Popular Poem: The Angel

William Blake narrated a poem entitling The Angel. This poem is suitable to teach Junior High School students because the language used is not so difficult. Besides, the moral value or the message from the poem is important for them. THE ANGEL  By William Blake I Dreamt a Dream! what can it mean?  And that I was a maiden Queen:  Guarded by an Angel mild;  Witless woe, was neer beguil'd! And I wept both night and day And he wip'd my tears away And I wept both day and night And hid from him my hearts delight So he took his wings and fled: Then the morn blush'd rosy red: I dried my tears & armd my fears, With ten thousand shields and spears. Soon my Angel came again; I was arm'd, he came in vain: For the time of youth was fled And grey hairs were on my head 1.  Rhyme Scheme and Kind of Stanza      The rhyme scheme and the kind of stanza of “The Angel”  Poem By William Blake are as follows  :      a – a – b – b: quatrain      a – a – b – b: quatrain      a – a – b – b: quatrain

     a – a – b – b: quatrain

2.  Repetition

     And I wept (in stanza 2 line 1 and 2)

3.  Denotation and Connotation

     a.  Denotation

          dreamt (v)                 = imagine something that we would like to happen

          dream (n)                  = wonderful thing or person

          witless woe               = a great sadness that is considered stupid

          was neer beguil'd!

          wept                          = cried

          wip'd my tears away   = remove my tears

          delight                      = get a lot of pleasure

          fled                           = escaped

          the morn                   = morning

     b.  Connotation

          a maiden queen         = young unmarried queen

          an angel mild             = a spiritual being that is very beautiful

          blush'd rosy red          = become redder

          shield                        = something that provides protection against danger or risk

4.  Symbol

     an Angel mild         = the hope

     shields and spears = our strength

     grey hairs               = old age

5.  Metaphors

     an Angel mild         = the hope

     shields and spears  = our strength

     grey hairs               = old age

6.  Time and Place Setting

     It happened in the country where the poet, William Blake, lives—it is in British in 1800s.

7.  Theme

     The hope that is not achieved

8.  Message

     We should be grateful to whatever condition that the God the Almighty has endowed us.

Analyzed by Sahdan, an English Teacher

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