Question

Name instances of irony in "Holy Thursday" in the songs of innocence written by William Blake.

Answer 1

The title "Holy Thursday" a day before Good Friday that had religious importance as this day is considered as holy by the Christians but it doesn't match with the proceedings of the poem.The orphan children are used for raising money for the Church and the caretakers and cannot be associated with the idea of holiness.

The second instance of irony is the depiction of innocence, when the poet depicts innocence for the orphan chidren he really means it, but when he depicts the innocence of Beadles with the lines"wands white as snow" he is using it as irony to show the hypocrisy in the symbolic form of a wand that is white as snow, that which is not truth but deception to cover up the darker shades of the real intention.

The third instance is in the lines " wise guardians of the poor",in these the irony is that are the benefactors or the so called guardians really wise,is it wisdom or ignorance that required the little, poor orphan children to stand in front of them and sing for them to gain their pity.Thus,this evokes antipathy in the readers as real cause is overshadowed by the meanness and selfishness of the the institutions of the Society.