... have not done for children, and he opposes against the distressed life these institutions allow them to endure. Ironically, Blake does not describe the church as a holy sanctuary but as a place where the people "make up a heaven of our misery"(12) because the church that is a heaven for humankind is in reality a made up hell for the children chimneysweepers. Therefore, Blake disapproves of the injustices caused by society. ... Now to Blake's other book "The Songs of Innocence." He is more in love with nature ... And wash in a river, and shine in the sun." This displays that in those tim...

• Word Count: 1046
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... written at around the turn of the 19th century, in Georgian times, to illustrate the authors' views on the City of London. At this time, the industrial revolution was underway and there was vast growth in the population, due to medical advances and people having more children. In my opinion, they are both scathing attacks on both the City and its inhabitants. However, in conventional interpretation, the words in the Wordsworth poem ... human functions such as wearing clothes. He continues this simile giving the river 'a will', something which is unique to people. He says 'The City now d...

• Word Count: 1128
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... or a river was owned by rich people and nobles only instead of common people. A word reveals a political class oppression and a hierarchical society that people were divided into several levels and not every individual had the equal rights. It suggests the oppressive nature of early capitalism. Moreover, this repetition of this word reinforces a sense of grade and structure how the writer felt upon entering the city. Then the repetition of three " ... . The children of the poor had to strive for the rich people's welfare regardless of their own pain. Literally, the word "blackening" ...

• Word Count: 861
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... there own laws within the boundaries of that place. The imagery suggests that not only do the streets of London have to follow the rules but that the River Thames has to be regulated as well. The lawmakers have tamed and controlled a free flowing river. This use of imagery emphasises that everything in the city including natural forces are enslaved by the city. In the next line, Marks of weakness, marks of woe, there could be ... is running down the walls of the rulers for which he has been fighting, so it emphasises the fact that the poor were being blocked out by the government with n...

• Word Count: 1175
• Approx Pages: 5

... day community recreational park.) The most important images in the poem however are the children and the sense of family in the final stanza. After the children have wearied and the day draws to a close, their mothers and their "many sisters and brothers" are all compared to "birds in their nest," who "Are ready for rest" (27-28). This comparison represents a peaceful end of the day with the children safely returning home to their ... that every street and even the Thames River are no longer pure images of nature because they have been tainted by society. The poem comments about the cit...

• Word Count: 981
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography

... . The image of the lamb is a symbol of new life and, the use of the lamb in the simile that compares Tom's hair with that of the fleece of the lamb, reinforces Blake's contention that poor people are exploited by others and lose their individuality as a result. This use of imagery and simile, once again, sets up a clash between the accepted use of children as chimneysweepers and the value of being an individual as an consequence. The image of the lamb ... is consistent with Blake's frequent use of nature imagery to emphasize the importance of a fresh, free, open world where innocence and...

• Word Count: 1143
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... 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 be the angel of death comes along and lets them out of the coffins and into gorgeous, "heavenly," meadows and streams. Then, after cleaning the soot off of themselves in a river, the chimney sweepers ascend into ... heaven upon clouds. In his dream, the angel directly addresses Tom, and tells him ... something that as Abrams points out is commonly used in children's poems, which Blake's songs of...

• Word Count: 706
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School