Childless Innocence

In the poem, “The Chimney Sweeper,” Blake employs the persona of a small boy, Tom Dacre. This gives the boy the persona of being an individual. He is no longer just another young chimneysweeper; he has a name, feelings and emotions. These are all things which are unrecognized by the upper-class. By employing the persona of a young chimneysweeper, Blake has set up a clash between ideologies and value systems. He is trying to say that Tom Dacre is not just another face in the crowd; he is a human being and not just a means to an end for the upper-class. The ideology of children being a way of making money is now conf

come by “who had a bright key/And open’d the coffins and set them all free” (13-14). This is a sign from God and is symbolic of the Church itself. The chimneysweepers believe that the Church could help them despite the reality is that nothing is done for them and they remain oppressed. Through this use of symbolism, Blake has set up a clash between the common belief that the Church is perfect and good in every way and the value that they do nothing for these poor people who believe so ardently in them.

After taking into consideration my initial reactions and the effects the text had on me, I am able to analyze my response to the text and understand how it is that I read this poem. It is clear that I am acting under the influence of the culture in which I was raised. "The Chimney Sweeper" causes me to examine my own feelings and values toward the treatment of children. Because of my own experiences and value system, I am able to sympathize with the children and condemn the conditions under which they were forced to work.

The theme of individuality is also shown when he states, “There’s little Tom Dacre who cried when his head/That curl’d like a lambs back was shav’d” (5-6). This

William Blake used techniques such as symbolism, imagery, repeated phrases and simile to achieve clashes between ideologies and value systems. Blake wanted society to question the way it did things and whether or not these actions where morally right. He achieved this through his poetry, relying on the reader to draw his or her own conclusions, having now been presented with an alternative point of view. For me, this poem is successful in relaying Blake's feelings to myself. It

Some topics in this essay:
Tom Dacre, Church Church, Tom Darce', William Blake, William Blake's, Chimney Sweeper, Songs Innocence, William Blake’s, Industrial Revolution, Church England, value systems, set clash, tom dacre, ideologies value systems, ideologies value, poem poem “the, poem “the, “the chimney, common people, symbolism blake, chimney sweeper”, poem “the chimney, blake set clash, “the chimney sweeper”, employing persona,