THE CHIMNEY-SWEEPER by William Blake

William Blake was regarded as one of the precursors of the Romantic Revival, in English poetry. “The Chimney Sweeper” was a short poem of 24 lines made up of six stanzas. This poem was taken from the “Songs of Innocence”

The narrator, a young boy was sold to a chimney owner by his father after the depth of his mother. He was so young that he did not even know how to weep. The repetition of the word ‘weep’ is not only for poetic effect but to suggest that he were a little bit mature he would have wept and pleaded his father not to sell him. However being incapable of expressing his pain, he was sold. From that day onwards, he swept the chimneys and slept in the midst of ashes.

The narrator tells about another boy named Tom Dacre. Tom cried a lot for his curled hair being shaven and the narrator only consoled him. He said to Dacre that since his white hair has been shaved it is been saved from turning blackish by the ashes. The narrator’s maturity can be seen in this advice. Though he is young, life has turned him very tough.

Tom Dacre had a dream that night. In that dream, he saw thousands of sweepers locked up in a black coffins and an angel unlocked the coffins and set them all free. Once they were set free the children enjoyed the green plain, they ran, laughed, leaped and they washed themselves in the river and they also enjoyed the bright summer days in their life. They flew and rose above the clouds and played in the winds. The angel said to Tom, if he remained a good boy, he will have God as his father and will enjoy so much that he will never desire for more joy.

When Tom woke up after the dream he was totally changed. He and the other chimney sweepers woke up in the dark and started their work along with their bags. Those innocent chimney sweepers are made to believe that if they do their duty honestly and with full dedication, there is no need for them to fear anybody. They have got used to the lives of slaves. The poet strongly condemns the religious beliefs which were put in the minds of the poor working class people.

Thus the poem not only pin points the deplorable conditions of the children sold into chimney sweeping but also of the society which lack concern for its less fortunate members.

---- HAPPY LEARNING -----