William Blake's Chimney Sweeps

Paper Summary:

This paper contrasts the experiences of the two chimney sweeps in William Blake's two poems, "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience." In both poems, the boys' family relationships, and religious experiences are compared and contrasted, in order to explain the differences in their outlooks on life.

From the Paper:

"The two poems also paint two very different portraits of religion. In the poem from Songs of Experience, the young chimney sweep says that his parents are gone to praise God & his Priest & King, / Who make up a heaven of our misery. (11-12) He makes it seem as if God is not only responsible for his misery, but actually thrives on it and builds a kingdom on top of it. Songs of Innocence has a very different portrayal of religion and the Almighty."

More papers on William Blake's Chimney Sweeps:

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• Analytical Essay # 144246 : "The Poetry of William Blake"
• Term Paper # 108144 : "The Chimney Sweeper"

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