Parents

"The Lamb" and "The Tyger" by William Blake (1789)

To better understand the recurring themes of innocence and experience, there are many poems to look at. However, Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience is the primary Romantic collection covering the theme. Blake’s legacy as a Romantic poet and visionary is unmatched, and “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” are two well-known companion poems with which to start. While the poems are much more religious in nature than “Parents,” they provide strong examples of the contrasting nature of innocence and experience that is present in Meredith’s poem.

"Stages" by William Meredith (1980)

Published around the same time as “Parents,” this poem also tracks a progression over time from childhood to adulthood. The poem is more indicative of Meredith’s reliance on form, though, than “Parents.” The poem is written in sections to mirror the stages of life being described, and the poem relies more heavily on things like repetition and set rhythm. The poem provides a good example of Meredith’s focus on innocence and experience when looking at childhood and adulthood.

"For His Father" by William Meredith (1962)

Written almost two decades before “Parents,” this is a quintessential Meredith poem. The poem is written with natural speech patterns and without literary vocabulary, but it is highly structured with a rhyme scheme and set rhythm. The poem is about the relationship between father and son, and like “Parents,” it focuses on the effect of a parent’s death on their children. The poem deals with the legacy a child must carry after a parent has died. Though it utilizes the same meditative format “Parents” uses, it is a much more somber, reflective poem.