"The Chimney Sweeper" is an attempt by William Blake, to describe the plight of young chimney sweepers in Britain who, in heart wrenching desperation dream of the one glorious day when heaven will come to rescue them from their poverty, so each boy will have '...God for his father and never want joy.(20)
This is seen in Tom Dacre's dream, when he describes a vision where thousands of chimney sweepers are locked away in black coffins, 'And by came an Angel, who had a bright key,/And he opened the coffins and set them all free (13-14).
As a result, it situates the poem in the midst of typical 18th century social issues in the huge disparity that existed between expectations of the rich and the poor in society. This is described in the poem's commonly held assumption about the treatment of poor children who were forced into hard labour at an early age. Nowadays, this would be viewed at best neglectful and at worst outrightly cruel, but at the time was seen as an ordinary part of everyday life.
The poem also demonstrates the way that the poor were expected to behave in order to receive their future reward of heaven, by learning not to complain about the hardships they faced in life to be sure of eternal salvation. On the other hand, the rich were not generally questioned over their presumed moral purity and therefore were not required to earn their place in heaven by virtue of their character owing to their presumed superiority over the poor.
Dreams of Paradise Verses Reality
However, prior to Tom's dream, the speaker tells him to accept his fate as a chimney sweeper by understanding that it is better for his hair to be cut short as he explains that if his hair is shawn '...the soot cannot spoil your white hair' (8). As a result, this indicates another layer to the poem's meaning in its use of British imperialism regarding white supremacy which suits Tom well for the role of a purified vessel that is fit for heaven, with white hair and fair skin.
This is seen again in the insistence of black coffins against the backdrop of the children who awake from darkness to remove the transgressions from their former lives, allowing them to '...wash in a river and shine in the Sun (16) to become 'naked' and 'white'.
In sending out the message that '...if all do their duty, they need not fear harm' (24) it also encourages the poor to stay in their place and rely on the charity of the rich in order to sustain their sense of purpose in the greater scheme of things, which includes viewing people with white skin as pure in heart and suitably prepared for heaven.
Conclusion
Therefore, in spite of Blake's probable undertone of sarcasm regarding the mythicised belief in religion to provide a sense of hope to the poor this poem also works to provide a much sought after justification for the practices of harsh treatment towards young children by the more affluent in society by encouraging people to believe that if they are 'good' they will be rewarded in heaven.
At the same time, it reminds the more affluent in society that they are behaving in accordance with God's divine plan by encouraging the poor to remain grateful for their kindness, so that with humility and by God's grace the poor shall one day see heaven.
This means that while Blake's poem is on its face sympathetic to the problems faced by the poor it does not go so far as to challenge the status quo in which the rich are held accountable for their actions towards those less fortunate in society.
Further Resources
18th century justice- Voices from the Old Bailey
Alicia Rudd - Alicia enjoys literature which explores the connections between the romantic and the realistic, the mythicised and the ordinary. In ...
