Symbolism In The Chimney Sweeper By Mary Poppins

Chimney Sweeper is a term that can create many images in most people’s minds. Most people will think that being a chimney-sweeper, would be a glorious job. This opinion is due to the representation in the movie Mary Poppins. In the Walt Disney classic, the chimney sweepers were in a cheerful mood to dance and sing on the rooftops. Chimney sweepers, usually are not in the mood to dance around, like in the movie. Chimney sweepers, although quickly seen, are represented accurately in the movie Oliver! William Blake’s poems “The Chimney Sweeper,” which is in Songs of Innocence and Experience, gains the audience a new perspective on this job. William Blake uses ethos, symbols, imagery and theme to help readers gain a greater understanding in the life of a chimney-sweeper. “The Chimney Sweeper,” is a poem that exposes the harsh reality of chimney sweepers. William Blake uses a source that presents a powerful emotion to the readers: a child. Through the use of a child chimney-sweeper, who is narrating, Blake, “illustrated their circumstances more poignantly...” (Nolan). When the child tells the readers about his struggles, the audience can feel the emotions that this child is facing. Blake uses emotion, by writing, “When my mother died I …show more content…
In addition to the dream, “The Chimney Sweeper,” features multiple symbols used to add to the overall meaning of the poem. The symbols that William Blake decided to use in the poem, include two distinctive characteristics: light and dark. An example of this characteristic of light and dark in the poem, is, “You know that the soot cannot spoil you white hair” (Blake 8). This is an example of the colors, since soot is dark and Tom had white (light) hair color. The mentions of these colors and ideas, contrast each other adding to the characteristics of the poem. Blake uses these characteristics, also to add to the emotion brought into the