Thanks to this poem we can better analyse Blake’s CRITICISM.
This poem is a vivid, crude and at the same time VISIONARY representation of London.
The speaker is the poet, and we are guided by him through a realistic and tragic metaphoric walk through “each charter’d street” of London.
We have an urban setting that can reminds us of Dickens’s novels, but
Blake wants to denounce the early effects of the Industrial Revolution.
London, in fact, is “chartered” that is to say abused by commercial profits.
This view upon London wants to show us a conflicting reality, where OPPRESSORS and OPPRESSES live in two different worlds that never meet but in EXPLOITATION of the ones on the others.
The author’s aim is to develop a growing attack to his society and to this exploitation.
His criticism is directed towards the most important social INSTITUTIONS:
-Church
-Monarchy
-Marriage
These institutions also represent the oppressor’s category.
CHURCH frightens, or, better, terrifies (“appalls”) each Chimney-sweeper (the exploited-children class).
Blake speaks of a “black’ning Church”.
The Church is blackning literally because of pollution smoke, but metaphorically Blake wants to communicate that this institution is falling behind with time, it is not modern and, instead of reassuring people, it frightens them.
MONARCHY is another evil of society. Kings make wars and guiltless people have to sacrifice themselves: “the hapless soldier’s sigh runs in blood down Palace walls”.
The last attacked institution is the MARRIAGE; the marriage is threatened by the “Harlot’s curse” that “blasts the new born Infant’s tear”.
So,
-Chimney-sweepers
-Soldiers
-Harlots (prostitutes)
can represent the category of oppressed.
Eleonora Zuolo, 5L - an.sc.: 2002/'03
The Chimney Sweeper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Torna all'inizio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER |
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Torna all'inizio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THE LAMB and THE TIGER |
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Torna all'inizio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LONDON |
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