The Chimney Sweeper
By: Kayla Adair, Jonathan Chiu, Jeremy Riforgate,
and Dominick Groves
William Blake
•
Born 1757
•
Poet, Painter, Printmaker
•
Obscure and
unrecognized in age of
his writing
•
Blake had his own
unique spirituality, which
he wrote many
‘prophetic’ books about
•
While his picture and
literary legacy
present him like
this…..
•
During his own time
he was considered
closer to this…
•
Illuminated Printing “Relief
Etching”
In 1788, at the age of 31, Blake began to
experiment with relief etching, a method he would
use to produce most of his books, paintings,
pamphlets and poems. The process is also
referred to as illuminated printing, and final
products as illuminated books or prints.
Illuminated printing involved writing the text of the
poems on copper plates with pens and brushes,
using an acid-resistant medium. Illustrations could
appear alongside words in the manner of earlier
illuminated manuscripts. He then etched the
plates in acid to dissolve the untreated copper
and leave the design standing in relief (hence the
name).
Chimney Sweeper
Song of Innocence
• Told from the point of view of a
child
• Tom Dacre is a child chimney
sweeper who represents all
neglected children in poverty
• His innocence allows him to be
naïve about his situation
• His imagination takes him on a
journey where an Angel sets
him free from his grave
circumstances
• Tom is told to stay a good boy
and only then will he be able to
be nurtured and cared for by
his “father” or God
Chimney Sweeper
Song of Experience
• Tells the story of a child who is no
longer innocent, but now is able to
understand and cope with his
situation
• Describes a child who no longer
believes the promise described in
Songs of Innocence
• He now believes that his parents
have perversely put him into this
business to take away his happiness
• Heaven was built on the misery of
poor children like himself
Marry Poppins
•Walt Disney movie set
in the 1960s
•Clip shows the
chimney sweepers
dancing around and
singing happy songs
•Illusion that chimney
sweeping was a fun job
Chimney sweeping hazards
•Very dangerous and lifethreatening
•Chimney sweeps face medical
dangers like cancer
•Possibility of broken or malformed
limbs
•Squeezed into tiny spaces day
after day
•Severe breathing problems from
inhaling soot
•Employer would light fire under
them to get them to move faster
Chimney Sweeps in 1700s
•Child labor was very prevalent in
England
•Boys sold at ages 4 and 5 due to
their small size
•Value depended on size
•Usually young and poorly fed
•Risked getting stuck in chimney,
choked, or even falling to their
•death
My mother died when I was very young,
and my dad sold me so he wouldn’t be
hung
So scared do I cry and weep, weep, weep,
weep,
For I am a slave while the whole world sleeps
There is my brother who carries large bricks
Works twelve hour days, and he’s only 6.
Hush brother don’t cry for master will
hear,
Cuz the world does not care when a
slave disappears
So quietly we work by day and night,
And the world would be sick if they felt
my fright.
400 thou are trafficked each year
Sleep in a prison of sex, rape ,
and fear.
But someone will come and take us away,
To a happier place were we can play.
Angels will sing, and the sun will shine bright,
And all will be well , as we shine in the light.