|| The Chimney Sweeper: Innocence
Overview
The Chimney Sweeper (Innocence) is a poem by William Blake from his 1789 collection Songs of Innocence. The speaker is a young child who was sold into chimney sweeping after his mother died. He recounts the story of another boy, Tom Dacre, whose hair is shaved to prevent soot buildup. Tom initially cries, but the narrator comforts him by saying soot can’t ruin a bald head.
That night, Tom dreams of thousands of child sweepers trapped in black coffins. An angel appears, unlocks the coffins, and frees the boys. In the vision, the children run, bathe in a river, and ascend into the sky, leaving behind their work tools. The angel tells Tom that if he behaves, God will be his father and he’ll find happiness.
Tom wakes up comforted by the dream, and he and the narrator go to work in the cold. Despite the harsh conditions, Tom feels warm and optimistic due to the angel’s promise. The poem closes with the moral claim that those who “do their duty” have nothing to fear, highlighting how religious and moral conditioning is used to pacify exploited children. The poem critiques child labor and institutionalized abuse through the lens of innocence and internalized obedience.
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Real Life Details
Title: The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence)
First publication (Innocence): 1789, Songs of Innocence, printed and hand-illustrated by William Blake.
Language: English
Commonly republished by: Oxford University Press
Dover Thrift Editions
Penguin Classics
Everyman’s Library
Princeton University Press (The William Blake Archive)
Tate Publishing (in conjunction with museum exhibitions)
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