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Rogueblade Posted 20 years ago
Relating Little boy Lost/Little Boy found
Heya, first post here, so just a quick hello to everyone.
Anyway, my reason for posting here, is concerning the poems Little Boy Lost, and little boy found (i shall post them under my main body of text).
The poems are evidently about a father that seemingly neglects his child, and leaves him behind in an unusual and harsh landscape. The boy then finds rescue and saftey in the form of a "wandering light", which leads him back to his mother (or his mother to him), thus concluding the two poems.
On a spiritual level (the author was apparently interested in mysticism) the poem is about how God will always find you and help you out of a dark and seemingly hopeless situation - hence, the boy represents the fear and uncertainty in all of us - however, there is another context i'm trying to apply the poems to, and that context is the industrial revolution, which was occuring around the times these poems were written.
Could The little boy represent old Britain, pre-industrial revolution, and the father represent the new Britain, forgetting its roots and heritage?
However, in order for this analogy to work, the mother and the wandering light (God) have to be implemented into it as well - so could i have any suggestions as to where they fit in?
Little Boy lost, followed by little boy found. (both 2 stanza poems)
Father father, where are you going?
Oh do not walk so fast!
Speak father, speak to your little boy
Or else I shall be lost.'
The night was dark, no father was there,
The child was wet with dew;
The mire was deep, and the child did weep,
And away the vapour flew.
--
The little boy lost in the lonely fen,
Led by the wand'ring light,
Began to cry; but God, ever nigh,
Appeared like his father in white.
He kissed the child, and by the hand led,
And to his mother brought,
Who in sorrow pale, through the lonely dale
Her little boy weeping sought.
again, thank you.
Anyway, my reason for posting here, is concerning the poems Little Boy Lost, and little boy found (i shall post them under my main body of text).
The poems are evidently about a father that seemingly neglects his child, and leaves him behind in an unusual and harsh landscape. The boy then finds rescue and saftey in the form of a "wandering light", which leads him back to his mother (or his mother to him), thus concluding the two poems.
On a spiritual level (the author was apparently interested in mysticism) the poem is about how God will always find you and help you out of a dark and seemingly hopeless situation - hence, the boy represents the fear and uncertainty in all of us - however, there is another context i'm trying to apply the poems to, and that context is the industrial revolution, which was occuring around the times these poems were written.
Could The little boy represent old Britain, pre-industrial revolution, and the father represent the new Britain, forgetting its roots and heritage?
However, in order for this analogy to work, the mother and the wandering light (God) have to be implemented into it as well - so could i have any suggestions as to where they fit in?
Little Boy lost, followed by little boy found. (both 2 stanza poems)
Father father, where are you going?
Oh do not walk so fast!
Speak father, speak to your little boy
Or else I shall be lost.'
The night was dark, no father was there,
The child was wet with dew;
The mire was deep, and the child did weep,
And away the vapour flew.
--
The little boy lost in the lonely fen,
Led by the wand'ring light,
Began to cry; but God, ever nigh,
Appeared like his father in white.
He kissed the child, and by the hand led,
And to his mother brought,
Who in sorrow pale, through the lonely dale
Her little boy weeping sought.
again, thank you.
Top answer
Hello Rogue, welcome to EF! Your interpretation is interesting; but it's a kind of paradox to say that the little boy represents the "roots and heritage", whereas the father represents the "new Britain". It might be more usual for a child to represent the new, in such a allegory!
- Hello Rogue, welcome to EF!
- Your interpretation is interesting; but it's a kind of paradox to say that the little boy represents the "roots and heritage", whereas the father represents the "new Britain".
- It might be more usual for a child to represent the new, in such a allegory!
- g.
- e.
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2 Answers
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Hello Rogue, welcome to EF!
Your interpretation is interesting; but it's a kind of paradox to say that the little boy represents the "roots and heritage", whereas the father represents the "new Britain". It might be more usual for a child to represent the new, in such a allegory! (By the way, I wouldn't say that the wandering light – a typical "will o' the wisp" – leads him to safety: rat
Your interpretation is interesting; but it's a kind of paradox to say that the little boy represents the "roots and heritage", whereas the father represents the "new Britain". It might be more usual for a child to represent the new, in such a allegory! (By the way, I wouldn't say that the wandering light – a typical "will o' the wisp" – leads him to safety: rat
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Thanks for the welcome MrPedantic!
i see your point on the paradox of the young boy representing the "roots and heritage", and the father representing the new, the modern, but it does make sense in this way. Old Britain wasn't that technologically advanced, and fairly basic and innocent in comparison to the new industrialised Britain - which was much more complex, and required more exper
i see your point on the paradox of the young boy representing the "roots and heritage", and the father representing the new, the modern, but it does make sense in this way. Old Britain wasn't that technologically advanced, and fairly basic and innocent in comparison to the new industrialised Britain - which was much more complex, and required more exper
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