William Blake’s Infant Joy is a short and uplifting poem from Songs of Innocence (1789). It presents a joyful and pure perspective on birth, innocence, and happiness.
The poem is a dialogue between a newborn baby and an adult (possibly the mother).
The baby is only two days old and chooses the name “Joy” for itself, symbolizing innocence and happiness.
The adult blesses the child, wishing it a life filled with joy and protection.
The tone of the poem is tender, loving, and filled with warmth.
Unlike many of Blake’s later poems in Songs of Experience, this one lacks sadness or corruption—it focuses only on the pure and innocent joy of a newborn.
The poem reflects Blake’s Romantic ideals, where childhood is seen as a state of purity and divine happiness before the world influences it.
MCQs:
Who wrote Infant Joy?
A) William Wordsworth
B) William Blake
C) Samuel Taylor Coleridge
D) John Keats
Answer: B) William Blake
Which collection includes Infant Joy?
A) Songs of Experience
B) Songs of Innocence
C) Lyrical Ballads
D) The PreludeAnswer: B) Songs of Innocence
How old is the infant in the poem?
A) One day old
B) Two days old
C) One month old
D) A newborn just born
Answer: B) Two days oldInfant Joy
What name does the infant choose?
A) Hope
B) Joy
C) Love
D) Peace
Answer: B) Joy
Who is speaking in the poem?
A) Only the mother
B) Only the infant
C) Both the infant and the mother (a dialogue)
D) A stranger looking at the baby
Answer: C) Both the infant and the mother (a dialogue)
What is the tone of Infant Joy?
A) Dark and sorrowful
B) Joyful and warm
C) Angry and rebellious
D) Mysterious and sad
Answer: B) Joyful and warm
Which of the following is a major theme of Infant Joy?
A) Corruption of society
B) The purity and happiness of childhood
C) War and destruction
D) Regret and sorrow
Answer: B) The purity and happiness of childhood
What literary device is used in the line “I happy am”?
A) Personification
B) Metaphor
C) Inverted syntax
D) Simile
Answer: C) Inverted syntax
What does the adult wish for the baby?
A) Strength and courage
B) A joyful and blessed life
C) Wisdom and intelligence
D) Riches and power
Answer: B) A joyful and blessed life
How is Infant Joy different from Infant Sorrow?
A) Infant Joy focuses on happiness, while Infant Sorrow depicts struggle
B) Infant Joy is written in Songs of Experience, while Infant Sorrow is in Songs of Innocence
C) Infant Joy is about war, while Infant Sorrow is about love
D) There is no difference between them
Answer: A) Infant Joy focuses on happiness, while Infant Sorrow depicts struggle