William Blake's poem "The Chimney Sweeper" begins with the speaker's sad story of his young life. When his mother died, his father sold him, and he became a chimney sweeper. We know that the speaker was quite young at the time because he was not even able to say the word "sweep"—he said "weep" instead.
Stanza two shifts the focus from the speaker to another young chimney sweeper, Tom Dacre, who cries because his head was shaved. The speaker tries to make his friend Tom feel better by reminding him that at least the soot from the chimneys won't dirty his hair.
The speaker begins the story of Tom's dream in stanza three. Little Tom dreams that the chimney sweepers are dead and "locked up in coffins of black." Clearly, Tom is unable to escape the horrors of his life even during sleep.
Stanza four introduces an angel who releases the children from their coffins. Now they are able to be children again, instead of working and suffering. The children run "down a green plain, leaping, laughing" and wash themselves in the river.
We realize in stanza five that the children have not been released from death; they have been taken into the afterlife. Leaving everything behind, "They rise upon clouds and sport in the wind." The angel promises Tom that if he's a good boy, God will be his father, and he will be happy.
In the final stanza, Tom awakens; leaving his comforting dream behind, he and the other children must go about their workday. However, something has changed in Tom—he is no longer upset by the misery in his life. His dream has showed him "they need not fear harm" because one day they will be happy with God.
Monday, July 22, 2019
What is the best summary of the events the stanzas describe in "The Chimney Sweeper"?
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