Blake: Point of View

Thoughts:

1789: This poem is written from the point of view of the innocent young boy. His life seems “happy” because he is too young and naïve to understand that he is living in a hell upon earth—he has been sold by his father and forced to work in the dark at a job that will send him to an early grave. He, on the other hand, views everything that happens to him as a blessing. For instance, when Tom‟s hair has to be shaved, the speaker tells him not to fret because now the soot will not spoil it. He naively believes that if he does as he is told, he will “not fear harm,” yet he lives in the midst of harm.

1794: This poem is written from the point of view of an adult who asks the young boy where his father and mother are. This adult sees the truth immediately: he is not a young boy but “a little black thing among the snow.” All but these three lines are the boy‟s response. This point of view produces a somewhat cynical tone, as the adult clearly sees what the child cannot: his parents are praying in the church, praising not only God but the king, whose neglect is responsible for the boy‟s harsh life.


Paragraph Development:

Point of View: First Poem

Assertion: The speaker in the first poem is a young boy who, in his innocence and youth, does not realize how difficult his life is.

Evidence: The young boy simply narrates that his “father sold” him before he could speak clearly. He tells Tom Dacre that having his head shaved will really be a blessing, not a hardship. He further consoles Tom that the dream he has presages a beautiful, glorious life because they have God for their “father & never want joy.” The poem ends with the image of the “cold” day, but Tom is “happy & warm” because he is doing what he has been told to do.

Analysis: The young boy‟s lack of understanding of his hard lot in life is made all the more pitiful because he is uncomplaining and accepting of everything that happens to him.


Point of View: Second Poem

Assertion: In the second poem, the adult speaker fully realizes the woeful plight of the chimney sweep as the boy himself reveals what his life is like.

Evidence: In the first two lines, the speaker notes the “little black thing among the snow.” In line 3, he asks him where his parents are. The rest of the poem is the boy‟s answer. His parents are in church, “prais[ing] God & his Priest & King.”

Analysis: The boy‟s response reveals both the boy‟s lack of awareness of his true condition and the heartless way his parents and the church have ignored his basic needs. The poem is basically an indictment of the church in valuing religious exercises over people‟s lives.