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In was in the 1830s that "the English Parliament set up a commission to investigate the problems of child laborers. One worker in a textile mill testified that since the age of 8 he had worked from 6 A.M. to 8 P.M., with an hour off at noon. " However, when work was busy he could easily find himself working 16 hours straight. "Another boy, whose parents had sold him to a mill owner, testified that the child laborers were locked up in the mill night and day. He ran away twice, and was caught and whipped by his overseer. ".
One of the reasons why child labor was so prevalent was because "many English children did not have parents who could support them, if they had parents at all. These children were called "pauper children," and under English Poor Laws, local government officials were supposed to arrange for them to become apprentices, to be cared for and learn a trade. However, thousands of children were turned over to a distant mill owner, leaving no one to intercede for them. " Other children were sold as slaves by their parents to pay off debt.
Blake wrote The Chimney Sweeper in first person, envisioning a young chimneysweeper. This gives his poetic voice creditability because the subject of the poem is chimney sweeping. In addition, using first person creates a deeper sense of sympathy for the reader. This young boy, the poetic voice, lost his mother while "[he] was very young." Soon after the loss of his mother "[his] father sold [him] while yet [his] tongue could scarcely cry 'Weep! weep! weep! weep!'". This sympathy causes us to realize not only how these children lived, but also how they felt and how they were deprived of their childhood.
Blake uses symbolism to express the evils of exploiting these small boys. Most of this symbolism is about death. This gives the poem a dark mood. Blake writes, "So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep." Most boys who were sold into chimney sweeping died very young because soot inhalation destroyed the lining of their lungs.
William Blake's The Chimney Sweeper is a striking representation of life in England in the late 1700s. ... The Chimney Sweeper is a narrative poem that tells the story of young Tom Dacre. ... In his dream, Tom sees an Angel who gives joyous freedom to all of the chimney sweepers. ... Many sound devices are used in The Chimney Sweeper. ... The primary figure of speech used in The Chimney Sweeper is irony. ...
He published, "The Chimney Sweeper" in a London newspaper in the late 1700's to tell of the conditions of young children who were forced to work in. I enjoyed reading "The Chimney Sweeper" because it is a work of literature which was used to save the lives of unknown others. "The Chimney Sweeper" is told through a first person point of view and with an AABB rhyme scheme. ... The children might have thought that if they continue to do their duties as chimney sweepers that God may place them back with their families. ... In conclusion, not only is Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" an i...
This line introduces the problem that is occurring in the poem, that the chimney sweeper is becoming filthy because of the soot in the chimneys. It may be considered that the job of the chimney sweeper is tainting him. ... Throughout both poems the speakers directly and indirectly use the colors black and white to show images of the chimney sweeper. ... In the Songs of Innocence poem the narrator has hope for the future of the chimney sweeper by using the image of a pure white baby. ... In the Songs of Experience poem the view of the chimney sweeper is that the chimney sweeper is not pur...
The last two lines of "the Chimney Sweeper" describe Tom's unrealistically dream about future. ... From the moment the sweepers were sold by their parents, Tom and his friends actually don't have many choices about their lives. ... The word duty in the poem is very important, because it reflects of the sweepers" harsh lives. The sweepers are usually being sold at age 5 or 6. ... They are supposed to go to school and play around, but not work in the chimneys as child labors. ...
Specifically, "The Chimney Sweeper", depicts the mindset of the children performing this labor. ... In the event of their parents death they will become valuable as chimney sweepers. ... He perceives that he can do nothing to transform his uneventful destiny as a chimney sweeper. ... It is easy to see that society continuously ignores it's role in the chimney sweepers" lives. ... The sweepers did not. ...
"The Chimney Sweeper" was a poem written by William Blake in 1789. ... Because of their small size, they were the perfect candidates for being chimney sweepers. ... Tom dreamed heavily in the second third and fourth stanzas to depict what Blake was trying to symbolize from the chimney sweepers. ... When Blake was writing this poem, he made you feel as if he knew personally how chimney sweepers were treated in London. In conclusion, "The Chimney Sweeper" is a poem of heartbreak, and the misunderstanding of children in London. ...
The literal meaning in "The Chimney Sweeper" from Songs of Experience is very clear and disturbing. ... He has been basically sold to a master chimney sweep for seven years. ... The main theme of this poem is children being sold to die cleaning chimneys. ... (Lines 11-12) William Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" offers a graphic portrayal of a particular cultural aspect of England in the 1790's. ... Blake wrote it so that every one would know had awful of a life these little chimney sweepers were living. ...
One area in particular captured Blake's anger, and this was the situation of those young boys who were sold to work as chimney sweepers. Provoked by their poor quality of life, he wrote two poems about them, both called "The Chimney Sweeper". ... As stated, both poems are about the unfortunate destinies of many little children who at a very young age were dressed in black and recruited as chimney sweepers. ... Blackness has devoured all parts of the chimney sweepers lives. ... In this line, clothes of death are of course the black clothes that the chimney sweepers wore. ...
He does a magnificent job with the speaker in his poem, The Chimney Sweeper. ... The little chimney boy is portrayed as being comforting in The Chimney Sweeper for many reasons. ... Honesty is very important in The Chimney Sweeper because it allows the little chimney boy to help himself and other chimney sweepers adapt to life as chimney sweepers. ... As one reads The Chimney Sweeper, the idea of hope is almost impossible to realize. ... AThe Chimney Sweeper.@ The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. ...
