William Blakes The Chimney Sweeper The Chimney Sweeper

William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” • “The Chimney Sweeper, ” from the songs of Innocence, reveals Blake’s deep awareness of the plight of children in his inhuman society where children who could barely speak are sold by impoverished parents or taken from orphanages or workhouses into employment as chimney cleaners. This poem is considered as one of Blake’s more outspoken works. It is a harsh social commentary on the issue of child labour.

William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” • Blake felt that great emphasis should be placed on the safety of these children. He despised the injustice and basic human rights violations that had become part of modern life. • The poem is a dramatic monologue, spoken by a sweep. It consists of six quatrains.

William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” • The first quatrain highlights the fact that young boys are forced or apprenticed by their parents to work as chimney sweepers. Blake, as an advocator for children’s rights, exposes the dangers of this job and their exploitation in this line of work.

William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” • In the second quatrain, Blake introduces Tom Dacre, a new recruit or a fellow chimney sweeper, who is upset about his lot in life and is consoled by the narrator, who reassures Tom that the shaving of his head is a good thing. • This quatrain contains a simile. Tom’s hair is compared to a lamb’s wool. The implication is that both the child and the lamb are seen as symbols of innocence and that the cutting of the lamb’s wool is just like the shaving of the boy’s hair. This shaving is a common practice and a common sight in the 19 th C. England.

William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” • The second part of the poem focuses on Tom’s apocalyptic dream or vision. Tom saw that thousands of sweepers were locked up in black coffins and that an angel had come to set them free from the oppressive conditions they found themselves in. • These grim chimneys may have seemed like living coffins to these young boys or occupants, who lost their lives while doing their jobs.

William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” • This quatrain focuses on the unlocking of the coffins of the chimney sweepers by an angel and their being washed clean in a river. It is a Christian allusion to the Christ's resurrection and baptism. • Central to this poem is the contrast between the grim realities of the sweepers’ lives and the ecstatic vision of liberty found in Tom’s dream. This vision is symbolic of the child’s innocence. It shows how optimistic he is even in the worst of his situations.

William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” • In his dream, Tom is able to recover joy. He imagines that he is free, running and playing in the open nature without being subjected to the pressures of city life. • There is also a hint of criticism in Tom’s dream. The angel’s focus on the boy and his being a “ good boy” and doing “ their duty, ” is taken as an ironical note directed against the common moral teaching which encouraged employers to manipulate children. • In this poem, Blake is not only questioning religion ( the established church) , but also the government for allowing and encouraging such a dangerous and inhuman practice.