"The Little Black Boy" by William Blake (poetry reading)

[sicemtoto]

Merry Christmas Actress I saw that e-mail you got your Christmas came early! I'll be up commenting on more videos nite nite

[sexibones101]

Go to bed it'll go up tomorrow I almost burnt my ham and my sweet potato pond! You know I cook my dinner Xmas Eve night. Artemis is gonna love the doll house you brought Merry Christmas!

[sicemtoto]

I'm up waiting on you to upload your video Deck the Halls conclusion lmao drinking my eggnog my kids are sleeping Artemis was tryna wait up to see Santa but she's out! lol

[sexibones101]

@sicemtoto I'm glad you took my advice and read this . Yes our family is heavily mixed and what you said is true too I can't deny the white and black blood running through my veins and I don't but you know I love the written word and this is the first time I've read his work I still think it sounds racist but some of the comments mention and says he wasn't like that so, like I said it depends on how a person's raised he was very talented your right about that :) xoxoxo

[sicemtoto]

My great great grand father was mixed race white and black. My family is heavily mixed some people tell me you ain't all black . I tell them what black person in America really is. I don't know this man but it was kinda disturbing to read this . I truly think all races are more enlightened today then in this man's time and era . He was truly gifted tho his poetry is amazing . I may not like this one? But you can't deny his literary talent .

[sexibones101]

This IS racist . Its just to some white people's point of view it won't seem to be . That man was raised during a time when whites thought of blacks as savages demons and probably some hell spawn of Satan . He doesn't equate blackness to anything positive . But you can't fault a child on how he is raised . Its when he becomes an adult and aware that we all ..walk on two feet talk different languages has eyes mouth lips ears to hear and intellect we'll all go back to dust fear is a terrible thing

[noigirl]

its not being racist i think hes saying that being blacks a good thing, i also rember that william blake was supost to be welcoming to the black people he met

[evan12345a]

This was written by one of the few ' white' men that WASN'T racist...

[rappamarfil]

This poem is as much spatial capaciousness as a linear progression from a beginning to an end . The Yearn , no matter the nature of it , is what is loved . Our heat of no satisfaction , in it's heat now , here , satisfies , because it is how we bear love ~ aha ! We take it easy ~ yet take it we does . Tell me who you serve and I will tell you you serve too ! Thank your self when others thank you ~ at least because you have given yourself the treat of being thanked and love it . The equa

[cheapfeet]

This is an early anti-racist poem from an Englishman who did not live in the American climate of slavery but like a good Christian knew that it was an evil & anti-christian practise. The idea of the black boy being somehow at a loss is what seems dated & racist about the poem but all change begins with these powerful first steps

[Salvac88]

IS THIS RACIST???

[SpokenVerse]

@Salvac88 Racism wasn't invented until early 20th century. What do you think?

[Salvac88]

@SpokenVerse thats not true :)

[vivascargill1]

@SpokenVerse no  around 1800 after the rebellion in Haiti

[SpokenVerse]

@vivascargill1 I only meant the word Racism. Of course it existed as a practice. I remember my geography master asking the class "What was the biggest island in the world before Australia was discovered?".

[vivascargill1]

@SpokenVerse what i meant was not that slavery murder did not exist (first slaves are in Merhcnt of Venice no --from eastern europe slave=slav but the fear of blackness and the ideology that developed because of it we call racism strarted I think with Haiti--and then was refined in the 19th century. Before that people wanted slaves but the notion of superiority because of color as science did not exist anyway that is my sense

[ta7reer00]

@Salvac88

This is not racist,Blake simply criticizes the ideology that was and still spread nowadays that White people are superior over Black people that even black people see themselves lower than white people.Notice how the black boy says that his misery in life is just something that he has to submit to "bereaved of light" and his mother explains that their only salvation is in death where they get to be in heaven.Also notice how the mother says "BEASTS and men" she sees herself as a beast

[BlueDotMusic]

Well read, great poem.

Peace

[Porfirogenitna]

Great =)

[peoplematter1]

"kiss-ed me". WONDERFUL stuff.

[peoplematter1]

Well done. Lovely voice. A real gift you have. Please check the dates in the intro. You have Blake living 200 years.

[SpokenVerse]

Thank you. Careless of me.  He died 1827, not 1927, of course. Unfortunately I can't change it without reposting.

[HenrySpock]

Thanks for this! I haven't heard enough Blake.  I have his complete poems, but haven't yet had the chance to read very far - looking forward to it. I love 'London'.