THE CHIMNEY SWEEPERSONG OF INNOCENCEBY: WILLIAM BLAKE

Created by Caleb, Erin, Tyler, Lauren

William Blake

William Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757, to James Blake a hosier, and Catherine Blake. William had three brothers and a sister. His older brother took over his father's hosiery business. His younger brothers were beset with tragedy. John died young. The youngest, Robert, was dear to William, as he also had artistic leanings. He died of an illness at the age of 21. Blake claimed to continue to see and converse with him long after his death. Another brother, Richard, died in infancy. From young, Blake claimed to see spirits, angels, etc., always speaking of his painting as being mere copies and his poetry as dictated. His writing combines a variety of styles: he is at once an artist, a lyric poet, a mystic and a visionary, and his work has fascinated, intrigued and sometimes bewildered readers ever since.

Journal

What is the deal with the poem's final line? Does the speaker really think chimney-sweeping is a duty that children should do? Should Tom really be feeling happy and warm?

Background

The Chimney Sweeper was written in 1789, but in a children’s point of view. It took place during the French and Industrial Revolution.

Blake’s use of individual perception on spirituality is another important element of the Romantic tradition.

Form of the Poem

The Chimney Sweeper-The Couplet When my mother died I was very young,-A

And my father sold me while yet my tongue-ACould scarcely cry 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!-BSo your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.-B

There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head,-CThat curled like a lamb's back, was shaved: so I said,-C"Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare,-DYou know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."-D

And so he was quiet; and that very night,-EAs Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight,-EThat thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,-FWere all of them locked up in coffins of black.-F

And by came an angel who had a bright key,-GAnd he opened the coffins and set them all free;-GThen down a green plain leaping, laughing, they run,-HAnd wash in a river, and shine in the sun.-H

Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,-IThey rise upon clouds and sport in the wind;-IAnd the angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,-JHe'd have God for his father, and never want joy.-J

And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark,-KAnd got with our bags and our brushes to work.-KThough the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm;-LSo if all do their duty they need not fear harm.-L

Form of Poem Continued

A couplet can most easily be described in format as

AA, BB, CC, DD, The repetition of two lines, and making four lines per stanza.

Summary

This poem is used to describe the often dark, forceful, and appalling actions of child labor in England in the 18th and 19th Century, Blake uses a variety of language to convey his message such as, “So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.” This shows the impoverished conditions these young children lived upon. The poem was his way of showing people a side they’ve never seen of England before, it exposed corruption and darkness through the use of this poem and is one of the greatest poems in English history.

Theme

Innocence: the absence of innocence. The children have no childhood and play only in dreams because they get up at the crack of dawn to clean chimneys. Their innocence has been stolen from them. They're forced to live covered in soot and facing a premature death.

Death: in Tom's dream he sees his fellow sweepers in coffins. This might remind us that these kids face an early death, but it also shows us that in many ways, they're dead already; they've lost their childhood, their freedom, and their innocence. According to Blake, the chimney-sweeping life is no life at all.

Suffering: Tom's head was shaved which made him cry. All the sweepers in the dream are "locked up" in coffins, the speaker was sold by his father, and the only place the children get to play and be children is in Tom's dream. The sad thing is it's the children who bear the brunt of it, and there's no end in sight.

Religion: An angel appears in Tom's dream in the form of a savior who releases the chimney sweepers from their coffins, and tells Tom that if he's a good boy God will love him. It seems like the angel is telling Tom to do his job. Blake uses Tom Dacre's sad, beautiful dream to demonstrate how these boys' religious beliefs keep them contained in their dreadful lifestyle, rather than allow them to rise above it.

Main Idea

The author is trying to say he does not agree with the fact that children are forced to work and are deprived of a childhood because of this dangerous job.

Author’s Tone

The author hates the fact that these children are doing this job.

Elements of Poetry

Simile: Tom Dacre’s hair is compared to a

lamb’s wool when it is shaved. Allusion:

The unlocking of coffins by an angel and being washed clean in a river are Christian allusions to Christ's resurrection and baptism.

Why this is a Romantic Poem

Romanticism places human emotions, feelings, intuition, and instinct above all else. Blake wrote this poem because he felt the treatment of children was awful.

Real World Connection

The fifth track on his 1980 album The River, Bruce Springsteen's "The River" recounts the life of a young couple that is forced into the real world unprepared. The speaker, who must find work at 19 to care for his child, yearns for his former life of innocence; thus "The River" and "The Chimney Sweeper" have similar themes and can be effectively compared.

Our Group’s Opinion

Blake's poem was initially very striking to us. While reading the first stanza, we were shocked and horrified by the imagery presented by the young narrator. We felt bad for the young boy, and then became angry at his father for placing him in such a situation. In the second and third stanzas, we empathized with 'little Tom Darce' and pictured how frightened he must have been because of his nightmare; he seemed to be in great need of care and love. The imagery in the fourth and fifth paragraphs struck us as bright, beautiful and very innocent, thus causing us to wish that all the boys could live in such a wonderful environment. My reaction to the final stanza was a sense of distress; the boys had nothing to hope for, but were forced to perform a task which would eventually kill them. After reading the poem we were left with several impressions in our mind. The young and innocent portrayal of the narrator seemed to be a powerful influence on our emotional reactions to the poem.

Our Visuals