Critical Appreciation - The Chimney Sweeper 1 - William Blake - Asad Imran Notes

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Background Information

The Chimney Sweeper that is included in our course in Sargodha University is taken from Blake's collection of poems, Songs of Innocence. The poem along with other poems of innocence was published in 1789. The speaker of this poem is a chimney sweeper who narrates his dream of attaining good status in heaven (presumably). The poem is a direct hit upon the acceptance of child labour in England in the eighteenth century. Due to industrialization, it was a common practice to use small children of four to six years, sold due to financial crisis, to clean the sooty chimneys up. Some of them would die due to breathing in soot and falling from the chimneys.

Development of Situation

The poem begins upon the chimney sweeper, revealing about himself. His mother died when he very small and his father sold him when he could barely cry. Then he tells about his job and his bed made of soot. Then the sweeper shifts his attention to one of his fellow sweeper whose name is Tom Dacre. The narrator informs us about the dream of Tom.

Tom dreams that a thousand other chimney sweepers are locked inside black coffins. An angel comes with a bright key and sets all of them free. They play and jump in the green flelds and clean themselves up from the soot by bathing in the river. Then they fly into the clouds. The angel says to Tom that if he works dutifully, he will have the patronage of God.

After waking up from his dream, Tom picks up his tools of cleaning and sets himself for work enthusiastically. So that he may not receive any kind of harm (inflicted by humans).

Themes

Although the poem may look like an "expression of innocence", it hides many grim themes of life, like misery, death but not without hope. The first obvious theme is the deprivation of childhood. It is clear that the children cleaning chimneys are stripped off of their innocence of childhood. The poem makes us realize their plight and misery in no obscure terms. They have no time and right to play and get educated as other privileged children. Their only play is climbing up in the chimneys and cleaning them up from top to bottom while risking their (innocent) lives.

Another prominent theme of this poem is desire and hope. Remember Tom's dream?

he opened the coffins & set them all free;
Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing they run,
And wash in a river and shine in the Sun.

The poet here wants to signify that the chimney sweepers consider themselves locked in a box or coffin. No doubt it is a dangerous job and sadly, they are not given even a second of recreation and relaxation. Therefore, it is a natural phenomenon to dream of recreational activities like playing, jumping and most importantly, cleaning their body from the sooty mess of the chimneys they clean.

The dream also reveals the theme of religious hope of deliverance. Their desire transitions into a Christian hope that enables the sweepers to do the dangerous work. Because, they have an innocent and firm belief that their 'hard' work shall end in the blessings of God. Hope keeps their working spirit alive.

The Other Chimney Sweeper

Blake wrote two versions of The Chimney Sweeper - one displaying an innocent desire to go outside of soot, while the other, being the experience of the soul, shows the grim side of the life of a chimney sweeper. In the experience version of chimney sweeping, the narrator seems complaining the role of Church in favouring dangerous child labour in the guise of (Christian) hardships. As compared to the innocent chimney sweeper, the experienced one has a much sadder tone of resentment of the monarchy who,

Make up a heaven of our misery.

Literary Devices

The literary devices used in this poem are somewhat basic but carrying deeper meanings inside. The poet uses simile to compare Tom's curly hair with the wool of a lamb. The instance of metaphor can be traced when the narrator says, "We rose in the dark", thus signifying the dark aspects of their life. However, there are two striking symbols used in this poem. The symbol of lamb hints at the innocence of childhood while green-plain signifies freedom.

Setting and Imagery

The setting of this poem varies from situation to situation. When the narrator begins his miserable poem, the setting of this poem hints at a ground with a chimney nearby. During the dream, the setting of this poem shifts to a vast country plain. The images used in this poem prove a significant help in mapping the dismal world of the chimney sweepers. The images may include like sleeping in soot, hair like the back of a lamb, thousand sweepers locked in coffins, sweepers playing and cold morning.

Structural Analysis

The poem is composed of twenty lines, divided into five stanzas. Each stanza contains four verses, thus forming a quatrain. The rhyme scheme of this poem is AA BB. Such heroic couplitism gives a "singy songy" tone that adds the innocence of a nursery rhyme. The only difference between a nursery rhyme and this song of innocence is the grim reality of the life of a chimney sweeper. The rhythmic pattern is somewhere iambic and anapestic.

Conclusion

The Chimney Sweeper is Blake's vigorous atttempt in condemning child labour when it was considered a sacred rite. Blake's innocent narrator indirectly shows his disregard to putting small children into a work that would lock them into sooty coffins.

Critical Appreciation - The Chimney Sweeper 1 - William Blake