William Blake wrote two different versions of the poem "The Chimney Sweeper", one in 1789 and the other in 1794. The conditions must have been different when he wrote the second poem in 1794from when he wrote the first in 1789.
In "The Chimney Sweeper" (1789), the poet describes the interactions between two chimney sweepers. The speaker tries to comfort a child who had lost hope. The speaker then describes an angelic dream the child had, and how the dream helped him gain hope once more. Blake uses language to help the reader understand the conditions and situation these children are in. For example, the speaker states "So your chimneys I sweep and in soot I sleep." which means that he cleans people's chimneys then he goes to sleep in all the …show more content…
The person seems curious of the child, so the person asks the child where the parents are and the child states the parents are at church. The child describes how the parents left the child to do while they disappear forever. The parents probably told the child they would go to church then return soon, but the reader can infer the parents never came back because the speaker states "A little black thing among the snow crying 'weep, weep', in the notes of woe." If the child walks around saying sweep, it is because the child has been doing it for a while. Blake uses religion in this poem when the child states "And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King, who make up heaven of our misery." referring to God making life hard to live. The parents being supposedly gone to pray could either represent the parents telling a lie to the child telling the child they would return later, but they never did. The parents being gone could also mean that his parents passed away, and they have both gone with God to heaven. This could be the reason why the child stated that God makes life a
In "The Chimney Sweeper" (1789), the poet describes the interactions between two chimney sweepers. The speaker tries to comfort a child who had lost hope. The speaker then describes an angelic dream the child had, and how the dream helped him gain hope once more. Blake uses language to help the reader understand the conditions and situation these children are in. For example, the speaker states "So your chimneys I sweep and in soot I sleep." which means that he cleans people's chimneys then he goes to sleep in all the …show more content…
The person seems curious of the child, so the person asks the child where the parents are and the child states the parents are at church. The child describes how the parents left the child to do while they disappear forever. The parents probably told the child they would go to church then return soon, but the reader can infer the parents never came back because the speaker states "A little black thing among the snow crying 'weep, weep', in the notes of woe." If the child walks around saying sweep, it is because the child has been doing it for a while. Blake uses religion in this poem when the child states "And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King, who make up heaven of our misery." referring to God making life hard to live. The parents being supposedly gone to pray could either represent the parents telling a lie to the child telling the child they would return later, but they never did. The parents being gone could also mean that his parents passed away, and they have both gone with God to heaven. This could be the reason why the child stated that God makes life a