The Chimney Sweeper Persuasion

Surname 1

Name of the Student:

Course:

Institution:

Date:

The Chimney Sweeper Persuasion

Introduction and Thesis Statement

The narration of the “chimney sweeper’ is done by an actual chimney sweeper, who

begins by narrating their experience through his own life story before introducing us to a second

chimney sweeper; Tom Dacre. The sad mood of the poem lightens up as the poem progresses

through the dream of Tom then turns back back into the mood of the unhappy, as the lifestyle of

chimney sweeping is reintroduced. The sweeper’s mother died while he was young and his father

sold him before his ‘tongue could scarcely weep” so all he does is sweep chimneys. Why would

a child be sold into ‘slavery’ and what would explain the appearance that the chimney sweeper

has accepted his unfortunate fate? The importance of this poetic song goes beyond the music of

its rhymes in words like “sleep” and “weep.” The message, especially in the opening few lines

that introduce the reader to the life of a childhood sweeper are supposed to be by generations to

come. The skills of literature employed by Mr. Blake are very good too. The purpose of this

piece of writing is to evaluate this poem so that Mr. X. J. Kennedy sees the importance of the

poem to the book he is editing. To Mr. Kennedy, kindly read my letter and keep the “chimney

Surname 2

sweeper” in the Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing because the

future generations need to read the styles and themes in it.

Discussion

It is rare to find a poem whose musical tone is set in the first line of stanza one and is

maintained throughout. This is a piece of art which can be read, studied and understood even by

fans who do not have a broad background in poetry. The musical attributes of the poem are clear

and make the reader focus on its creative properties first, before the themes and contents.

Example is how “mother died…very young” are used together to make the sound have the flow

of the music art. The reasons for excluding this poem, therefore, from your collection, Mr.

Kennedy should be considered again, considering the creativity in composition of the same

before making a decision

The use of writing styles in this poem is positively surprising from start to finish. Nearly

every stanza has a style or two, either literary or artistic. The style of metonymy is used in stanza

one where the inability to speak up is replaced with “scarcely cry.” There is a long list of

instances, like the simile comparison between the hairs of Tom to a lamb’s back in stanza two,

the imagery of the black coffins in verse four, the irony of no harm coming to the sweepers and

the slant rhymes of lines 21 and 22 (In Kennedy and In Gioia). There is need to notice, especially

Mr. Kennedy, that making the beautiful use of writing styles as used by Mr. Blake is a rare

occurrence, an achievement only a few composers can get and hence the need to put the poem up

for readers who are lucky to access the editorial work you pursue. Secondly, for his image and

benefit as an editor, the work he composes would attract more readers, especially the poetic

specialists who read poems to study the skills put into writing rather than the works of literature.

Surname 3

Mr. Blake has focused on themes which are of particular importance to the society as a

whole, including the poets. What the first of the themes Blake brings out is childhood poverty

and its impact on the life of children. When the sweeper is sold at an infant age, this most likely

is a result of the few options available to him and the father. The sweeper ends up in manual

labor at a tender age, which makes him accept the conditions around him, without having any

option.

The other themes advanced by the writer include exploitation, the social inequality and a

discussion of religion. The exploitation comes in the form of conditions around which the

sweeper and Tom do their dirty chimney sweeping jobs. They are clothed in the “clothes of

death” and ascend to heaven white and clean, an apparent euphemism for death. This, however,

is in a dream from which he wakes to return to sweep the chimneys. The social inequality theme

is driven by the ‘masters’ of the chimney sweeper when he sings toward the last stanza of how

the masters think they have done him no injury because he can play and sing. The religious

theme is presented in the mention of God, twice. The first instances have the sweeper and Tom

presenting God as a father figure who would take care of them through the troubles. Towards the

end though, the pair sees God as a hindrance to their ability to break free of the chains of their

master’s authority.

The ability to bring out themes in a piece of literary work is the lifeline of the said pieces

of literature (Yashin). The ease and perfection with which Blake shows the apparent ills of

societies, using the poem of the sweeper is a strong point, arguing against the exclusion of the

piece from the collection edited by Mr. Kennedy. There is need to consider, seriously, the weight

of the contents of the poem, considering the musical and artistic attributes, however attractive,

can only take a poem so far.

Surname 4

Conclusion

The reasons for excluding the poem would not be as weighty as the reasons this paper

argues with for the inclusion of the poem. Though not clear why, it would be a social, poetic and

artistic injustice to the society of poems, were the ‘chimney sweeper be excluded from the

editorial work of Mr. Kennedy. This poem would present an opportunity for upcoming artists to

see the excellence in writing as shown in the work done by Mr. Blake. The mixture of artistic

and poetic skills is a common form of excellence in poetry.

Surname 5

Works Cited

In Kennedy, X. J., and D. In Gioia. Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama,

and writing. 2016.

Yashin, V. N. "“The true face of the work”: sovereignty and literary form in literary

historiography." Middle Eastern Literatures, vol. 20, no. 2, 2017, pp. 162-176,

doi:10.1080/1475262x.2017.1342445.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."