The Chimney Sweeper by William Blake Essay - 596 Words

In the Chimney Sweeper, William Blake portrays the lack of innocence in these young boys lives since they are expected to have attained the experience to preform such unjust actions. The speaker of the poem begins it by letting us know that after his mother passed away his father gave him up to be a chimneysweeper so he could obtain money. These two figures, his mother and father are whom kids are supposed to depend on and look up for guidance. He feels abandoned because his mother is gone and his father gave him up for money, this show just how poor his family was and how his father would do anything for a chance at a better living, whether it included his son or not. The speaker also says that he became a sweeper when he had hardly†¦show more content†¦The dream continues on by say that an â€Å"angel† came by and set them free, which means that all of the chimneysweepers were free from work and they did not have to put up with the terrible conditions of the job a nymore. The other part of Toms dream included that boys going to â€Å"wash in the river and shine in the sun† meaning they could free them from the soot and actually see their clean skin not covered in black. This gave Tom a sense of what freedom would actually feel like and what life could be when he is done working as a chimneysweeper. Them being naked and white represent the cleanliness from the soot and symbolize their youth and purity so they can act now act and preform just how kids should. Also in line seventeen it mentions their bags being left behind, their â€Å"bags† represent their memories of chimney sweeping and how after they are free they are supposed to leave the bad memories in the past. Next it gradually mentions that â€Å"they rise upon clouds and sport in the wind† this symbolizes their second chance at life now that they are free to make their own decisions, it is as if they are given a second chance to be who they want to. After this Tom s dream continues with the angel telling Tom that â€Å"if he’d be a good boy, He’d have God for his father never want joy† this is dramatic irony because Tom never got the chance to prove that he was a good boyShow MoreRelatedThe Chimney Sweeper By William Blake1487 Words   |  6 Pageschoice but to sell their sons and daughters. Unfortunately, the career that children were forced into was chimney sweeping, which had a terrifyingly high mortality rate. The poem, â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†, written by William Blake, tells the heartbreaking story of a child who is sold into chimney sweeping at a young age and leads a devastating life. 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