Table of Contents
How did William Blake feel about child labor?
William Blake published “Songs of Innocence” in 1789; child labor was very much exploited and lowly disputed against. Chimney sweeping child laborers specifically were subjected to low wages, deadly working conditions, and harsh punishments for not meeting standards. Blake was anti child labor.
What is the main theme of the chimney sweeper?
Major Themes in “The Chimney Sweeper”: Misery, death, and hope are the major themes of this poem. The poem presents the miseries of children as chimney sweepers and their contentment in life. It is through the mouth of two young speakers the poet conveys his idea that one should not lose hope.
What made little Tom Dacre cry?
The narrator is a child sweep who has no mother to guide him. The speaker of this poem is a small boy who was sold into the chimney-sweeping business after his mother died. He recounts the story of a fellow chimney sweeper, Tom Dacre, who cried when his hair was shaved to prevent vermin and soot from infesting it.
What is the irony in the chimney sweeper?
Blake uses the conventional symbolism of white to stand for heavenly purity. It seems that the Angel in the poem is cosmic irony; though the afterlife is supposed to be joyful, that doesn’t improve the sweepers’ current lives in any physical way.
Who make up a heaven of your misery?
Lines 11-12 And are gone to praise God and his priest and king, Who make up a heaven of our misery.” The chimney sweeper again tells us that his parents have gone to church, where they “praise God and his priest and king.”
What are the equipment used by the chimney sweeper when they go to work?
Primary cleaning tools and supplies designed to remove creosote and soot are used by chimney sweeps today are brushes, vacuums, and chemical cleaners.
What is the tone of the chimney sweeper?
The tone of the poem is one of gentle innocence and trust, which contrasts sharply with its grim subject. The young chimney sweeper’s words show that he and his fellow sweep are in a harsh situation. They are the among most vulnerable in society: young children who are orphaned or unwanted.
Why does Tom Dacre cry in the chimney sweeper?
Tom is crying because his hair is shaved off. The narrator reassures Tom that it’s better to have a shaved head because then the soot from the chimneys that they sweep won’t get into his hair and make it messy. He also says that he sleeps in soot.
What does Blake criticize in the chimney sweeper?
Blake criticizes that children were so young when they were sold to be chimney sweepers that they couldn’t talk properly yet. The reason for this was that the chimneys were so narrow an older child would not be able to crawl through. Blake does not indicate whether he agrees or disagrees.
What do these events suggest about the life of a chimney sweep?
What do these events suggest about the life of a chimney sweep? In the first stanza, the child is sold to his employer by his father. These events suggest that the sweeper’s life was one of misery and hardship. So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.
How much did chimney sweeps get paid?
A chimney sweep in the Victorian Era got paid about 10 Shillings in Europe.
Who make up a heaven of our misery meaning?
But what does the phrase “make up a heaven of our misery” really mean? God, his priest, and his king enjoy themselves at the kids’ expense. In other words—they’re all happy-go-lucky while the kid toils in their chimneys.
Where have the father and mother of chimney sweeper gone?
The Full Text of “The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience)” weep!” in notes of woe! 3″Where are thy father and mother? say?” 4″They are both gone up to the church to pray.
What working conditions did chimney sweepers in early 19th century Britain have to endure?
Work was dangerous and they could get jammed in the flue, suffocate or burn to death. As soot is carcinogenic, and as the boys slept under the soot sacks and were rarely washed, they were prone to chimney sweeps’ carcinoma.