William Blake Thesis

An African child has recently lost his mother due to natural causes in Mozambique, and his father, who is so desperately in need for money, sells his only child to a lumber factory. Because of the unfair economic situations and lack of prioritization of children, they are forced to bear the harshness of society from adolescence. This title relates to the evidence that this poem is about a young child who is forced into child labor. Furthermore, the author reveals the truth that society suggests and thinks that children are better suited for hard labor when they are not within the age range to be capable of hard work. William Blake’s poem, “The Chimney Sweeper,” reveals the absence of the innocence of children proving how cruel and barbaric

Lambs typically have curly hair which suggests that Tom Dacre has curly hair, for which the narrator expresses within the lines. Lambs can be a symbol for innocence and youth, and as Dacre is sent and forced into the chimney sweeping business, his hair is shaved which represents his loss of youth and innocence. Literary devices are aspects to convey the main theme of this story as well as how the author wants the audience to understand the truth behind society’s broken walls (Blake 3, 4, 5, 21, 6). Meanwhile, the audience of this poem is succumbed to the enchanting way that this author has conveyed through a poem. The speaker of this poem has had many bad memories in regards that his whole adolescence was spent working at a chimney sweeper business everyday due to being compelled to the labor. There is not much information within the poem that expresses the author’s perspective to being forced into hard child labor, and he instead uses his voice to address the problems of society through Tom Dacre. The speaker’s emotions are expressed when, “[he] could scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep!

William Blake may be utilizing his strategic way in implying that the speaker of the first stanza uses “Tom Dacre” to cover up and hide his true emotions. The speaker knows that, “Tom was happy and warm,” but the audience does not know if the speaker releases the same impression as Tom Dacre does in a sense. By not expressing the speaker’s own perspective and feelings directly, can reveal that he does not like to be straightforward as well as create a poem that prioritizes his dispute with himself and society. The speaker, a little boy that was forced into hard labor, is acutely knowledgeable of how is adolescence could have been compared to the one he is presented with. The speaker acknowledges that he could have ended up as a “normal” child performing “normal” activities. Although his life revolves around hardships and being in the state of slave-like life style, the speaker puts all of his trust into accepting any miracles that comes to him. The speaker even tells Tom Dacre to, “Hush!