Labor in Two Poems

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer introduces, discusses and analyzes the poems "The Chimney Sweeper" by William Blake and "Hard Work" By Stephen Dunn. Specifically, the writer discusses how the two poets view labor - young people's labor in particular. The writer notes that both of these poems use labor and work as their central theme. The biggest difference in the two works is the reason the boys must work hard. The writer points out that in Blake's poem, the young boy has been sold to a chimney sweep and lives almost like a slave, while in Dunn's poem, the young boy is not working to survive, or to save his family. The writer concludes that work does not have to be something without opportunity, but when a person has no other choices in life, like the chimney sweep, then work is the very worst thing that can happen to a person, and it can even lead to his death.

From the Paper:

"William Blake's chilling poem is a criticism of a society that allowed young boys to be sold into servitude in an attempt to save a poverty-stricken family, while Dunn's poem shows the boredom and control in a factory assembly line. Both poems take a dim view of hard work such as this, and both show that finding alternatives can make all the difference in a person's life. The young chimney sweep has little choice in his profession, but the young man who works on the assembly line knows that is not the work he wants to do for the rest of his life, and that he has choices to make his life better. The chimney sweep ultimately has no hope, while the boy does, and that is the biggest separation between the two characters. Without hope, the chimney sweep has nothing to live for, while the modern boy has far fewer worries and concerns. He has hope for the future, and with hope, anything is possible."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Blake, William. "The Chimney Sweeper." Readytogoebooks.com. 2007. 29 Jan. 2007.<http://readytogoebooks.com/WB-chimney.htm>
• Dunn, Stephen. "Hard Work." RoyalsReview.com. 2007. 29 Jan. 2007. <http://www.royalsreview.com/story/2007/1/10/233948/440>

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