William Blake's Chimney Sweeper Poems as Protests Against Society's Cruelty
To What Extent Are William Blake's Two Chimney Sweeper Poems, A Societal Protest Against Child Labour in 18th Century England?
William Blake, born on November 28th 1775 in England, was one of England's most renowned poets. His two most famous poetic collections are The Songs of Innocence, published in 1792, and The Songs of Experience, published in 1796; both pieces, highlight Blake's distrust towards society’s institutions and a sympathy for the vulnerable who were mistreated. He often wrote poems on similar topics but from different perspectives in each collection. Blake had written two Chimney Sweeper poems, one- in Songs of Innocence and the other in Songs of Experience, provide a glance at the lives of children who worked as chimney sweepers in his time. In these poems, Blake intertwines the themes of innocence and death to emphasize the moral wrongs of sending children to work as chimney sweepers. Both poems are, to an extent, a societal protest against child labor in 18th century England, however they are written from different perspectives and with varying opinions on religion and its impact on society.
The first poem [Innocence] is written in the first person, from the perspective of a chimney sweeper boy, and the second [Experience] is written from a third person standpoint. The Chimney Sweeper [Innocence] utilizes an AABB rhyme scheme, making it seem like a nursery-rhyme style poem which points to a childish nature; this is appropriate for the poem because it is from the perspective of a child. Chimney Sweeper, however, has an ABAB rhyme scheme which is associated with more mature poetry- The Songs of Experience engages with a higher level of knowledge of the world, many of them explore themes from the angle of a wiser human being than The Songs of Innocence.
The Chimney Sweeper [Innocence] begins with a matter of fact statement- 'When my mother died I was very young, and my father sold me' - which is emotive because of the straightforward
William Blake, born on November 28th 1775 in England, was one of England's most renowned poets. His two most famous poetic collections are The Songs of Innocence, published in 1792, and The Songs of Experience, published in 1796; both pieces, highlight Blake's distrust towards society’s institutions and a sympathy for the vulnerable who were mistreated. He often wrote poems on similar topics but from different perspectives in each collection. Blake had written two Chimney Sweeper poems, one- in Songs of Innocence and the other in Songs of Experience, provide a glance at the lives of children who worked as chimney sweepers in his time. In these poems, Blake intertwines the themes of innocence and death to emphasize the moral wrongs of sending children to work as chimney sweepers. Both poems are, to an extent, a societal protest against child labor in 18th century England, however they are written from different perspectives and with varying opinions on religion and its impact on society.
The first poem [Innocence] is written in the first person, from the perspective of a chimney sweeper boy, and the second [Experience] is written from a third person standpoint. The Chimney Sweeper [Innocence] utilizes an AABB rhyme scheme, making it seem like a nursery-rhyme style poem which points to a childish nature; this is appropriate for the poem because it is from the perspective of a child. Chimney Sweeper, however, has an ABAB rhyme scheme which is associated with more mature poetry- The Songs of Experience engages with a higher level of knowledge of the world, many of them explore themes from the angle of a wiser human being than The Songs of Innocence.
The Chimney Sweeper [Innocence] begins with a matter of fact statement- 'When my mother died I was very young, and my father sold me' - which is emotive because of the straightforward