Next Set Of Lines In The Poem example essay topic

Weep! Weep! Weep! Weep!" (the Chimney Sweeper 3) These are the cries of a young boy in William Blake's "the Chimney Sweeper".

Blake wrote many poems and in most cases they had hidden meanings. In the case of "the Chimney Sweeper" Blake what is Blake's hidden meaning. What is Blake's point? In this case Blake criticizes suggesting that child labor is a socially acceptable thing. In "the Chimney Sweeper" the narrator turns out to be a small boy about the age of 6 or 7.

The boy discuses his troubled life as a chimney sweeper. In order to understand how Blake criticizes society you must rip apart the poem it self. In the first line "when my mother died I was very young", you already are given a sad understand of boys past. The poem goes on to say in the second line that the father had sold his son before he could even get over the death of his mother. At time of the poem it was not uncommon for a father to sell his son due to the fact that they are left alone to provide for the child with no spouse to help. If there is not enough money the child is sold.

This in itself is a sad situation the boy has been put in. To make money the boy is put to work so that he may be able to fend for himself. The poem goes on to tell us that he is not alone. "Tom Dare" (the Chimney Sweeper 5) is another boy that too sweeps chimneys with our young narrator. The narrator describes how tom has his head shaven so no soot will get caught in it. Tom was very upset that his hair was cut off.

Later that night tom has a dream of which the narrator describes. In his dream tom sees "thousands of sweepers" that have died. They where in coffins of black which Keynes say are related to the "hopeless living conditions" (163). At his point the poem turns for the best. There is an angel that opens the coffins with a key to set the sweepers in them free. Once set free they run and jump in laughter "down a green plain (the Chimney sweeper 15).

This is an important part of the poem be because the poem now gives a ironic contrast to the harsh world that the boys live in. The sweepers that where once in the coffins are now naked and white, which according to Ostriker symbolism cleanliness which to a chimney sweeper is a rare thing to see. Now they rise up "upon clouds and sport in the wind" (the Chimney Sweeper 18). They now rise to haven. The next set of lines in the poem are of utmost importance to Blake's criticism of society. This is where Blake sets up the idea of working hard pays off. "the angel told Tom, if he a good boy, he'd have God for his father, and never want joy".

A shocking thought. What did Blake mean by if tom where a good boy? This means that if Tom dose good that he will be sent to haven just like the rest of the boys and girls there where in the coffins. Since Tom too is an orphan he has no father, so the thought of having god as his father is positive reinforcement to do well.

Keynes says here that "The if-clauses in (3, 3) and (6, 4) associate positive preconditions (good boy, duty) to positive consequences; the latter ones are, however, virtually nothing but the absence of negative aspects; psychologically or pedagogically speaking, this is a negative way of reinforcing desirable behaviour" (163). The point of this part of the poem is to force the thought of doing good work gets you into haven. "And so tome Awoke; and rose in the dark and got with our bags and brushes" (the Chimney Sweeper 21). As tom awakes from his dream with his new found purpose to do well. He is quick to work grabbing the brushes and bags of which are the tools of a chimney sweeper. "though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm"; (the Chimney Sweeper 23) right here you can see that even though Tom has had this wonderful dream the world is still cold. Meaning nothing has changed in the world other than Toms outlook and life.

The importance of this lie with the next line. The next line states", So if all do their duty they need not fear harm" (the Chimney Sweeper 24) the poem ends here. With that said it is more clearly understood of Blake's message. When Blake talks about the harsh world the boys live in, having no parents and being dirty all the time. Give the reader a sad feeling for the boys. The ironic twist to the poem is when Blake introduces the idea of haven when the first part of the poem seems so drab.

Look at how Blake gives the idea of doing well at this young age is only reworded with heavenly treatment. This is where Blake critics society. "The poem describes how a chimney sweeper boy copes with his and his fellows' miserable fate. His naive, innocent way of accepting child-labour as a God-given duty produces a strong ironical effect and reinforces the bitterness of BLAKE'S implicit social criticism" (Ostriker 883) Child labour is it a thing of the past? At the time when Blake wrote this poem it was not uncommon to see children at work at a young age. Keynes says that doing duty excludes harm.

Why would doing ones duty exclude them from harm? As a child one should be free from the harsh real ties of an adult world. Can we still see this thought of child labour even today? Ostriker says that there are modern versions of child labour. Think of the Olsen twins.

They where forced to work at a young age before they new how to make up there own minds. The glamour of Hollywood in America still play a part in child labour. The way Blake makes child labour a sociably acceptable thing is how he ties in godliness. Godliness already has great social acceptance and the fact that Blake uses the idea of doing this work will get you into heaven is proof that Blake is criticizing society.