Robert_Blake

Robert Blake  “The Chimney Sweeper,” from Robert Blake’s Songs of Innocence, is a poem typical of the themes present in the Songs of Innocence and Experience. The main character is pathetically unfortunate, and yet diligently fulfills his societal obligations. This poem has a severely ironic tone, and is clearly a mockery of a society that would perpetuate the inhumane use of its weaker members. The speaker of “The Chimney Sweeper” is a young boy who is himself a chimney sweeper. He shares with a fellow child-chimney sweeper named Tom Dacre, the focus of the poem. The poem is addressed, essentially, to whom it may concern, and as such the poem seems to be a vehicle for the boy to declare who he is. He seems to be decrying his position, perhaps to a passerby. His mother died when he was very young, and although it says his father sold him, this probably means simply that he works as a chimney sweeper, in order to help support his family. Then the reader begins to learn about little Tom Dacre, who had to have his head shaved. The narrator, despite his own horrible situation, finds the ability to comfort Tom. Tom has a dream in which thousands of chimney sweepers are trapped in coffins, and what must tom, poem, dream, chimney, young, words, sweeper, blake, world, sweepers, speaker, position, poets, out, makes, direct, dacre, very, upon, time, soot, something, sold, seems, rhyme, real, reader, probably, positions, points, peep, mother, meanings, imperfect, ideals, firstly