The Chimney Sweeper

The Chimney-Sweeper

William Blake - 1757-1827

 

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, and 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 your white hair.'

And so he was quiet, and that very night,
As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight!--
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,
Were all of them locked up in coffins of black.

And by came an angel, who had a bright key,
And he opened the coffins, and set them all free;
Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run
And wash in a river, and shine in the sun.

Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,
They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind;
And the angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,
He'd have God for his father, and never want joy.

And so Tom awoke, and we rose in the dark,
And got with our bags and our brushes to work.
Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm:
So, if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.

 

William Blake

He was born on 28 November in London 1757. He was an artist and poet; he is an influential figure during the Romantic Era. His works and paintings have inspired many. Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.

 “To the evening star” is an ode ( ode is a lyric poem, typically one in the form of an address to a particular subject, written in varied or irregular meter, a classical poem of a kind originally meant to be sung)  to the Venus, the Roman Goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. It is a sonnet by the Romantic poet.  the poet is calling upon “Her” (Venus) to protect all against the evils of the night and more importantly to inspire “whilst the sun rest” all that is oppressed during the daytime.  The poet uses apostrophe and it a common way to start an Ode.  The star represents the transcendent moments of the struggle between oppositions.

Summary

The poem focusses on the hard work of chimney sweeping by the small children.  It of the most important preoccupation of the Romantics.  William Blake, a spiritual and mystical poet narrates in simple language the pain of the chimney sweepers.  The poem focusses on the child labor in London especially the chimney sweepers.  Many small children suffered deformity due to the hard labor.  The practice was abolished in 1875.

 

Detail analysis of the poem

 

Stanza 1

“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, and in soot I sleep.”

The poet speaks as a chimney sweeper and expresses the sad situation.   After the death of the mother the small child who finds difficult to say the word was sold by his father to work as a chimney sweeper. The little boy tells the hard life of the children who work as chimney sweepers. The boy as a kind could not say the work sweep and weep but weeps all the time. Not only the little boy who narrates the story but all the kids who are forced to do the work cry all the time due to their suffering. They sleep at night in the soot.  The situation is well described.

Stanza 2

“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 your white hair.”

The second stanza tells the sad tale of Tom Dacre who is a famous character in Blake’s many poems. Tom is called as Dacre for he belongs to Lady Dacre’s Almshouse which is in-between St.James Street and Buckingham Road.  May be he was adopted he is sold now to a Master Sweeper.  Tom wept for his head was shaved as people shave the back of the lamp to get wool. Tom was told that lice will not breed as his head was shaven.  There will no danger of his hair catching fire while cleaning the chimney.  The situation gives the readers a uncomfortable feeling for the small child.

Stanza 3

“And so he was quiet, and that very night,
As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight!--
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,
Were all of them locked up in coffins of black.”

In this stanza the narrator continues to describe the sad story of Tom.  He is quite and calm after the comforting words of the narrator.  He sees a wonderful vision while he sleeps.  He sees in his dream all the thousand chimney sweepers Dick, Joe, Ned and Jack.  They are dead and lying in coffins made of black colored wood.  They are all locked up in the coffins.

Stanza 4

“And by came an angel, who had a bright key,
And he opened the coffins, and set them all free;
Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run
And wash in a river, and shine in the sun.”

In this fourth stanza his vision came true.  An Angel with bright key opens the coffins and set all the children free.  All are now freed from the coffins.  They run down a green ground jumping, laughing.  They run all over and wash them in a river with happiness and dried to be shining stars.  This is the happiest moment for the chimney sweepers who were chained to the hardest labor and exploitation.

Stanza 5

“Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,
They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind;
And the angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,
He'd have God for his father, and never want joy.”

In this stanza the little boy expresses his dream.  All the boys are naked and white after they wash themselves.  They are naked as they leave their bags behind. They have removed their bags of burden of poverty and hard labor of cleaning the soot. Now they rise upon the clouds and play in the wind.  The angel told Tom if he would be a good boy he would be blessed by God.  He would have God as his Father and he will live happily forever with God.

 

 

 

Stanza 6

And so Tom awoke, and we rose in the dark,
And got with our bags and our brushes to work.
Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm:
So, if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.

In the last stanza Tom wakes up and his dream has broken up.  Tom and other little boys rise frm their beds and get ready to work taking their bags in the morning cold. But Tom after dreaming feels warm and happy and now fear for harm.  The last stanza sounds like a moral message by the poet as if you are good and honest to your duty there is nothing to fear. The reality of life is shown in the last stanza.

Literary Devices

The themes are suffering of the innocents and suffering due to poverty, death and hope of the suffering children.

The language usage is too clever and clear.  The word Weep for Sweep signify the sad situation of the child labor.  Weep could be expresses the real cry of the little child.

AABB is the regular rhyme followed not to make the readers feel boring.

1^st person narration gives a bitter experience. It is the voice of many children who suffer.

Visual imagery “in Soot I sleep” the poet brings out the suffering more clearly with these visual images. “White hair that curled like a lamb’s black”, is another interesting image where the child has been shaven for his protection and this is look like the lamp who has been shaven to take wool. “Coffins of black” creates a sad image. “bright key”,” shine in the sun”

Black soot symbolizes death and pain.  Lamp too a good symbol which show the innocence of the small children and while color is a symbol for purity. Lamps are shown to be slaughtered and indirectly showing the children’s condition. Angel is a symbol of messenger to God. Green plain is for happy life. “Naked and white children” symbolize freedom and purity

Smilie the curled like a lamb’s back the shaven child is compared to the lamp which is shaven for wool.

Hyperbole “thousand sweepers” gives an idea of hard labor and abuse of small children.

Alliteration adds lively effect to the poem.  “Such a Sight” 

Metaphor coffins expresses chimneys. Black color denotes pain and suffering and death.  White is for purity. “Their bags” is for burden of the hard work of children. 

Thus the poem gives a moral message to the universe.  The last stanza especially brings out the idea of the poet. “He who does his duty with honest has no fear of harm. “  This is a great message by the poet thrown to the society.  The pitiable condition of the poor children, child labor, the sufferings of the orphaned children and the selling of the orphans to the hardest work are brought sarcastically to attack the wealthy aristocratic by the poet to give awareness to the universe.

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