Summary:
Infant Sorrow is a contrasting companion poem to Infant Joy, appearing in Songs of Experience (1794). Instead of celebrating birth as a moment of happiness, this poem depicts birth as a struggle, filled with sorrow and pain.
- The speaker is a newborn child who feels trapped and miserable upon entering the world.
- The mother groans in pain during childbirth, while the father weeps, indicating that the birth is not a moment of joy but one of suffering.
- The baby is helpless yet rebellious, struggling against the world, leaping, crying, and writhing in discomfort.
- The final image of the baby sulking on the mother’s breast suggests a sense of defeat and quiet suffering.
- This poem reflects Blake’s “Experience” perspective, where the world is harsh, restrictive, and full of suffering from the very moment of birth.
Unlike Infant Joy, which celebrates innocence and happiness, Infant Sorrow portrays birth as a harsh and sorrowful entry into an already difficult world.
MCQs:
- Who wrote Infant Sorrow?
A) William Wordsworth
B) Samuel Taylor Coleridge
C) William Blake
D) John Keats
Answer: C) William Blake - Which collection includes Infant Sorrow?
A) Songs of Innocence
B) Songs of Experience
C) Lyrical Ballads
D) The Prelude
Answer: B) Songs of Experience - How does the newborn feel in Infant Sorrow?
A) Joyful and hopeful
B) Angry and struggling
C) Calm and peaceful
D) Curious and excited
Answer: B) Angry and struggling
Infant Sorrow - What does the mother do in the poem?
A) Smiles with happiness
B) Groans in pain
C) Sings a lullaby
D) Dances with joy
Answer: B) Groans in pain - What does the father do in the poem?
A) Laughs with excitement
B) Weeps
C) Reads a book
D) Prays in gratitude
Answer: B) Weeps - Which literary device is used in the phrase “Into the dangerous world I leapt”?
A) Simile
B) Metaphor
C) Personification
D) Hyperbole
Answer: D) Hyperbole - How does Infant Sorrow contrast with Infant Joy?
A) Infant Sorrow presents birth as joyful, while Infant Joy shows it as painful
B) Infant Joy is about happiness, while Infant Sorrow focuses on struggle and misery
C) Both poems describe birth as a celebration
D) Both poems depict birth as painful
Answer: B) Infant Joy is about happiness, while Infant Sorrow focuses on struggle and misery - What is the baby’s reaction to being born?
A) It laughs and claps its hands
B) It cries, struggles, and feels trapped
C) It falls asleep peacefully
D) It immediately begins to talk
Answer: B) It cries, struggles, and feels trapped - What is the theme of Infant Sorrow?
A) The beauty of childhood
B) The hardships of life from the very beginning
C) The importance of education
D) The role of nature in shaping identity
Answer: B) The hardships of life from the very beginning - Which of the following best describes the tone of Infant Sorrow?
A) Hopeful and inspiring
B) Joyful and warm
C) Dark and sorrowful
D) Playful and humorous
Answer: C) Dark and sorrowful
| Question | Answer |
| Poem Name | Infant Sorrow |
| Poet | William Blake |
| Year Published | 1794 |
| Collection | Songs of Experience |
| Main Themes | Suffering, Struggle, Birth, Helplessness |
| Tone | Dark, Painful, Rebellious |
| Structure | Two short stanzas |
| Literary Devices | Hyperbole, Symbolism, Contrast with Infant Joy |