of happiness purity and trust Nurse in Songs of Experience In the Nurse s Song from Songs of Innocence the nurse is bitter and unhappy Instead of feeling joy when she hears children playing she feels sick and sad Their laughter reminds her of her lost youth She seems jealous or angry She calls their play a waste of time She says Your spring and your day are wasted in play This nurse suggests life will soon become hard and difficult Difference The biggest difference between the two nurses is their attitude toward childhood The Innocence nurse protects and values childhood while the Experience nurse believes it is foolish and pointless The first nurse is warm and hopeful while the second is cold and bitter In conclusion Blake uses these two nurses to show how growing older can change people When experience takes away joy it turns kindness into control The first nurse lets children be happy but the other nurse takes happiness away