Sunday, July 20, 2008

The Chimney Sweeper - William Blake

What do you think the poet is trying to convey in this poem?

17 comments:

Ruth said...

The six quatrains in "The Chimney Sweeper" clearly establish several fixed images/ metaphors that are used throughout the poem: the first is the idea of innocence and the exploitation of such innocence. This is reinforced by the black/white contrast-- the soot of corruption and contamination; the white of Tom Dacre's hair and the 'resurrected' flesh of the chimney sweepers. Various allusions to religion and the Church are also scattered throughout the poem.

The poem begins with the sale for work of the speaker-- the line "could scarcely cry ''weep! 'weep!'weep!'weep!" implies both his sorrow and unhappiness ("weep") and the nature of the work, as chimney sweeps often called "Sweep!" repeatedly while looking for work on the streets. The direct addressing of a person-- "So your chimneys I sweep"-- compels the feeling that somehow the reader is responsible for his plight.

The introduction of Tom Dacre is the beginning of the real "Song Of Innocence", where Tom is described as having hair that "curl'd like a lamb's back". The lamb is a largely religious symbol of innocence and purity, and of sacrifice-- essentially what Blake sees these children as: innocence tarnished by corruption and exploitation; a sacrifice of sorts.

The sweepers that Tom dreams of are named, possibly for easy rhyming, but perhaps also to present each child as "real", and a name (rather than a pronoun or oblique reference) would enhance the feel of the poem. The "coffins of black" in the last line refer to the chimneys the sweeps were relegated to, the use of the word "coffin" both morbid and foreshadowing.

The description of a utopia (or heaven, as there is an Angel) dominates the next two stanzas, with the idea of the color white and the pastoral images as innocence. The last line, in which Tom is promised "God for his father", is another reference to the Church.

The very last stanza presents the (unfortunately futile) hope that children have, and the tragedy of their abuse and mistreatment.

"The Chimney Sweep" is alternately hopeful, presenting optimism of the surface, but has darker, bleaker undertones. It is noticeably sanguine compared to its companion poem in "Songs Of Experience".

(I still don't like poems written in Old English.)

akshaya said...

(By the who, when is a prose crashing in?)

The narrator’s mother seems to be the breadwinner and main support to the structure of the family; her death consequently let the structure give way, and away the narrator was sent (“sold me while yet my tongue could scarcely cry”). The first two lines foreshadow the impending degradation of manhood (in which men were considered the superior gender until the 20th century). “So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep” – has since been ingrained as a motto of his, signifying the light (kids of pure innocence) miserably failing to “sweep” off the darkness and terrors (“soot”) of the inhumane world; eventually engulfed by the horrors (“in soot I sleep.”) The last line is the stanza can also simply mean of the discrimination boys of that age face, being a lowly “chimney-sweeper”, and their dissatisfaction of such labeling.

The mention of “lamb” in the second stanza signifies sacrifice (‘sacrificial lamb’) being overwhelmingly painful (“Tom[1] Dacre, who cried”). And evils surrounding him can no longer impact him as he had sacrificed his purity (“white hair”) to save people who mistreat them from being shamed by visitors who disapprove of such discrimination.

The narrator is omniscient in the third stanza to fifth stanzas, and thus showing us his sudden rejuvenation of power from a mere weakling, and also a foresight of a less bleak future. “Dick, Joe, Ned and Jack” fleshes the background characters, increasing magnitude of sympathy directed towards them (compare numerous unnamed deaths to a nationwide case of a missing kid later found to be dead). They are all “lock’d up in coffins of black”, eternally entrapped (until their demise) to their dreaded work, and their deaths will not be considered significant, as coffins would be covered in soot and untended.

Tom’s sacrifice had paid off: they were set free from their entrapment. They felt so free and all burdens have been discarded (“bags left behind”), showing their forgiving nature. A child’s pure and ideal image is splashed in its full glory, arraying from the Sun to clouds (and their being able to see it is what they consider a miracle, having about no exposure to the outdoors with the nature of their work). He will eventually reap plentiful from what he had sown; sacrifice his freedom to work, as a “chimney-sweeper” and he will be the apple of God’s eye.

The last stanza ends the narrator’s ability to be omniscient; they become minors once more (weaker). Even with the chilly exterior of work, Tom finds warmth, for he knew he no longer needed to be afraid of impending obstacles.

The poem has religious overtones. Examples like, “my father sold me while yet my tongue could scarcely cry” (Judas selling Jesus for thirty silver coins), the whole of stanza two (Jesus’ Crucifixion on the Cross to wash away sins of people), “lock’d up in coffins of black” (Jesus’ burial), “he open’d the coffins and set them all free” (his Resurrection) and Tom’s given advice: “So if all do their duty they need not fear harm” (if people heed to his words and follow, they shall not worry of falling into eternal pits of Hades; entrapment).

Adinda Dj.
_________________________________

[1] Tom - offensive and derogatory name for a Black man who is abjectly servile and deferential to Whites. Ironic, as he is a White.

Phua said...

The Chimney Sweeper portrays the hope and faith which an innocent child may have, such that that child is abused due to that innocence.

As the first stanza states, "when my mother died when i was very young, and my father sold me while yet my tongue". This shows how the young child is taken advantage of due to the vanished motherly love and for the fact that he is unable to talk (yet my tongue). Besides, the repetition of "weep!", the practice to sweep the chimneys and to sleep in the soot, shows that the child is not granted human rights. Instead, he undergoes child labour.

The second stanza shows Tom Darce who is compared to a lamb, and even ordered to "hush" while crying. Tom barely had the rights and choice to decide his natural reactions, moreover other decisions such as sleeping conditions (in the soot). Abusing a child due to his innocence shows that children were not seen as children, but as lambs who are unable to express their emotions.

The third stanza shows the pitiful and pathetic plight of the child under an order to "hush". This made the child having to go through a torture-like experience of being "all of them lock'd up in coffins of black".Without the freedom of expressing emotions, they are no difference from being cooped up and having to only express their fears through their only freedom, in their dreams; in their thoughts.
The forth stanza shows the desperation of the child while expressing his wants and how much he yearns for freedom and light in his life.

At the fifth stanza: "naked and white, all their bags left behind" shows the freedom the Angel who came to Tom had. The Angel's back was light without any burden or restrictions. As Tom was told to be a good boy and be ablet to have God as his father, it was certainly Tom's opportunity to let go of himself and step into the Angel's world. This results in Tom having to believe deeply that he has already been accepted by someone who gives him freedom. As such, although it may be a dream, Tom already has a set mentality that whatever is done, is a decision made for him to advance towards freedom. Thus, his willingness and happiness in doing the jobs assigned to him is increased :D Indeed, God had enabled Tom to start a new life, and set a new mentality of his towards his responsibility.

The last stanza shows how his innocence bring about his naive belief in God, such that he was able to rise in the dark. And although the child had to carry his bag again, it was probably lighter due to his positive mindset. The child and his friends felt relaxed and warm despite the cold weather, and they felt obliged to not fear harm since God has once "helped" them in their sleep. Similarly, Blake makes use of a child's innocence to oversee the challenging process of anyone in accepting a positive mindset so suddenly.

In conclusion, this poem shows the pathetic scenes of children having to give in to whatever is asked of them.Example, to sweep the chimneys and not fear any harm. Thus, it displays the positive mindset one may have under the negative and torturous happening.

Phua Zhi Ting (18)
3E2'08! :D
i hope i made sense! :D
please tell me if i need any improvement! :D thankyou teacher!:P

Chanel. said...

The Chimmney Sweeper by William Blake is talking about the way the children lived.

In the first stanza, it is talking about the speaker's mother died when he was young, it shows that he did not have much love from both his mother and father as he got sold soon. "weep weep" is an anaphora, and trying to reinforce the idea of him not being able to cry due to such circumstances.

In the second stanza, Tom's hair is shaved and his hair is white. White symbolises purity, and it shows that innocence is taken away as the children have to work as chimmney sweepers. By comforting Tom also meant that the speaker had accepted his fate and tries to let Tom know that his fate is also set.

In the third stanze, 'locked up in coffins of black' shows that the childern are forced to be living in such conditions. Children are supposed to be innocent but the coffins of black seemed to have tainted them.

In the fourth stanze, it shows that the Angel coming in and it symbolises hope. The angel then helped them out by 'cleansing' them and made them happy.

In the fifth stanze, 'bags left behind' shows that the children left their burden, perhaps being a chimmney swepeer behind. Also, 'never want joy' meant that Tom would have so much joy till he do not want it.

In the last stanza, it shows that the last stanze is just Tom's dream as he was happy and warm. It reminded him that if he is a good boy, he will never want joy. 'Need not fear harm' also shows that the children are still untainted as they are still as innocent, believing that they will not get harmed by the bosses if they are doing the sweeping of chimmneys properly.

Chanel
3e2

Li Ying said...

The start of the poem potrays the sadness in the child but in the later part of the poem, it seems more hopeful.
Tom Dacre in this poem represents innocence and children's need to believe, and hope.

The first stanza shows the helplessness in the child when his father sold him. He couldn't do anything except for weeping over it.

In the second stanza, though the writer is already in a pity plight, he has to comfort Tom. "Lamb" was used as it represents the purity and innocence of the chimney sweepers.

The third stanza was Tom's dream. A thousand sweepers and they are all locked in the coffins of black. The chimney sweepers' destiny are sealed. "Coffins of black" therefore shows the darkness in their life.

The fourth stanza potrays hope as the angel appears. He has the role of a guardian. "Bright key" shows that hope is given to the children. "Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run,
And wash in a river, and shine in the sun." These two sentences has a bit of happiness in it? The scene is relaxing.

The first sentence of the fifth stanza, then naked and white, all their bags left behind, means they've thrown all their burdens and troubles behind. The angel told Tom to believe in God, allowing him to have a person to rely on.

Tom woke up in the last stanza. As usual, in the dark (early in the morning), but now, without any troubles. Though the morning was cold, but Tom feels warm. He feels the warmth in his heart, the trust in God and the protection of the angel.

Leonard said...

First of all, one may notice that throughout the poem, the narrator does not express his feelings explicitly. Despite living in grim conditions and pain, he does not show anger or despair. Instead, he simply told the audience that his mother died when he was young and so on. Perhaps the years of anguish living such a somber life had hardened him, a testimonial as to how his innocence was virtually ripped off him after being a chimney sweeper.

The point of view of this poem is an interesting mix of first person view as well as third person omniscient. Despite having a narrator discussing the life as a sweeper, we are given a thorough glimpse of the dream of another person.

“So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep” seems to show how the narrator is resigned to his life of destitution and suffering. He shows absolutely no reluctance and resistance; as the years dragged on, perhaps he felt that hope would only result in being dashed, and thus stopped believing that in due time, he would be freed.

Tom Dacre’s dream can be said to be a gateway of sort to a child’s hope and salvation. Tom dreamt of an Angel, a being commonly associated with love and freedom, who came down to free them with a bright (perhaps symbolizing optimism) key. He describes being locked up in a black coffin (note the contrast between the “bright” key and “black” coffin), an allusion to his current suffocating situation. As he escapes and runs off in his make-believe utopia, one can say that dreams are Dacre’s only source of solace and hope in the bleak world of his. He also notes that in his dream, they were “white”, suggesting that they are freed from the soot which they whence came, and are pure once more.

There is juxtaposition between the narrator and Tom; while the narrator is basically resigned to his ruined dystopia, Tom still believes in hope and freedom from his. This further reinforces one of the major themes of this poem: hope, or the lack thereof.

The last stanza sees the sweepers rising from their slumber. Again, there is a contrast between the narrator and Tom; despite the cold morning, Tom, perhaps enlightened and rejuvenated by his dreams of hope, rises “happy and warm”, while the narrator still had to face the bitter cold. Hence, we can see that perhaps dreams are a subconscious pursuit for freedom and peace, a sanctuary where no physical torture could hope to damage.

The poem is chock full of hidden themes and meaning. I could drone on and on about more of said themes, but I think my poem is ling enough as is. Hope, despair, freedom, purity and dreams are some of the common motifs which are shown in this poem, together with faith, divine intervention, a child’s innocence and oppression, which I had barely started on. To completely analyse the poem would take a substantial amount of time, though it would be fun to attempt doing so. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this poem and found it extremely meaningful.


Leonard
3E2

My fingers hurt from all the typing.

Smiley-face said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Smiley-face said...

The mood in this poem is depressing and hopeful at the same time. Contradicting ? Well, in fact, the different stanzas have different moods.

The first stanza talks about the speaker being sold at a very young age. The speaker’s family probably was very poor. In fact, the economy was very bad and the society, backward as people were forced to sell their own children away. One will empathise with the speaker as he started to work at a very young age and the job which he was worked as was a very laborious and tiring one.

The second stanza said that Tom’s hair was curled like a lamb’s back, was shaved. This probably can be shown that Tom was actually an innocent child who after being sold to do this job, has lost his innocence and childhood as jobs like sweeping chimneys were more suited for adults. “Hush, Tom! Never mind it” can be interpreted as that the speaker was probably trying to console Tom who was afraid of what lies ahead of him.

The third stanza mentioned that Tim had stopped crying but then, he was being given yet another surprise. “Were all of them lock’d up in coffins of black.” Refers to his chimney sweeping comrades who ended up having their lives cut short by many years, who had died from the exhausting work.

The fourth stanza brings out the hope, which mentioned of an Angel who “set them all free”. “ Free” in this stanza means that the exhausting and laborious work was like an entractment, a cage. Where children had to freedom at all. Therefore, when they had all passed away, it was like the door to freedom had opened and away they were from that labour. The work can also be inferred as worse than hell as it is portrayed in stanza four that death is better than life where they had to work.

“All their bags behind” in stanza five shows that the children who has died, have now left all their sorrows and troubles behind. And then they have risen to a better place, worry-free. The Angel told Tom that if he obeyed and does his job properly, God would bless him.

The last stanza shows that Tom still has his innocence and his faith in God is still burning despite the turmoil, which he had gone through. He believed the Angel’s words and wanted to be what he said, a good boy.

Although the poem starts off with a sorrowful and sadistic kind of mood, it becomes hopeful towards the end.

CLARA (9)
3e2

Yijun said...

The last words of each stanza rhymes by the pattern aabb, ccdd, eeff, and so on and so forth.

This poem is one that leaves people to be filled with hope and faith. The mood is rather depressing and is trying to let the readers to be able to empathize with the chimney sweepers, which are mostly children, in this poem. It shows us the truth and the dark side of the abuse of innocence.

Stanza 1: It tells the readers that the child was sold and been forced to be a chimney sweeper at a tender age. The young and innocent child has to survive in harsh conditions, for in the poem, it says “ in soot I sleep”.

Stanza 2: It is describing Tom Dacre, who was upset that his hair was shaved. The poet describes his head as a lamb’s back. The protagonist was kind and helpful, he comfort Tom and said that the soot cannot spoil his white hair. He even helped to build up Tom’s faith in God.

Stanza 3: Tom dreamt of the other sweepers being locked in coffins of black. Coffins in black leaves the impression of darkness and despair.

Stanza 4: In his dream, an angel came with a bright key. He opened the coffins and set the children free. They felt overjoyed and taste the sense of freedom. The idea of “wash in a river” is cleansing, the feeling of starting a new chapter in life.

Stanza 5: “Naked and white” refers to being pure, and white makes readers think of heaven. Literally, “their bags left behind” refers to the bags of soot. While on the other hand, it refers to the burden and unhappiness the children were carrying. “Never want joy” refers to having too much joy, and there is no need to ask for anymore.

Stanza 6: Tom woke up from his dream. The chimney sweepers rose in the dark and got to work. The morning was cold, but Tom felt happy and warm. ( contradicting ) He had then find a new hope and faith in God. Therefore, he need not fear of anything.

I think that the poem ends in a optimistic manner.


Cai YiJun (3) :)
3e2

kelliejaneshy said...

This poem is about youth and inherent innocence. In the first stanza, the boy was sold almost as a baby and has learned to accept the life that was given him. It shows the innocence of the narrator and the sorrow of being abandoned by his loved ones.

In the second stanza, Tom Dacre, who is younger than the narrator, needs to be comforted. A lamb, a religious symbol for purity and innocence, is used to describe him. Here, the narrator takes on the role of parental figure, comforting and reassuring Tom. Also, we see another symbol for purity in Tom's white hair; white represents purity.

The third to the fifth stanzas shows Tom sleeping quietly, like a baby, dreaming of the children escaping and living in a utopia and rising to heaven. In the dream the children are allowed to wash themselves of their soot, their sins. As children, they are clean, innocent and pure, but become even more so as they ascend into heaven. In this utopia, the children have plenty of joy and never want any more.

In the last stanza, Tom wakes up to the dark reality, with his dream fresh in his mind. It emphasizes the innocence of Tom and the other children. It shows the purity of the children and what they believe life to be. That it is fair as they have not had the experience to believe otherwise.

Kellie Shae

ql said...

William Blake’s The Chimney Sweeper depicts the way children in his days lived, in hard labour and treated as burdens by their parents, no matter their age.

In the first stanza, William was sold to work even before he could experience his parent’s love. He could scarcely cry ‘weep!weep!weep!weep!’ He was sent so early and so suddenly that he did not even have time to cry. Most likely William is also complaining about the pressurizing working conditions and lack of time management in that time.

Next stanza, he introduces his fellow sweeper Tom Dacre, who cried when his head of curly hair was shaved. So William consoled him by saying that being bald, no soot could spoil his white hair. White is the colour of innocence and purity, and from the time they were admitted into the working area, their innocence were shaved from them. However, William did not show weakness at that point, as he was strong enough to console Tom Dacre even though he was about to experience the same fate. He was prepared for all that was in store for him, and there were much harsher things to come. He also said that ‘soot cannot spoil your white hair’, but there was no more white hair left to spoil. I thought it was interesting how he used white hair to show innocence, as it was usually sported by older, hardened people.

In the third stanza, Tom had witnessed the disposal of the workers. They were locked up in ‘coffins of black’. Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack is used like ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’, those that did not matter to them were all sealed up. Black coffin might mean the opposite of innocence, as black is in contrast to white. The kids, after having there innocence shaved off, then go through the second stage of ‘extracting’ their innocence.

Then came and angel in the fourth stanza with a key of hope, unlocking them from their coffins and set them free from the maturity they should not have, bringing back their childhood innocence. The picture of them running down a green plain laughing, and washing in the river and shining in the sun is very heartwarming unlike their actual state. Then, all clean and without burdens, they rise up to the sky. The angel then told Tom that if he did his work, the same could happen to him, and he would never want joy for there is enough in God’s care. This whole thing is imagined by Tom, most likely because of his not wanting to accept his plight, and he wanted to see hope in the bleak scenario.

Tom awoke early in the final stanza, encouraged by the thought of rising to Heaven by working hard. Despite the cold background, Tom was warmed by what he imagined would happen. If they all did what they were told there was no need to fear harm, not going to Heaven like the other kids did. If they listened to their instructions, and worked hard, they would be treated better, and it would be Heaven in Hell.


"WHEN MY MOTHER DIED, I WAS VERY YOUNG, AND MY FATHER SOLD ME~ WHILE YET MY TONGUE COULD SCARCELY CRY WEEP WEEP, WEEP WEEP."

Angeline(: ! said...

The Chimmney Sweeper is a poem by William Blake. This poem talks about the abuse of children's innocence and the corruption of the society.

In the 1st stanza, the line " When my mother died i was very yound and my father sold me" tells us that the speaker was deprived of motherly and fatherly love since young as his mother passed away early and his father sold him to be a child labourer. The words " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!" is telling us that the child is suffering and is sorrowful for his plight.

In the 2nd stanza, Tom Darce is being introduced like an innocent child as he had his hair "curl'd like a lamb's back". A lamb is widely recognized by many as a symbol of innocence and purity. But, it is also commonly used as a sacrifical object during religious ceremonies. By using a lamb as an example, Blake is trying to show us that the innocent children are being used and sacrificed because of the corruption of the society.

In the 3rd, 4th and 5th stanza, there were many child laboures covered in soot and seemed like sleeping in black coffins as they are engulfed in black soot. But whilst they were sleeping, an angel, who is supposedly the children's saviour, came down and set the children free and brought them into paradise. However, as this poem was written by Blake, who hated the church, one cant help to think that Blake was being sarcastic when he said this and that he wanted to show his unhappiness towards the church and the henious deed of conspiring with the rich and helped to enslave these innocent children.

In the 6th stanza, when they all awoke and found paradise gone, they didnt dismay but just continued about theit daily work as per normal and told themselves that if they did their duty and their job, no harm will ever befall on them.

In conclusion, throughout this poem, Blake is showing his displeasure towards the church as he was disgusted that the church was involved in the enslavement of the innocent children. He wanted the public to know that the church self claim of delivering penance to the world is nonsense as the church itself is helping the rich to enslave children as labourers and not helping nor freeing the children instead.

Angeline Heng (2)
3E2

Unknown said...

The Chimmney Sweeper by William Blake is shiwing how children lived, how they were treated as burdens to the poor families.

the first stanza talks about the heartless employers buying the children of poor families. the buyers practice child-labour and it shows the corruption "enjoyed" during that time.and the "weep weep" words show the child's grief at being sold to work.

the second stanza shows tom dacre as an innocent child, like a lamb which represents innocence and purity. the lamb is also a sacrificial image, showing that the children are sacrificed as a result of the high corruption.

the third stanza introduced four more characters which are, in my opinion, "extras", no need also can. hence they were placed in coffins.

the fourth and fifth stanza shows an angel which is suppose to be a symbol of divine guidance. it acts as the children's saviour, bringing them to paradise, free from the enslavement and mistreatment suffered during their tenure there.

the sixth stanza shows that the children could only have paradise in their dreams only. they have to continue to work as per normal. this shows the longing desire for paradise, for freedom.

blake is being sarcastic towards the church in this poem. one of the church's duty is to protect the children from injustice but ironically, they are joining in the"fun", working with other corrupted people to make child-labour possible. the church plays a very big role in the enslavement of the children.

Anonymous said...

The chimney sweeper by william blake actually shows the corruption of society (and outwardly against churches by playing with words such as lamb --sacrificial meaning), and how the rights of innocence children are abused. However, it also shows hope as it is rather positive, optimism on the surface level (on my first read).

The mother should be an important figure in his life, as the narrator somewhat introduced himself with the first line saying , (when my mother died, i was very young).
Also, the fact that the father sold him after his mother had died showed that the mother was probably supporting the family, and of course picturing the father being a pathetic parent.

It is shown that he was abused of his own rights, (child labour seen). As his father sold him while yet his tongue could scarcely cry)
Repetition of weep also shows that he couldn't voice out his sorrows (as his tongue could scarcely cry out weep weep weep!), despite being abused. Thus he had no other choice than to sweep and sleep in soot.

Lambs were a sign / symbol of sacrificial. This is somewhat linked to churches as the term lamb being sacrificial is known. A repetitive link was shown in stanza 4, (and by came an angel who had a bright key) - where angels are actually instigating the wrong deeds. Also, this is in total conflict of the churches as it is seen that the sarcasm tone towards churches that they are not protecting these children from injustice have showed that the corruption (as they aid these violations)

The Angel who had a bright key also showed purity and innocence in the actions showed (leaping, laughing they run,...) but implying that there is still hope for the children.

The dream harvest hope in them as they knew doing their duty would not bring them harm (perhaps suggesting violence like abusing them if duty was not done)

As a whole showing the pathetic scenes (such as the state the churches, and how the rights are taken)

FIONA SOH (21)
3E2

p.s, i still love sweets so thanks for the mini mentos the other day!

jeaa★♪ said...

Haha... I’m not the last... I guess…-___ -^


The Chimney Sweeper by William Blake which we have gone through in class is from "Songs of Innocence" in 1789. Mr. Blake wrote two different poems with the same title of ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ in the Song of Innocence and in the Song of Experience.
In 1st stanza, ‘sold’ refers to the child labour and enslavement during the 18th century. Also this shows that the family of the speaker was financially depressed. The cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!" is the child's attempt at saying "Sweep! Sweep!" which was the chimney sweeper's street cry.


In 2nd stanza, ‘lamb’ refers to the religious symbol or sacrificial. This means that the children were being sacrificed to work, and so on. However, I think the ‘lamb’ has a link to the poem of ‘The Lamb’ which he had written in the Song of Innocence like “The Chimney Sweeper’. The lamb in ‘The Lamb’ can symbolize innocence, serenity, a child, Jesus, or sacrifice. It gives credit to God for making such a beautiful being as the lamb.


The 4th stanza is very important as what Miss Chandran told us today, (24th July). This stanza has two different interpretations. On surface level, it means that the children are in paradise or heaven and celebrating. However, in the deeper level, the stanza means that the ‘Angels’ seems to instigating a wrong deed, ‘killing the innocence.


In the last line of the poem, ‘So if all do their duty they need not fear harm’, it can be self-explanatory. However, the hidden message behind it is very sarcastic towards the churches, as the churches during the old days were suppose to help people but they had over control the people and did not take any measures on the issues of child labour and many other matters in the society.


*Generally, this poem shows that the children have a very positive outlook on life. They make the best of their lives and do not fear death.This is quite the opposite in its companion poem in "Songs of Experience" which was written in 1794. In this poem, the child blames his parents for putting him in the position he was in. He is miserable in his situation and he also blames "God & his Priest & King.” This point of view is different from that of its companion poem because the chimney sweeper has been influenced by society and has an "experienced" point of view.


* abstracted from http://asms.k12.ar.us/classes/humanities/britlit/97-98/blake/POEMS.htm#CHIMNEY



KIM JI A (JEAA) 3E2#11
thank you!^^ I hope I'm aright..

Brawns! said...

The overall theme of William Blake's The Chimney Sweeper is that of innocence. Blake also repeatedly plays upon a contrast of the colurs white- which symbolize purity- and black- which represents all things bad. The poem also gives us a glimpse into the social circumstances of the people of William Blake's era.

In the first stanza, the phrase “sold me” potrays a sense of betrayal and also suggests the presence of corruption and greed. Blake plays on the word ''sweep'' to mske it sound like “weep”. This aims to show us both the child's grief as well as the tender age of the child himself. Creating an image of such a young child working out on the streets would stir up some of our sympathy.

The second stanza is mostly all about the innocence of Tom. It is interesting to note that the word “lamb” was used to describe Tom. Lambs are generally thought of as as innocent and gentle creatures but they are also seen as sacrificial animals. Comparing Tom to a lamb would be implying the fact that Tom was being taken advantage of. The word “white” in the last paragraph also emphasizes on Tom's innocence and purity and naiveness.

The third stanza however, plays on the word “black”. One thing to take notice of would be the final phrase of the stanza, “coffins of black”. This could be a reference to a nightmare. Blake would be saying that “Thousands of sweepers...locked in a nightmare”. The nightmare would be refering to the children who have been sold or forced into becoming chimney sweepers.

The “angel” in the next stanza is a symbol of divine guidance. She is like a savious who comes to Tom in his dream and gives him hope for a better future. Indeed that is what the stanza is about. Hope for a better world.

The second stanza is also the same but with the last line “He'd have God for his father, and never want joy”, it seems so false. It seems like empty words and is merely a source of false hope for Tom and all the other children. All they would have is hope. Unless a miracle happened, they would be stuck as chimney sweepers for the rest of their lives.

The last stanza is about Tom. Awake for the next day with renewed hope in his heart. The last line “ So if all do their duty they need not fear harm.” is finally what is quintessentially Blake. Knowing about his “issues” against the Church, one can say that he is once again berating the Church for not doing it's duty. If “all”- the Chhurch- had done their duty, which was protecting the orphan and stray kids, they-refering to the enslaved children- need not fear harm-from their “masters”.

-Shreya Bhat(20)
3e2(:

Ong Hong Zhang- said...

The Chimney Sweeper poem is mainly telling us about the plight of the children and what they had to go through. Once again, Blake uses this poem to attack the church.

The beginning and middle portion of the poem is about what the children of that time went through and such, while the back portions are about the children;s hopes for a better future.

The poem also ends in a optimistic manner, that the children have somewhat have that little bit of hope.

Since everyone has done such a wonderful job, i feel that all i wnat to say others have said. Therefore, i see no point in parroting others. I will TRY to be the first to post next time so that i can say all i want.