The Chimney-Sweeper (Innocence): Plot

“The Chimney-Sweeper” (Songs of Innocence): Plot

The poem begins with a young chimney sweeper recounting how his hair was shaved, and he was sold by his father after the death of his mother.
The boy’s life is filled with hardship, as he sweeps chimneys and sleeps in soot.
One night, he has a dream. In this dream, an angel comes and frees all the chimney sweepers from their coffins of black.
They all wash in a river, play in the bright sun, and find themselves in a green plain leaping around clouds.
The angel tells Tom that if he is a good boy, he will have God as his father.
With this reassurance, Tom and his fellow sweepers awake; they work their duties without any worry, ready to warm themselves in the winter.
The poem ends with a moral, suggesting those who do their duty will have no need to harm or fear harm.

Key Concepts & Phrases: Chimney sweeper, hair shaved, sold by his father, sleeps in soot, angel, coffins of black, wash in a river, God as his father, do their duty