William Blake's Infant Joy from the Songs of Innocence and Infant Sorrow from the Songs of Experience are in direct contrast from one another. Infant Joy represents the celebration and joy felt at the arrival of an innocent babe, while Infant Sorrow is a poem of the despair and rejection at the birth of an unwanted child. The former poem leaves one with the feeling of warmth and innocence; the latter only offers a bleak and dark existence that shall last a lifetime. Blake presents the reader with two aspects of the birth of life-one that is softened by peace and purity, and another that is really no life at all.

Infant Joy radiates happiness and love. It is an expression of the elation and wonder felt at the birth of a tiny babe. The scene is one of tranquillity-a mother gently cradling her child at her breast. Both the mother and babe are given a voice. The mother addresses her tiny infant, only thoughts of tenderness and love consuming her. She revels in the joy of her motherhood. Her precious infant is embracing his new life and surroundings, proclaiming to the world his arrival of only two days before. The tone is one of hope mingled with a glowing, radiant

In writing Infant Joy and Infant Sorrow, William Blake has offered us a coin, one side gleaming golden, while the other is tarnished. The golden side of this coin creates an almost indescribable emotion-an emotion so pure, so innocent, so untouched-that one is hesitant to even name this feeling for fear of destroying the moment of angelic purity. The image of the mother and her babe is eternal. Blake does more than warm the heart with this poem; he crafts the heart and gives it life. The tarnished side of the coin represents a child stained by the misdeeds of life and the knowledge of an adult. Just as he crafted a heart with Infant Joy, with Infant Sorrow, Blake displays his ability to cripple the same heart with his gift for words.

Brown and gray are the colors of this scene. These are the colors of dirt and death. This place is a deep pit extending to the bowels of the earth. Not quite hell, for the devil does not possess souls. There are no souls here. The eyes, the windows to the soul, are forever shuttered. From the moment he was born as Despair, this infant was tightly imprisoned in his baby clothes, so he may never struggle again. He is weary, and in defeat he sullenly rests against his mother's thin breast-a breast never to offer him sustinence.

The words chosen by Blake-joy, happy, pretty, sweet, sing, and smile-exude a sense of contentment. The words contribute to a feeling of radiance felt at the occasion of the infant's birth-a timeless situation. The joy felt by the mother is many times experienced throughout life, one would hope every time a woman gives birth. The age of the child is important, as it emphasizes the innocence of the babe.

The mother names her child "joy." She revels in his innocent smile. The infant is trusting, as his mother tenderly holds him to her b

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Approximate Word count = 1230
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)