Analysis Of The Chimney Sweeper - 868 Words

â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† William Blake wrote two poems with the same name but very different meanings. Two editions of â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† were published in 1789 and 1794 as a response to the condition of the chimney sweeps. William Blake published â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† in two separate parts-Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. William Blake wrote two versions of the same poem with differences in characterization, theme, and tone. The first poem of â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† is Songs of Innocence. This poem is a dramatic monologue with the feel of a child-like nursery rhyme which contrasts the innocence of the speaker with the horrors that he is facing on a day-to-day basis. The speaker is a small boy who was sold into becoming a†¦show more content†¦In this poem, the speaker sees a young child covered in soot lying alone in the snow. The child informs the speaker of his parents forcing him to work in the chimneys and how he p uts on a facade of happiness in order to trick his parents into believing that they have not done him wrong. â€Å"And because I am happy, dance sing, They think they have done me no injury,† (lines 9-10). The child then states that his parents are at church praising God, his Priest, and King, but believes that they are the ones who have put him and the other children working in chimneys in their misery. The tone of this poem is despair, misery, and isolation. The child feels as if his parents have abandoned him by sending him off to work in the chimneys and pretending that he is okay. He feels despair and misery not only because of his forced labor, but also because he feels as if God is the one to blame. He believes that it is God’s fault for all the pain and horror that the chimney sweeps had to go through. The child’s characterization does change throughout the poem. He tells the speaker that he was once a happy child who would smile along the snow. Howeve r, after his parents sold him into becoming a chimney sweeper he became depressed. â€Å"They clothed me in the clothes of death, And taught me to sing the notes of woe.† (7-8). The theme of this poem is a loss of faith in his parents and the religious system. The child subtly hints throughout the poem that adults,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem The Chimney Sweeper 1418 Words   |  6 PagesBlake’s poem â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† is considered to be one of his finest, yet contradictory works of his life, as he provides a negative social perspective on the topic of child labour. Assisted through the use of various poetic techniques such as anecdotes, biblical illusion, symbolism, euphemism, metaphors, and rhyme, Blake was able to assertively convey his protest towards the laws against the use of young children in the British workforce. The theme of child innocence is also the other main exploredRead MoreAn Analysis of William Blakes The Chimney Sweeper1225 Words   |  5 PagesThesis Statement: This paper will analyze Blakes Chimney Sweeper and show how it presents an image of both experience and innocence, holding the latter up as a kind of light in the dark world of the child chimney sweepers. Outline I.Introduction A.Innocence and Experience B.The Chimney Sweeper connects both II.Recollections of a lost childhood A.Mother B.Father C.Sold into urban slavery III.Little Tom A.Hair like a Lamb B.Religious imagery C.The narrator tries to comfort him IV.RealRead MoreEssay on the Chimney Sweeper958 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish 102-B12 LUO Spring 2014 Joseph P Garland Jr L23810423 MLA A literary analysis of â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper.† Social Injustice was rampant among chimney sweeps in 18th and 19th Century England... In the poem â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† from â€Å"Songs of Innocence† This paper will evaluate and show the story and writing style dealing with social injustice. 1. Introduction a. The Chimney Sweeper 2. The Location and Era a. 18th and 19th Century England 3. Point of View a. TomRead MoreIn Many Ways, Poetry Has The Ability To Shape The Minds1226 Words   |  5 Pagespresent. An analysis of â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper,† one of Blake’s most popular works, can help many to understand the significance of his work in a time period when social riot was visible in the public’s eyes. By exploring the writing style, structure and imagery in this poem, as well as identifying the importance of symbolism, a conclusion can be made concerning the purpose of this poem. Learning more about William Blake may help readers to understand the intention of â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper.† On NovemberRead MoreSongs of Good and Evil1545 Words   |  7 Pages(William Blake Biography) and his theological ideas are evident throughout Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Blake wanted to show that there are two sides to every situation by writing companion pieces for most of his works. â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†, for example, has the same title in Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, as well as â€Å"Holy Thursday† that appears in both. â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger† are also paired poems contrasting the concept of good and evil that Blake focused on throughRead MoreWilliam Blake Songs of Innocence Experience1256 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† Songs of Innocence amp; Experience analysis with, William Blake In 1794 William Blake’s work was known and published as a collection of poems that were put together as one book called Songs of innocence amp; Songs of Experience. In the collection Blake titles a poem, â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†, and this one is viewed in two ways: Innocence and experience. In the book of innocence Blake shows how poor innocent children are being abused and mistreated during this time era. In SongsRead MoreEssay about The Voice of the Chimney Sweepers1180 Words   |  5 Pagesmornings to do a full day’s work, for half the pay of an adult’s, even though the quality of work was the same. Children were sent off the squeeze into small places day after day. Limbs could break. Soot was inhaled. The poisonous chemicals in the chimneys caused hazardous situations, and thus medically, the children were hindered. Children worked anywhere from six to eight hours a day, and were expected to get up bright and early the next day to show up for work. On the occasions that they were allowedRead MoreSocial Issue, Symbols, and Themes of Blake’s â€Å"the Chimney Sweeper† Poems2253 Words   |  10 PagesIssue, Symbols, and Themes of Blake’s â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† Poems During the seventeenth century, people in England substituted burning wood with coal to use their fireplaces to avoiding paying hearth taxes. The burning of coal left soot on the interior walls of the fireplaces that needed to be removed to keep the fireplaces clean. Homes would be polluted with fumes of the coal residue if the fireplaces weren’t cleaned regularly (â€Å"A History of Chimney Sweeping†). Since children were small enoughRead MoreWilliam Blake s Innocence And Experience Analysis Essay1529 Words   |  7 PagesIsha Fidai Amber Drown English 2323 14 September 2016 William Blake s Innocence and Experience Analysis The Romantic Era was a movement in literature that began in the late seventeenth century throughout the eighteenth century that was mainly influenced by the natural world and idealism. Romanticism was predominantly focused on emotion and freedom emphasizing individualism. Formed as an uprising against neoclassicism, romanticism was more abstract, focusing on feelings and imaginations, insteadRead MoreI Could Never Understand Living Under Tyrannies Of The Old World1119 Words   |  5 Pagesto many, including my self; it can be a window peering into another age. Chimney sweeps in the old United Kingdom used to be teams of young boys sold into the profession usually to settle a debt and without work regulations; these children would suffer harsh conditions with seemingly no end in sight, minus the permanent solution. It is this struggle we can peer into when reading William Blake’s poem, â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper.† A young boy shows his hope for brighter days through the thick of it all