Saturday, January 24, 2009

Songs of Innocence

Songs of Innocence – The Chimney Sweeper
This poem is from the point of view of a young chimney sweeper who does not see or understand the social injustice. The poem is full of pictures of innocence such as images of a lamb and an angel. In this poem Tom Dacre, has a dream of an angel freeing the weepers from their coffins of black. The coffins represent the sweeps’ terrible lifestyle. God is seen as a saviour and is portrayed in a positive way. This poem includes details of the historical lifestyle of the children. For example: the children were not clothed, they slept on bags of soot and mostly worked at night. The last two stanzas emphasize the child’s misconception that if he does his work no harm will come to him. It also demonstrates the hope the young children have for a better life.

No comments:

Post a Comment