A Victim of Colonialism (The Little Black Boy)

  

                                         A Victim of Colonialism (The Little Black Boy)

            Colonialism was a western practice in African countries that led to the domination and subjugations of most African societies.  As a result, most Africans were sold into slavery in the western countries by the colonizers.  Nonetheless, this is one of the reasons why Blake wrote the poem “The Little Black Boy,” who was also a victim of colonialism in the 17^th century. Blake was a poet born in 1752, and he published this poem in 1789 when slavery was still going on in London.  According to Sandhu, slavery was made legal in London until 1972, and many African salves worked as attendants in aristocratic families. In addition, based on the poem it can be inferred that Blake also witness the enslavement of blacks in London, and this may have inspired him to write this poem. He also illustrated this poem in an image, which presented the little black boy and his mother under a large tree in a lonely land. The little boy and his mother were surrounded by mountains, few trees, and a beam of sun rising above the mountains. However, the image did not fully cover certain issues about the little boy as presented in the poem.  In this regard, in other to contrast between the image and the poem the issues of slavery, racism, and religious beliefs surrounding the poem and the image will be taken into consideration.

            Firstly, the poem depicts slavery during colonialism when Africans were taken to Europe by the colonizers. This is because of the little boy’s statement “My mother born me in the Southern Wild” (Blake). The southern wild in the stanza represents Africa in the dark ages when people lived in the forest. Thus, the little boy and his mother were among those who were transported to London as slaves. Moreover, according to Sandhu many slaves were taken to Britain by planters, government officials, and naval officers who returned home.  Some slaves were transported on ships that carried imperial goods like sugar, cotton, coffee, and oil to enrich the economy of London (Adi). Likewise, the issue of slavery was not illustrated in the image, although Blake portrayed the little boy and his mother to have dark skins.

            Moreover, the issue of racism was presented in the poem. Likewise, the image did not portray any aspect of racism in its illustration.  For example, the little boy said, “I am black, but my soul is white” (Blake).  This signifies that even though he is black, he is innocent of his nature.  In addition, the little boy considered himself not to be different from the whites.  This states the reasons why he said, “White as an angel is the English child” (Blake).  Blake also use the word “bereaved of light” to described the intensity of the little boy’s skin color, and how this affected him emotionally. According to Sandhu, whites in London treated blacks as none humans, and in the hierarchy of power relationship in the society, blacks were placed next to domestic animals.  Nonetheless, the little boy was confident of his nature. This was why he said, “This black body and sun-burnt face is but a cloud, and like a shady grove” (Blake).  This signifies that his skin color is just a shadow covering his body, which is not permanent.

            The aspect religious believes was also presented both in the poem and the image through the symbol of the sun beam.  The symbol of the sun beam centers around the little boy’s believed in the existence of God.  To him, the reflection of the sun on earth signifies God’s love for all living creatures so that they may live happily. Moreover, the little boy believed that God provided his love for all humans so that they may live in peace and love. This accounts for the reason why he said, “We are put on earth a little space that we may learn to bear the beams of love” (Blake).  This also shows that even though he was maltreated by the whites, he stills believe that they were all created by one God.

            Finally, in my own opinion, the poem and the image are much related, even though certain aspects of slavery, racism, and religious believes were not fully illustrated in the image.  In addition, the background of slavery presented by other scholars, and Blake’s witness of Africans enslavements in London justifies the meaning of the poem and the image. Therefore, the enslavement of blacks in London inspired Blake to write this poem so that people will know the suffering of backs in London.

                                   

                                                                      

                                                                  Work Cited

                    William Blake. Songs of Innocence.  London. 1789. Print

                    Hakim Adi.  Slavery and Abolition. BBC London. Web. April 2008.

                    Sukhdev Sandhu. The first black Britons. BBC London. Web. 17 February 2011

                                                    

                                                 

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