Chimney Sweeper William Blake: Religion, Appeared in 1786. He Belongs To
- William Blake wrote the poem "The Chimney Sweeper" about young boys who were forced to work as chimney sweeps in London.
- The poem depicts the harsh conditions the boys faced, being forced to sleep in soot and having their hair cut off. One boy, Tom Dacre, has a dream of being freed by an angel and washing in a river.
- The poem criticizes the hypocrisy of a society that allows such cruel child labor but praises God and religion. It shows the innocence and suffering of the boys, who are oppressed and forced into dangerous work at a young age.
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Chimney Sweeper William Blake: Religion, Appeared in 1786. He Belongs To
- William Blake wrote the poem "The Chimney Sweeper" about young boys who were forced to work as chimney sweeps in London.
- The poem depicts the harsh conditions the boys faced, being forced to sleep in soot and having their hair cut off. One boy, Tom Dacre, has a dream of being freed by an angel and washing in a river.
- The poem criticizes the hypocrisy of a society that allows such cruel child labor but praises God and religion. It shows the innocence and suffering of the boys, who are oppressed and forced into dangerous work at a young age.
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Amit Mandal
Rc college Chimney sweeper
William Blake William Blake was an English poet, painter and printmaker. He spent most of his life in London. His first illuminated work natural religion , appeared in 1786. He belongs to romantic age. William Blake has written two poems titled the chimney sweeper and the marriage of heaven and hell. The poem follows the Rhyme-scheme of AABB. Innocence is shown in the poem. The narrator unquestionly accepts his repression. His father has traded him for money, and dehumanizes him as if he is mere a object or possession. His father has sold him because he has no way to take care for him after the death of his mother. The boy was not even able to properly pronounce the word sweep when he was sold by his father. Weep is used as a pun which creates the image of a crying child who was abandoned. This young boy is attempting to cope up with the harsh world. This young boy has been forced into chimney sweeping since birth. Then Blake discusses the condition in which these sweeps work and live, how the sweeps choose to deal with them. These sweeps were forced to sleep in the soot. Tom decree is a sweep who is introduced in the second stanza. He represents all the sweeps and how they deal with the loss of their innocence, by crying as a children. Tom decree who is deeply sad because his hair was cut. His hair is curly like the hair of a lambs wool. Blake uses the word lamb as it symbolizes sacrifice. Lamb also gives the image of a young innocent sheep that is controlled by a shepherd. The narrator tries to keep comfort his fellow sweeps, Tom decree, by explaining him that his head is being shaved and thus the soot can’t spoil his white hair. Now, Tom had a dream in the night. The dream of a thousands of children named dick, joe, ned, jeck who are also chimney sweepers. He sees heaven in which an angel descends, and frees those children from the black coffins. The phrase' bright-key' suggests the freedom. Now, they are attracted to something which is bright. These happily running children, they go through from rivers to green grass and to a bright sun. Tom dreams of washing in a river to clear his soot. They are now naked and they are flying on clouds in the wind. We can think of these bags as an example of metonymy as these bags represent the chimney-sweeping profession. Tom has a conversation with the angel who advice him to escape the cruelty of child-labour. The angel tells him that if he is a good boy, God will be his father. In the final stanza, Tom is awake and he rises to go to work. He is not afraid. He shall live upon this hope, that one day he will be saved, he will have God taking care of him. The irony peaked here because he has to face the reality of the world which is still cruel, destructive. In the songs of experience the sweep understands the fact that he is a victim of oppression from society. Blake begins the poem with metaphor. A black llittle thing it refers the chimney sweeper They are covered in the soot from long days of working in the chimney. The word snow Is the purity that is believed in England. He is running in the snowy-weather and he is crying in pain in search of his parents. We find a irony here the boy is working in the chimney whereas the parents are busy to make happy the God. The boy says that he was happy and smiling in the snowy weather because his parents has sent him to this place. The phrase ‘ they clothed me in the clothes of death it means the lifestyle that he will now living in the chimney. The most disheartening point is that the parents believe that they have done no immortal acts. They him to live a miserable life. The chimney sweeper again tells us that his parents have gone to church, where they praise god and his priest and king. The priest and king, they represent heaven. It means that God, and his priest and king make the chimney Sewppers misery a little less by adding the word heaven which is peaceful.