“The Chimney Sweeper” is a poem about
the corrupting influence of organized religion on society
. It specifically suggests that the Church encroaches on the freedoms and joys of childhood and, indeed, robs children of their youth.
What is The Chimney Sweeper songs of innocence about?
“The Chimney Sweeper” is a poem by William Blake, published in his 1789 collection Songs of Innocence. The poem is
told from the perspective of a young chimney sweep, a boy who has been sold into labor by his father
. The sweep meets a new recruit to the chimney sweeping gang named Tom Dacre, who arrives terrified.
What is the message of The Chimney Sweeper?
The theme of “The Chimney Sweeper” is
the cruelty of life and society from the perspective of a child
. As in much of Blake’s more somber poetry, life and society are intermingled.
Why did Chimney Sweepers shave their heads?
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
.
How are the last lines of the chimney sweeper from Songs of Innocence ironic?
As the speaker describes little Tom Dacre, whose white hair was shaved as though he were a prisoner, and whose white skin turns black from the soot, the contrast between his life “in a coffin” and his dreams of “an Angel who had a bright key” the irony of the final lines becomes apparent:
Only by dying will Tom and the
…
Why did the speaker cry in the chimney sweeper?
Chimney sweepers were little boys who could fit into the wide chimneys that wealthy people used to heat their homes. …
Tom cries because when he becomes a chimney sweeper, all the hair of his head is shaved off
. The narrator reassures Tom that it is better that he loses his hair because then it won’t get dirty with soot.
What are the clothes of death in the chimney sweeper?
The “clothes of death” which was the uniform of a Chimney Sweeper which
was an occupation with a high mortality rate
. Representing how they sold him to basically die. His parents believe what? That they have done nothing wrong to him and that it was the right thing for him.
How does the chimney sweeper cry?
In this stanza ‘the chimney sweepers cry
every blackening church appals
‘ provide an association which reveals the speakers attitude. The money is spent on churches while the children live in poverty, forced to clean chimneys – the soot from which blackens the church walls.
How did the angel open the black coffins?
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair. Were all of them lock’d up in coffins of black, And by came
an Angel who had a bright key, And he open’
d the coffins & set them all free.
What is the irony in the chimney sweeper?
The thing that Tom Dacre believes is the last irony of this poem.
The Angel tells Tom
that if be a good boy, God will be his father and he will always be happy. Driven by his dream, Tom believes that everything will be fine if do his job properly. This is clearly an irony.
What does coffins of black mean?
“Coffins of black” represents
innocence and what is done to innocent children
.
What kind of poem is chimney sweeper?
The entire poem is compound of six stanzas. Each of them is a
quatrain
, which means that it includes four lines. The rhyme scheme in the poem is AABB – CCDD – EEFF – GGHH – IIJJ – KKLL. As William Blake was also a musician, he takes care and puts special emphasis on the intonation, metrical foot and rhyme.
How are the last lines of the chimney sweeper from Songs of Innocence ironic quizlet?
What is the irony of the poem?
Their lives won’t get better, they will get worse and their living conditions will affect their health
. The children crying “‘weep! … They are crying, and also saying Sweep, connecting the two words because they’re miserable sweeping.
What literary devices are used in the chimney sweeper?
“The Chimney Sweeper”, a narrative poem by William Blake, uses rhetorical devices to explore the hardships of true salvation through literal and figurative language. The use of
imagery, symbolism, and metaphor
create the tone of misery regarding both the speaker and little Tom Dacre.
Who is the speaker of chimney sweeper poem?
Ans
:- Tom Dacre
was a chimney sweeper as the speaker of the poem. He represents the innocence of the little chimney sweepers who were forced to work in inhuman conditions.
Who is the speaker in the chimney sweeper Songs of Experience?
The main speaker of the poem is
a chimney sweep
—the “little black thing among the snow.” But he doesn’t actually take over until line 4. The first three lines, then, belong to some other speaker.
