The Life of a Chimney Sweeper

    Chimney sweepers have been depicted in several different lights. The most recognizable are Oliver Twist and Mary Poppins. Reading William Blake’s poems showed yet another way of seeing chimney sweepers. These examples prove that there are two very different ways of seeing this job; it can be very positive or very negative. 

   Mary Poppins and Blake’s poem “The Chimney Sweeper” from his longer work Songs of Innocence show very positive examples of chimney sweepers. A popular song from Mary Poppins is “Chim Chim Cher-ee”. It is very upbeat and speaks of the luck that chimney sweepers have. This song is sung as the characters skip through the street and greet others. Although Blake’s poem is not quite this happy, it does speak of an angel who “had a bright key/ And he open’d the coffins & set them all free”. These children have hope that no matter how bad it gets, they will find happiness. As long as they do what they should they will “never want joy” nor will they “fear harm”. The innocent have hope for a better life. The poem is also very much like a song in the way it is read. It may not be "Chim Chim Cher-ee" but it does have an upbeat tone. 

      Oliver and “The Chimney Sweeper” from Songs of Experience provide a reaction similar to what we picture now. Having been in a school production of Oliver, I am familiar with the scene where Mr. Gamfield wants Oliver to be his apprentice. Mr. Gamfield is not a nice man and many of his sweepers died. Blake also has a negative view in his second poem about chimney sweepers. It is noticeably shorter than the first poem. This one does not speak of angels coming to save the children, it speaks of the sweeper being abonded by his parents and by society in general. Since the child is happy, everyone assumes "they have done [him] no injury/ And are gone to praise God & his Priest & King". This supposedly happy child has been abandoned by everyone because they are so focused on making it to Heaven. This poem is not similiar to a song the way the first is, in fact it is difficult to find a common rhyme scheme or rhythm in this poem. This experienced writer does not have a happy outlook when it comes to the life of a chimney sweeper. 

    The latter examples of chimney sweepers appear to be more likely. It seems unlikely that many chimney sweepers enjoyed their work. It is also unlikely that they lived long enough to sing about it. There are several different depictions of chimney sweepers, even within William Blake’s poems, but even he would agree that it is not good work. Audiences and experiences change the way chimney sweepers, or anything, are shown. When intended for young children, such as the former examples, there will be a happier outlook. There will be a sing song rhythm to keep everything upbeat. The former examples are for experienced audiences and raise awareness of issues. They appear to tell the truth the best they can. Sometimes the truth isn't good.