If the Romantic poet is as William Wordsworth said a man speaking to men :: English Literature

If the Romantic poet is as William Wordsworth said a man speaking to men where does this leave women and children? Discuss, with reference to the work of Blake. If the Romantic poet is as William Wordsworth said 'a man speaking to men' where does this leave women and children? Discuss, with reference to the work of Blake. "In the preface to the Lyrical Ballads Wordsworth, when describing a poet, says that a poet is a 'man speaking to men' and is someone 'who rejoices more than other men in the spirit of life which is in them'. It needs to be definerated what Wordsworth means by 'man', whether he is refering to 'man' as a gender or man as in humanity. When refering to poets he always uses the term 'man' or 'men' implying that all poets must be male. Later in the Preface to the Lyrical Ballads Wordsworth goes on to say that "poets... sing a song in which all humans beings join", surely suggesting that women and children are included in this as they are part of mankind. Blake, as one of the most renouned romantic poets, focuses much of his work around images of mankind. Although in saying this, "mankind" is collective and includes women and children, and Blakes work is undoubtedly preoccupied with these two groups. He distinguishes "man" very differently to "children" depending on the context. In London (songs of expereince) he clearly identifies "man" as a separate group to the "infant" in the poem as he refers to them by different names and as a separate category, highlighting their differences. Children to Blake are extremely important, especially in the context of poetry, indeed in '"The introduction to Songs of Innocence' he says that the poems are "for children to hear" and concentrates on a child's view of life. It is not possible to say that Blakes poetry excludes women and children as so many of his poems are based around these themes. Even the titles of the poems represent this, such as "The Little Girl Lost", "Infant sorrow", "Little Black Boy" and "Nurse's Song", compared to very few centred primarily around men. Blake uses his poems to express the view and plight of suppressed groups in society, such as children. Poems such as Holy Thursday are expressed through the eyes of a child. He shows the innocence and purity of the children by their 'clean' 'faces' and other physical and mental attributes. He also shows the reality of their situations, especially in Songs of experience, by highlighting the fact that many of them are orphans and alone in the world, such as in 'The chimney