The Little Black Boy

The Little Black Boy The theme of guardianship, being the act of guarding, protecting, and taking care of another person, is very prominent in William Blake’s “The Little Black Boy”. Three distinct instances of guardianship can be seen in Blake’s poem. These guardianship roles begin with the little boy’s mother, followed by God, and ultimately ending with the unsuspecting little black boy himself. It is relatively easy to see the repression of …

…show him love, in hopes that the English boy would love him. Blake does a very good job of establishing guardianship roles in his “The Little Black Boy”. Guardianship, as Blake displays, is not limited to adults. The most touching of the guardianship roles in this poem is the role of the little black boy. How sweet, and at the same time sad, for a young child to take on a role such as guardian.