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Compare and contrast the way education is depicted in Blakes poem and Bennett(TM)s play. Consider in each text the purpose of education, as well as its relation to the past, present and future. What light does the comparison throw on our understa

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Compare and contrast the way education is depicted in Blakes poem and Bennett's play. Consider in each text the purpose of education, as well as its relation to the past, present and future. What light does the comparison throw on our understanding of the play and of Bennette's characters? The Schoolboy is a poem written by William Blake from songs of experience. The poem narrates a young boy's perception of school and how he believes that children in school are like in prison and they should be let out in nature to be free and be happy while their childhood lasts. History boys however, is a play by Allan Bennette which follows the lives of a class of boys who are working for exams to go to the university of Oxford and Cambridge. Both texts focus on the theme of education. William Blake strongly agrees with French philosopher Rousseau who believes that children should be free and naturally move from innocence to experience. ...read more.


The History boy's are preparing for the present or nearby future. They believe that their youth period is time for studying and they'll get their freedom once their into university. Both texts are influenced greatly by the past present and future. In History boy's hector teaches the boys education which will benefit them in the future, whereas Irwin is only educating them for the present. Blake's poem also has a lot of reference to time "... in a summer morn... summer arise... summer fruits... winter appear". The poem nonetheless, moves gradually from time through the use of seasons. Blake used summer to symbolise the present and winter to symbolise the future. Blake was trying to imply that summer was a time for nature, when children should be free and full of innocence and as nature is beautiful during the summer they should make the most of it until winter comes, when they'll have to stay in doors and therefore study. ...read more.


This quote was from Posner, saying that the literature in books he's read before says his homosexual feelings will pass. This personal matter has nothing to do with Oxford or Cambridge exams yet life experiences and to deal with them. Bennette is trying to show us that no matter when or what you learn, it will always come to use during your life time. Ultimately I personally believe that the comparisons shed a good, positive light on how we apprehend the play and Bennette's characters. We are able to acknowledge and appreciate the significance of both texts and the period of time they were written in. The Schoolboy we learn, is more concentrating on childhood and innocence, whereas History boy's is more about how children will help society and need to be educated to be able to give back to the community. We also have to remember that during the time Schoolboy was written the life expectancy was low and therefore childhood was shorter. This would help us understand why Blake was so adamant about children making the most of childhood. ?? ?? ?? ?? Zahraa Adam 12.4 ...read more.

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