riticizes society, religion, and the families that allow children to suffer. The two versions present contrasting views—one shows a child’s innocent hope, while the other reveals a bitter truth about society’s cruelty.

“The Chimney Sweeper” (Songs of Innocence): This poem is narrated by a young boy. The boy was sold into chimney sweeping after his mother died. He meets another boy, Tom Dacre, who cries when his hair is shaved off. Tom’s curly hair is a symbol of innocence. Tom’s hair is shaved off—which symbolizes loss of innocence. The older boy comforts Tom, saying the soot won’t spoil his white hair.

That night, Tom dreams of thousands of sweeper children locked in “coffins of black” (chimneys). An angel arrives, frees them with a “bright key,” and lets them play in a green field. The angel tells Tom that if he remains “a good boy,” God will reward him.

“And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,

He'd have God for his father…”

The next morning, Tom feels happy and goes out with his bag and brush to work. The ending suggests that the promise of the Church is fake.

Blake uses the innocent voice of the child to hide a darker message. The poem seems hopeful, but it actually mocks the way religion and society trick children into accepting suffering. Here, The “angel” and “God” are symbols of false promises. The Church tells poor children to accept the suffering so that the rich can stay comfortable. The image “coffins of black” suggests that chimney sweeping is like a death sentence.

The poem is made up of six quatrains (four-line stanzas). The rhyme scheme (AABB) sounds like a nursery rhyme. This rhyme scheme makes the poem childlike but hides a sad truth.

“The Chimney Sweeper” (Songs of Experience): “The Chimney Sweeper” from Songs of Experience is darker and angrier. Here, the chimney sweeper is no longer innocent. He blames his parents for selling him into labor while they go to church to pray—

“They are [parents] both gone up to the church to pray.”

Here, Blake critiques religion and the families that allow children to suffer. The child is covered in soot, which he calls “clothes of death.” The child says his parents think they have done “no injury” to him because they believe they are good Christians. They ignore children’s sufferings and go to church to praise God, the priest, and the King. The society creates a false “heaven” built on the suffering of children. The speaker says:

“Who make up a heaven of our misery.”

This poem attacks society’s hypocrisy. The child in this poem is not fooled by the promises of heaven—he understands that religion is being used to justify suffering. The poem suggests that parents, society, and religious leaders ignore the pain of poor children while pretending to be righteous. The poem consists of three quatrains. It has a rhyme scheme that runs AABB CACA EFEF.

Innocence and Experience: In the Songs of Innocence version, the child is optimistic but deceived. In the Songs of Experience, the child is aware and bitter. This contrast shows Blake’s belief that as people grow older, they begin to see the harsh realities and hypocrisy.

Blake wrote these poems to make people aware of child labor. He uses simple images like “weep,” “soot,” and “coffins” to make readers imagine the children’s pain. He also criticizes the Church for supporting a system that hurts the weak.

In conclusion, Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” poems are masterpieces of protest. They use easy language to deliver a powerful message: society must stop exploiting the innocent. Even today, these poems make us think about how we treat children and the poor.