The Chimney Sweeper - 824 Words

The Chimney Sweeper Thesis Blake uses many literary devices to portray the hopeless life of the young chimney sweeps. I. Irony II. Imagery III. Symbolism William Blake masterfully uses many literary devices to portray the hopeless life of a young chimney sweep in his poem â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†. The poem has a young, nameless first person narrator which gives the poem a sense of youthful innocence and anonymity that is in direct contradiction to the horrible conditions they suffer. Most of the poem has dark tones that is punctuated by a happy dream of freedom and joy with his true father his creator. The poem ends with a bleak and almost sinister twist of irony that leaves the reader feeling sorrow and shame for the chimney†¦show more content†¦He cries when it is shaved but is told it is for the better because the black soot will only ruin it. Tom dreams of thousands of boys sleeping in dark coffins which are opened by an angel. In line 11, the boys are given names which personalize the boys as individuals and rehumanize them for the reader. They are all let free to run and play and cleanse themselves in a river and feel the sun. These images again invoke a sense of childlike innocence that the sweeps were not allowed. We see the boys floating on clouds, playing in green fields, splashing in a river all of which can be equated with heaven and peacefulness. The images of the dream and the reality of the situation are very polarized and help the reader sense the bleak, helpless mood of the poem. Symbolism is evident throughout the poem as well. The color black runs through the poem and symbolizes death or evil just as the black soot of the chimneys brings the death of the sweeps at the hands of their evil masters. Being in a chimney would be very much like being in a black coffin as described in line 12. In line 17, the boys are naked and white which are symbols of birth, life and freedom. The coffin is a symbol of death associated with the chimney. The boys swept chimneys and slept in soot which is very dark and symbolizes death that the sweeps will certainly succumb to. The angel in Tomâ⠂¬â„¢s dream is a symbol of freedom for the boys. It is the only part of the poem that is hopeful and bright. ChristiansShow MoreRelatedThe Chimney Sweeper1038 Words   |  5 PagesPOETRY ESSAY The Chimney Sweeper Thesis Sometimes people are forced to grow and live in the harshest of conditions, it can be hard to see God in those dark and bleak times but those who can, are truly blessed and know that their sufferings will only be temporary. Outline I. 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TomRead MoreEssay On The Chimney Sweeper774 Words   |  4 PagesSet in the times of the Industrial Revolution, Blake’s The Chimney Sweeper is a powerful attempt to fight one of the biggest social injustices at the time: child labour. He illustrates the heartbreaking life story of thousands of kids through two different points of view, one is exposed in the poem pertaining to Songs of Innocence (1789) and the other one is exposed in Songs of Experience (1794). Both poems share the same outline; however, it is the narrator’s view the one that changes drasticallyRead MoreThe Chimney Sweeper Essay765 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Chimney Sweeper by William Blake† In William Blake’s poem, the reader will read about the first person point of view of a child going through a neglected life of child labour and slavery. In the poem, â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†, Blake’s use of onomatopoeia conveys the emotions of the character in the poem. William Blake uses symbolism in his poem which gives the reader a better understanding of the message he is trying to convey. As well, Blake’s use of colors and adjectives provides the readerRead MoreThe Chimney Sweeper And The Tyger878 Words   |  4 Pages God is viewed very differently in â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† and â€Å"The Tyger.† In â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† god is a source of hope and control. If you do your job and stay out of trouble everything will be okay. In â€Å"The Tyger† God is questioned how could someone who made the gentle lamb also make the creature like a tiger. â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† paints God in a light that if you keep your head down and do what you are told everything will be okay. The author uses the voice of a child to represent theRead MoreThe Chimney Sweeper By William Blake1487 Words   |  6 Pageschoice but to sell their sons and daughters. 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The theme of child innocence is also the other main exploredRead MoreComparing The Poem The Chimney Sweeper 1374 Words   |  6 PagesThe two poems that I chose to compare are â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† poem from both Songs of Innocence and the Songs of Experience. When my mother died I was very young, And my father sold me while yet my tongue Could scarcely cry weep! weep! weep! weep! So your chimneys I sweep in soot I sleep. There s little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head That curled like a lamb s back, was shaved, so I said, Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head s bare, You know that the soot cannot spoil