. William Blake, in keeping with his position as a Romantic and being both politically and ideologically a libertarian, can be seen in his "Songs of Innocence" expressing his views on the superlative value of the freedom of the human spirit, presenting a Utopia in which individuals are free from oppression, institutionalized religion, and corrupt government authorities. However, Blake can be seen in his "Songs of Innocence" not only to present the importance of the freedom of the human spirit but also for his ideas on innocence, the relationship of humans with nature and also to protest against the abuse of children, as part of his conception of an idealized world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Blake, much like other Romantic poets such as Wordsworth, held children in high esteem for their innocence, their freedom of soul and thought. imagination: This depiction of children is one of the ways Blake advocates for the freedom of the human spirit in his “Songs of Innocence.” By connecting images of the natural world with that of children, Blake demonstrates his ideas about the freedom of the human spirit in children in line with his Romantic values ​​of sublimity and freedom in the pastoral world. In "The Echoing Green", a harmony between the children and nature can be seen as the children play "sport" "on the echoing green", with the color symbolism of "green" alluding to nature as a whole rather than only one specific place, and the setting of the poem which takes place in "Spring" reflecting the youth of the children themselves, the positive lexical field throughout the poem such as the use of the words "cheerful" and "happy" giving the general sense that Blake holds both children and the pastoral world in high esteem. Blake can be seen further comparing the freedom and innocence of children to that of nature in "Maundy Thursday" through the simile in which the children are seen entering St Paul's Cathedral "as the waters of the Thames flow", and also in "The Lamb". where the child narrator says to a lamb "I a child, and you a lamb,/We are called by his name", the use of the collective pronoun "we" draws a comparison in the reader's mind between the lamb, an often religious symbol of innocence and purity, and of the child. As a text of social and political protest, in "The Songs of Innocence" Blake can be seen juxtaposing the freedom of the human spirit, particularly that of children, with the oppression and suppression faced by children in 18th century England, making the poems a form of criticism against child slavery and the corrupt education system of that time. Furthermore, Blake often presents innocence as a form of freedom against constraints and self-consciousness, leaving those who are innocent, such as children, full of trust for those around them, placing them in a state of corruptible fragility and depicting the Innocence as not entirely desirable, as such, the state leaves the individual unaware of the reality of the postlapsarian world and the possibility of future betrayal and exploitation. The vulnerability of innocence can be seen in "The Lost Boy" when the boy is left alone and unprotected due to his father's evident lack of concern for his care, as "no father was there" for the guide of the boy, the description the setting was that "the night was dark" alluding to the boy's lack of experience and his vulnerability to exploitation due to his innocence. Blake can be seen further criticizing the exploitation of children in "The Chimney Sweeper" as he describes it as the slavery of’.