the poet here compared the children with birds. Once they reach
home they will sit in the laps of their brothers and sisters. Their parents will adore them. This
picture creates an exquisite picture of domesticity. As they leave, the green field is left empty in
darkness. The echoing sound of their cheerfulness is heard no more. The echoing green now
becomes darkening green.
The last two lines can be ambiguous.The idea of sports being “no more seen" and the green
itself "darkening “ not only signifies the natural ending of day, but also a possible ending of
certain tradition, the coming in of a night to menace our safety and more importantly that of our
children.
William Blake's “The Echoing Green” begins with the spring morning. The sun rises and the sky
looks bright. Church bells are ringing and the boys come out to play in the green field. We see a
happy milieu in the entire green field.The green field reverberating with the joyful sound of the
children at play .The entire stanza is echoing with happy notes of jocund words - “happy",
"merry", "spring", " cheerful” that beautifully portray the jollity of the scene.
The second stanza shows a group of old persons sitting under an oak tree . They look at the
children at play and they are reminded of their own past days when they were children. They
remember those days when they used to play in the same manner, filling the green field with
their happy cries.
It is to be noted here that the title of the poem is ‘echoing green’ and the term "echo" is used in
more than one perspective. Firstly,it suggests the physical echo of the laughter and joyful noise
that fills the green field. Secondly,it represents the emotional echo within the heart of the old
folk, which reminds them of the joy of their childhood days. The children's happiness stirs a
reflection of past pleasure in the mind of those old men , creating a symbolic echo of their own
jollity. Thus the echoing green becomes a space where the past and present joys resonate
together.
The sun has set and the children's play comes to an end. They began to think of returning home
just as birds go back home to their nest. The image of the birds and their nest creates a sense
of carefreeness and that's why the poet here compared the children with birds. Once they reach
home they will sit in the laps of their brothers and sisters. Their parents will adore them. This
picture creates an exquisite picture of domesticity. As they leave, the green field is left empty in
darkness. The echoing sound of their cheerfulness is heard no more. The echoing green now
becomes darkening green.
The last two lines can be ambiguous.The idea of sports being “no more seen" and the green
itself "darkening “ not only signifies the natural ending of day, but also a possible ending of
certain tradition, the coming in of a night to menace our safety and more importantly that of our
children.
