Analysis Of The Chimney Sweeper by William Blake.

Analysis Of The Chimney Sweeper by William Blake.


Overview and Context. 
William Blake was a social activist during the late 19th century. This poem is written using the case study of Tom Dacre and his parents, who are all victims of the society. We as the reader witness a child suffering due to the parents neglect and faulty views of the world. The case study makes the poem more personal and allows Blake to comment on the state of religion, the misuse of power, dysfunctional family units and a lack of compassion in society relating specifically to child labour. The whole poem is written in the style of a nursery rhyme to portray the child-like innocence which is being ruined across the lower sections of society. However, all this while, even when exploring the case of Tom Dacre, we see through the eyes of a lowly chimney sweeper. 


Analytical Breakdown: The First Stanza. 


"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 first line is quite impersonal and is also somewhat of an anticlimax. After the realisation that his mother has died, the reader expects there to be a phrase of sorrow or regret to follow shortly, however instead we are prevented with how young he was. Maybe this galvanises how much of a tragedy this was for the small child or perhaps the anti-climax shows how this sort of situation was normal for children in this society? The second line reinforces the earlier criticism of dysfunctional family units, as it is revealed that rather than take pity on him, his father would rather sell him off to perform slave labour. This can also be used to emphasise a lack of compassion through the play. Both the first and second lines are simply factual statements, they need no emotional input from the poet due to their deeply moving circumstances, but this also helps to give us as modern day readers a bit of context of what is happening in their society at that time. The third line portrays an image of sweetness and innocence. The poetic device of onomatopoeia, in this case "weep"bring a reality of the child's age to the first verse. Finally, the last line is a direct address to the reader of the poem, placing them in the position of the person's chimney which is being swept, being "your" chimney's which the sweeper sweeps. The internal rhyme of "sweep" and "sleep" make the reader focus on these two words as key ones within the line. The significance of the "soot" they sleep in, is they would often make beds and pillows out of the soot they had collected by putting it in bags. This would be the softest thing they could lie on. Within the first verse there are many personal pronouns, such as "i", this may be the poet trying to connect with the chimney sweep during the early stages of the poem. 


Analytical Breakdown: The Second Stanza.


"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." 


This is the first time we see Tom Dacre, the boy which the poem is based around. The first two lines are there to show the injustice that tom has suffered from the hands of his elders. The lamb that has been shaved symbolises the loss of innocence, perhaps standing for the sacrificial lamb in the bible. It has deeply religious connotations maybe even symbolising a christ like image. In the last two lines of this verse, we see how bad Tom Dacre thinks his position is at the moment and the grave outlook that he possesses at this point in time. Evidently, Tom's childlike innocence means that he thinks he is hard done by, despite the person of the poem being in a much worse situation. This is where we as readers begin to be introduced into the theme of the poem, which is that of the nursery rhyme of Tom Dacre's life. Obviously, the loss of his white hair symbolises the innocence which was there has disappeared. The rhyme scheme of "Bare" and "hair" is also seen to be significant. Because the two words rhyme, but to the eye they seem as if they do not, due to the different spellings, this is meant to portray how appearances don't often portray reality. The verse as a whole is their to highlight Tom's ignorance of societies inequalities. 


Analytical Breakdown: The Third Stanza.


"And so he was quiet, and that very night,
 As Tom was 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;"


The first two lines are mainly giving us context for what the end of the stanza is emphasising. Obviously the great number and problems in society is symbolised by the "thousands" of chimney sweepers who are all suffering these injustices. It helps to give the reader a bigger picture of what is going on in society at this time, and makes us realise that the problems are not just local to Tom Dacre, but widespread throughout the country. The names "Dick, Joe, Ned and Jack" are all simple interchangeable names, this gives the poem an impersonal feel, like it doesn't really connect with the dead sweepers, this mirrors the sub-human view that many of the gentry held about the lowly workers and how their lives don't really matter. The last line subtly appeals for Tom's justice. It reveals what could happen to the young boy, and how preventable it is. "Locked up" refers to their current situations, they are stuck in a rut of society and are trapped, even if they are not literally locked up in the coffin just yet. The black of the coffins go to show the loss of innocence that is taking place within the lives of the young chimney sweeps. 


Analytical Breakdown: The Fourth Stanza.


"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."


The fourth stanza is a crucial one in the structure of this poem. In the first line the arrival of the angel to let the children free out of their coffins is incredibly symbols. This powerful imagery of the angel setting them free stands for the only way which these children can escape, which is through death. This point is made specifically explicit through the second line how they are now "all free" mainly from the previous constraints of their everyday life. The key perhaps stands for the key to the gates of heaven, and how the children have done nothing wrong, gaining their admittance to heaven, whilst only making the tragedy worse, as they were completely innocent. This is a particularly harrowing point that William Blake is emphasising as he wants to make explicit how they will enjoy their death more than the life they have lived already. The third line presents us with the heaven they are experiencing, the :green" stands for the prosperity and new hope that they are experiencing that perhaps where they are headed is a better course than the one they have previously been on. The washing in the river and shining in the sun is yet again a religious image. In a sense the children are being reborn, it is almost like a baptism, cleansing them of the horror they would have undoubtedly experienced in their previous life. However, the whole stanza is contradictory as the angel which should in theory be there to save the children of their fate, instead brings about the death of the children, releasing their souls from their coffins. Everything to do with death is portrayed as a haven, with happy children, the complete opposite to the running theme of the poem. 


Analytical Breakdown: The Fifth Stanza.


"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."


This stanza seems to be incredibly positive, perhaps giving hope to the thousands of children just like Tom, but unfortunately, the message laying behind it is one of negativity. The first line obviously has the image of innocence draped all over it. The "bags" that they leave behind could be the worries and threats that they had weighing them down in the past life, or perhaps more literally the bags of soot that they had to sleep on. The underlying theme throughout the rest if the verse is one of the positive message that the angel leaves for Tom to persevere and one day he'll make it to heaven. However, realistically it is only a matter of time before he suffers from his own condition, the angel fails to save him, and instead leaves him with in the same world, with the same problems he had before. IN a way the angel serves only to give him false hope and although the message seems warm, happy and positive, the consequences are sobering. 


Analytical Breakdown: The Sixth (Final) Stanza.


"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."


The last stanza is written in a completely different style from the other five. Whereas, the rest of the poem has been tight rhyming couplets written in a fairytale style, in the last stanza the rhyme scheme breaks down. This could be a sign that we're out of the fantasy that Tom Dacre lives in and now we're facing facts in the real world. It destroys the nursery rhyme and brings the audience back to reality. The harsh K sound on the end of the first two lines, together with a lack of rhyme, draw attention to the negative words in the verse: "dark" and "work". It is the end of the colourful imagery and the childlike playing which has preceded it, and now heavily places the emphasis on the mundane and dangerous tasks that they have to perform. The possessive term of "our" appears two times in the second line. This may highlight the responsibility that lies on their shoulders, as they own the bags and brushes, and cane held responsible if the implements are found broken. On the other hand, it may symbolise that they take some pride in their work, and have actually gained something through their way of life, although taking into consideration the authors standpoint, it is unlikely he wanted to portray a positive image. The lack of rhyme adds an intensity to the last verse not seen elsewhere in the poem, this is especially evident in the last couple of lines as it almost feels like a threat that they have to "not fear harm", providing that they do not object from their work of course. At the end of the poem the reader is left with a sense that the sweepers are stuck, and at any moment the impending threats could intact become a reality. We are resigned to feel that Tom is doomed, and their is a sense that realistically, the message that the angle is left for him is useless, as he will never be able to remain a good boy whilst he is robbed of his innocence and surrounded by such carnage.