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The Poem is narrated by an unidentified chimney sweeper who starts off telling the reader about how he got into the chimney sweeping business (orphan, child laborer, possibly homeless).
He then introduces Tom Dacre who seems to have a negative attitude on chimney sweeping.
Narrator explains the dream Tom has of him and his chimney sweeper friends being covered in soot and trapped in coffins. An angel releases them from their coffins and a river appears for them to clean off the soot. They are running around, laughing, and having fun.
The angel promises Tom that if he is good, that
he can come back and God will be his father.
Innocence
the children’s innocence has been stolen from them. They're forced to live a sad,"black" life. They frolic and play only in dreams
Death
Chimney sweepers often experienced early deaths from cancer or abuse. The young chimney sweepers in coffins in Tom’s dream are meant to remind us of that.
•Criticizing the Industrial Revolution
•Chimney sweeping was the most horrific to Blake because it involved harming innocent kids who, he believed, should be playing in the sun
•More people started living in cities during the Industrial Revolution which resulted in more chimneys needing to be cleaned
•Smaller children were normally used for this because they could get inside easier and clean more thoroughly
•Several of Blake’s other pieces critique the Industrial Revolution as well
Religion
Blake uses Tom’s dream to show how these boys' religious beliefs keep them contained in their dreadful lifestyle, rather than allowing them to rise above it.
Discussion Questions
Direct Audience
The Shaving of Tom's head, the children locked
up in the coffins, the narrator being sold by his father, the only time they have fun is in their dreams. There's no end in sight for these kids.
"An Act for the Better Regulation of Chimney Sweeps and their Apprentices"
1. In the poem, there isn’t just one chimney sweeper, but thousands of others who appear in Tom’s dream. Do you think the title “Chimney Sweeper,” is referring solely to the narrator, or all the children chimney sweepers lumped into one figure?
2. Like Tom, Blake claimed to have received many “spiritual visitors,” through his lifetime as well. Could he be referring to Tom as himself?
3. Do you think the coffins symbolize the actual deaths of the children? Or the symbolic death of their current life?
Indirect Audience
Work Cited
The light, airy, rhythmic structure of the poem is ironic considering the cold, devastating story being told.
Symbolism
Tones:
Blake uses symbolism to express the evils of exploiting these small boys. Most of this symbolism appears to be about death. This gives the poem a dark mood. Blake writes,
"So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep"
Naive
Hopeful
Innocent
Depressing
When Tom awakens from his Dream, his
whole attitude is changed for the better.
Compelling Quote:
The narrator seems to be the more mature of the
two- the realist: When tom is getting his head shaved bald, the narrator says to him:
"Hush, Tom! nevermind it, for when your head's bare, You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."