The Chimney-Sweeper (Experience): Structure & Language Techniques

The Chimney-Sweeper (Experience): Structure & Language Techniques

Repetition and Rhythm:

  • The repeated use of the phrase “could scarcely cry ‘weep! ‘weep! ‘weep! ‘weep!” suggests the desperate plight of the chimney sweepers.

  • The rhythm of the poem, much like other works by Blake, is reminiscent of children’s nursery rhymes, contrasting with the dark underlying theme.

Symbolism:

  • The figures of ‘the Priest’ and ‘the King’ are symbolic of the authority and establishment that turn a blind eye to the suffering of the working class, especially the children.

  • The ‘black coffins’ in the poem symbolise both the physical danger of the sweepers dying in the chimneys and the metaphorical death of their innocence.

Use of Irony:

  • Blake employs irony when the sweep after a dream where an angel tells him and his friends they should be happy with their lot in life, says “So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.” The irony lies in the fact that the ‘duty’ the children are carrying out is harmful and inhumane.

Imagery:

  • Vivid imagery is employed to depict the grim reality of the sweepers’ existence: “When my mother died I was very young, And my father sold me.”

Use of Rhyme:

  • The AABB rhyme scheme used can be linked to the simple format of traditional children’s songs, highlighting the age and innocence of the protagonists.

Meter and Syllabics:

  • The poem is composed in quatrains each with two couplets. The first and second lines of each quatrain are written in iambic tetrameter and the third and fourth use iambic dimeter an arrangement that lends a singsong quality to the verse.

Remember that analysing how these different techniques work together to serve the overall message and impact of the poem will not only aid your understanding, but enhance your ability to accurately discuss the poem in assessment scenarios.