The "Nurse's Song," in both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience shows how child innocence can be destroyed when experience intrudes on their innocence. This shows how easily children's carefree imagination and play can be destroyed by ridiculous restrictions. The governess demonstrates different characteristics throughout both poems to represent these ideas.

In "Nurse's Song," in Innocence, the governess is seen as protective figure. The nurse in Innocence protects the children from the terrors of the night because the children are being separated from their parents. She wants to shield them from darkness and grief "Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down..."(Line 5). The nurse's vision of the night and the danger that is coming is triggered by the children's request to remain on the green and continue playing and having fun, "No, no, lets us play..."(Line 9). At first, the nurse fails to persuade...