• •£ from nno nee fiom f ~.,, p ri nc

ry 0 II II m In s two po 1. th first from Songs of When words, phrases. or sentences are Innocence and the s cond from Son of arranged in balanced grammatical structures, Expertf!nct, k ip ks for th poor child n they are said to be parallel. Poets, drama­ of his d y who were forced to do backbr k­ tists, preachers, and speechwriters (whose ing labor. In Blak 's London. buildings w r work Is meant to be spoken aloud) are hea d by coal- or wood-burning fireplac • particularly likely to employ parallelism so every hous had at least one chimney that beaus the repetition k Introduces had to b cl n d gularfy. Poor child~ n enh nces the rhythmic and emotional effect w r o~en used to do this dirty and hu- of their fines and makes them easier to rdous work because they could fit into th understand and remember. Blake's use of n rrow chimney pas ges. In fact. some par­ parallelism contributes to the childlike ents w r o poverty stricken that they sold simplicity of the surface of his poems. th Ir chlldr n co ''man rs" who managed er ws of young sw pers. The work was dan­ g rous, and th children were badly treated Parallelism is the repetition of words, phrases, or sentences that by m ters concerned only with profits. If you could cry out gainst an evil of our have the same grammatical struc­ ture or that restate a similar idea. d y and get peopl co listen which social Injustice would you protest! Take a few For more on Parallelism, see the Hand­ minutes to jot down your thoughts. book of Uterory and Historical Terms.

Background In the late 1700s, prices increased sharply and work became scarce. Blake saw starving I people rooting through garbage, homeless families sleeping in doorways, and children I b,egging on the streecs or working at horrible jobs. Most members of the upper class be li eved that they deserved their com­ for cable scadons in life, and that the poor must be innately evil, deserving the hunger

and appalling conditions that they endured. Re Blake was said to be mad, not only because S 3.3 ' he saw visions, but also bee.a.use his poems cry Analyze the ways in which out agaJnst the social problems he saw all the author's around him: the growing division between style achieves specific classes, the wretched working conditions, and rhetorical or child labor. No one should go hungry, he said, aesthetic in a land as green and wealthy as England. purposes.

A row of rooftops above a screec of terraced 541 houses In Britain. Willia m Blake •

ER Tl1is p en1 fron1 ong of Inr1 c nee features a cliild speaker who tries to cheer l1i1nself and his fel­ low chi1n11ey sweep, Tom Dacre, wit/1 tl1e thought tl1at the oppn sio,1 and poverty they endure will be co111pe11 ated for by e11dless joy in heave,1.

The Chimney Sweeper

fi·om Songs of Innocence Drawing depicting a young English chimney sweep covered William Blake with soot ( 1850). MANSELLJTlmePfx. When my mother died I was very young, And my father sold me while yet .n1y tongue Could scarcely cry '''weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!" 0 3. "'weep ... ',veep»: tl1e o your cl1imneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep. child' attempt at the ct1imney weepers' cry of" ,veep! s Tl1ere's little Tom Dacre, who cried wl1en hi head, Sweep!" That curled like a lamb's back, was h.aved: so I said '' lush, Tomi never min.d it, for when your head's bare You know that the soot cannot spoil your white l1air." And so he was quiet, and tl1at very nigl1t,

1 10 As Tom ,,vas a-sleeping, he had such a igl1t! - TJ1at thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack, Were all of iliem locked up in coffins of black.

And by came an Angel who had a bright key, And he opened the coffins and set them all free; 15 Then down a green plain leaping, laughing, they run, And ,¥ash in a river, and shine in the Sun. Then naked and white, all their bags lefl behind, They rise upon cloud and sport in ll1e wind; And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy, 0 20 He'd l1ave God for his fatl1er, and n.ever want joy. 20. want v.: lack. I And so Tom awoke; and we rose in ilie darl<, And got ,.vitl1 our bags and our bru hes to work. Though the morning wa cold, Torn was happ)' and warn1; o if all do their duty tl1ey need not fear harn1.

542 Chapter 5 The Romantic Period ------,--••------•a------·------_------• •

,iii J lnn n , t11i sw eper do · r1ot u,.-, pt opp~ · ty b li ving /1 will b. r ward d in h ~ n. 'hi littl p aker ri og11iz that th people w/10 pray for hin1 (his p r nt ) a~ tl1 .arn on w/10 sold him into a life of h rd lab r. 'h fi t thr e lin ar spoken by an adult who com upo11 tlie pitiful hild and k.s l1i,n ivh r his par nts are. The rest of the p m i th ltild,s bitt . r a11sw r to that sa.d questiot,.

f e from Songs of Experience William Blake

A little bJack thing among the snow rying '',weep, ,weep," in .note of woe! 'Wher are thy father and motl1er? say?'' ''They are both go.ne up to the chu.rcl1 to pray.

s 'Be au e I wa happy upon tl1e l1 eath, And mil'd among tl1e winter's sn.ow; They clotl1ed n1e in the cJotl1es of death, And taught me to sing the notes of woe.

''And because I am happy, a.nd dance and sing, 10 They tl1ink tl1ey l1ave done me no injury, And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King, Who make up a heaven of our misery."

"The Ch mney Sweeper," plate 37 from Songs of Innocence and of Experience, copy AA (c. 1815- 26), by WIiiiam Blake. Etching, ink, a.nd watercolor. Flczwilllam Museum, University or Cambridge, England. The Bridgeman Art Ubrary.

William 8,lake S43 -

OU IT IMONY l? J.~'· (l l 5) introd a bill in Parliament that proposed li':"11,ng ho~rs ~ ~rs "~ eighta,, years of age to ten hours a day. Parliammt tlul n~~ pass ffl&S. bill, but 1n April of l '32, it moblished a committee to investigate rht cond,rsons of chi.ldre,a working in te:xtiJe factories. Widr Sadler as chairman, this am1m~ in~facu,ry owners, workers, and doctors who treatea people ho worbd •n the faaona {ter the Sadler Comm.itt«'s report was publishal, Parliament pa~ the Factory Act of 1833. This act limited working hours to twelve ho1,rs a day for tarile worbrs agaJ thirte.en to seventeen, and eight hours a day for tho aged nine to twelve. Tlv interview printed here is representative of the kinds of testimony heard by the Sadler Committee. The examiner's questions are followed by Peter mart's answers, which are indicated by dashes. from · ence Gi · n B fore the a .rCommitt e

Peter maT4 called in; and Examined. Do you kno \: hether the children , re, in Yo u y you w re locked up night and day? point of fact, compelled to op during the _y; . \.¥hole time for which the , · ed? -Yes, they were. Do the children er atte1npt to run away? ery often. By la'\i ? -I cannot sa b la · but th "\! re m- er they pur ued and brought back again? pelled by the master; I ne r US,·ed -Yi , the overseer pu ued them, and there but the la: of their o,m han . broughtthernback. To hat mill did ou nat go? -To . ebster, at Battus Dien. .thin D·id you ever attempt to run a ay? - Yes, I ran away twice.• ele n miles of Dundee . In , hat ituation did ou act th re? And you were brought back? -Yi ; and I was nt up to the master1s loft, -I act d as o erseer. and thrashed with a whip for running away. ofa e?

'-A•ere you bound1 to this man? -Yi , for six year . Did you infilct the same punishm t th t · u yourself had cperien ed? By whom were you bound? -I ent as o erseer; not a but y mother got 15 .2 for the a e-driver. l. bound v.: lega.Uy obliged to work for. 2. ...: one shilling equal to one twentieth of a pound.

The Romantk Period

• id y u k p th J, n l d up jn ti, (! m Wh t w · th h u , 1 r in th t mil)? way in tJ, t mill? - . y 11 l t Id m th t I 11 d l u ce - Yi ,w I I duptl1 mill; ut w did n t l in u nti l f y rn; th 11 u r w r t t 1, at I ck ti, b tl,y. tin · url n; I id th t I w(J n l I to pr - t l'l u . ti ty f y rn Lil t w r qui r d; l id y u find that tl,e hildr n w r un J t l hin1 ifh t k th tim pi ut fth pur ue tl1eir labor pr perly t th i t .t nt? mill l w uld pr du tl, t qu nlity,, nd ft r - Ye ; ti, y hav b 11 br ugl1t to tl1at ondj­ tl1 t tim I ft und n di fi ulty in produ ing tion, tl1al l l1av gon and fetcl, d up tl,e doc­ tJ u n ity. tor t tl,em, to ee what wa th matter wi 11 tl1em, and to know wl1 tl1er tl1ey were able to w l h,v y u d per day in rd er ng work to ri e or not able to ri e; they w r not at all able pr due th qu ntity your ma terr quired? t ri e; we l1ave l1 ad gr at difficuJty in getting - I h ve wr t1ght ninet n hour . tl1 en1 u.p.

W11 n tJ1at wa tl1 a e, how long have th y - Ye , water and team both. been in bed, generally peaking? - PerJ1ap not above four or five hour in To what tin,e l1avc you worked? their bed . - 1 l1ave en the ,nill going Lill it wa pa t 12 o>clock on th alurday nigl1t.

o th, t th mill wa Lill working 011 the ab­ bath morning? - Ye.

Were tl,e worlm1en paid by the piece, or by tJ,e day? - No, all had Lated wag .

Did not Ll1at almost con1pel you to u e great cverity to the l,ands then under you? - Ye ; I was omp ll ed often to beat tl1em, in I order to gel tl'1em to attend to tl1eir worl<, fron1 tl1 ir b ing over-wrougl1t.

Were not tl1 children e ceedingly fatigued at t11at time? - Ye , xc edingly fatigu d. Children at work In a cotton factory ( 1839). Engraving . ame way 1n• Were the children bound in tl1 MANSELUTimcPlx. that 1nill? y ar' end to - No; tJ1 y wer bound fron1 on 3. bothy n.: J,ut. another, for twelve months.

William Blake 545 p ndAnalysis 1~ m nocence fron1 e 1e• ce

pr on Wr ng I. Wh t d tails of the speak r's history do Down th Chimney you I m In the flrst po ml What Is his Based on details from both ''The Chimney pr s nt ltfe Ilk l Sweeper'' poems, the Information In the 2. fn the first poem. how does the angel re­ Primary Source on page 544, and any other assure Tom Oacre In his dream? What research materials you want to use, write moral lesson does the speaker in the the opening or closing paragraphs of a prose first poem draw from Tom's dream? narrative that tells about the daily llfe of a J. How does Tom Oacre's dream contrast child laborer in Blake's London. You may with the acwal conditions of his daify life? want to write in the first person, as If for an 4. In the second poem, how does the autobiography. young chimney sweeper answer the adult's question? What do you think are his ''clothes of death''? ' S. How would you paraphrase the last • --· I two lines of the second poem? I 6. How would you describe the tone of _--,..-' ·-- the second poem? How does this - -·· .,.,.__ , sweeper's attitude toward his life and - ,,,,,.. ·--·- his parents contrast with the attitude of the sweeper in the first poem? 7. How does Blake's use of parallelism In both poems add to their emotional effect? Discuss specific examples of parallelism in the poems. 8. In each poem, what is the emotional effect of the child's mispronunciation of th·e chimney sweeper's cry? 9. Do people today sometimes take the attitude expressed by the speal

546 The Romantic Period

I re

Conn c on Qu ckwrt What happ,ens to anger that Is allowed to grow and fester; anger that Is nurtured and held dear? In this poem, one of Blake's Songs of Experience, the speaker describes what happens when anger is left unresolved. As you read, notice the images Blake uses to describe anger and how It works on the individual psychologically. Before you begin, jot down some notes describing the ways anger can be destructive, not only to the object of the anger, but also to the person feeling it. Literary Focus Theme The theme of a work of literature is its central idea or main insight about human nature or human life. The theme of a work is not the same as its subject; rather, the theme is the writer's point of view on the William Blake subject. In the case of ''A Poison Tree," Blal

WIili m Bf k 547

- - ry pons and Analysis

r n I • Wh t o ys of h ndllng ng r are Contr ry Stat s m ndon d in th po ml What i Blake's two groups of poems, Songs of lnno,. di, er nt bout th tWo sicuadonsl cence and Songs of Experience. depict two 2. Wh t im g ry is used to describe the contrary states of the human soul. The cond way In which the speaker speakers in Songs of Innocence are usually h ndles anger? children or childlike. The speakers in Songs 3. Wh t happ ns to the speaker's foe in of Experience are usually adults. In an essay, th last stanza? Of whom or what is he analyze ''A Poison Tree." Tell what you be­ a victim? lieve its theme is and explain why the poem is an appropriate Song of Experience and not 4. What do you th ink the ''apple bright'' a Song of Innocence. What comment does the (line I 0) symbolizes? What is the poem make on the cosmos of "Mercy, Pity, ''poison tree''? Peace, and love," which Blake describes for S. How is the speaker of the poem a Songs of Innocence? victim? Do you see the speaker as good or evil or both? Give examples from the poem. 6. What do you see as the theme of the poeml How does this theme comment ) ' t on human nature? Give specific details

• from the poem to support your • • • • • 1nterpretac1on. • • •• ., ...... ' ' 7. What is Blake alluding to in his • ' ..; rtJl ; ' reference co forbidden fruit in the third ,1 • stanza? • •• 8. Does che poem describe ways in which • •

anger can be destructive that are similar t. ' • J 1 • • l .. j •~ I to the ways you wrote about in your • re . tJ>t,1, 1 1 t: • I f • ' l f) ' I -• ~ .t I Q uickwrite notes? Does It offer any ,- I t,t'' •/1 ,f I · ,~., flU[·"" insights on anger that you did not · • , r , i, ' 1 · ~' 1• < •• •• consider? .[">~,t· i1t~ttl ,,t.11 J 1u: 'I I ,;i.h ' },:.cl. r t-{' 1 , , , .., ; : .• · · ,, I, h;:. tr r; Evaluation 9. Blake's use of parallel structure and • simple diction gives ''A Poison Tree'' an air of straightforward, even ch il dlike, • simplicity. Do you think this tone • supports or undercuts the points being made about anger and Its conse­ quences? Explain.

A Poison Tree ( 1794) by William Blake, from his book Songs of Experience. Relief etching with watercolor and pen additions. Private Collecdon.

The Romantic Period 548 ,. .. ..,,.• • • ,.- '"4'··-