In the Garden of Love- William Blake

The Garden of Love is represented by the Garden of Eden

• True

• False

Why can the speaker not enter the ‘chapel’ ?

• The chapel is closed to sinners

  The ten commandments rule the way of life

• The chapel is dead

  People are sinful

What does the word ‘midst’ (line 3) mean in the context of the stanza?

• In the middle of the church grounds

• In the presence of the Bible

Comment on the effectiveness of the description ‘binding with briars’ (line 12).

• This line reflects the way the church has restricted love

• This line reflects the way the church promotes free love

What view of organised religion could Blake be presenting in this poem?

• Church suppresses free love

  They want people to strictly follow the ten commandments

• Church denies freedom

  Religion allows all to practise what they believe

The Garden of Love: assonance in final lines gives ______ effect:

• mournful, distressful

• innocence, naivety

Irregular punctuation to emphasise restriction

• line 2

• line 10

• line 6

The Garden of Love: alliteration in final lines gives sense of _______

• restriction

• pleasure

"I went to the Garden of Love." How does the word, 'Garden' create an expectation in the mind of the reader?

• The reader will expect the speaker to enter an area/state of being that is open, free and beautiful. It is a place of peace and tranquillity.The allusion to the Biblical Garden of Eden creates the expectation of spiritual perfection and natural beauty.

• The reader will expect the speaker to enter a place that is not free to anyone. Depending on your religious standing, you are either disallowed or allowed entry into the garden

What dismayed the speaker about the structured erected in the garden?

• He was dismayed to see there what he had never seen earlier. He found that in the green open place, a Chapel (church) had been erected in the middle of the place were boys and girls together used to play. Organized religion thus destroyed the Garden of Love.

• He was dismayed to see that the place filled with freedom to be earlier is now destroyed. Religion has infiltrated the garden and impacted the idea of free love.