Innocence In Wordsworth And Chimney Sweeper
William Blake and William Wordsworth both present views of the obtaining, losing and regaining of innocence within their work. From Blake’s perspective, ‘Chimney Sweeper’ reflects the belief that it is possible to regain innocence once it has been lost, hence appearing in Songs on Innocence by taking away a child’s innocence through trials on this earth, returning it to him in death. Whereas, Songs of Experience the sweeper is aware of the idea that the church and king manipulate people causing him to criticise religion, just like Blake criticises religion for being the root of the problem. On the other hand, Wordsworth reveals his reflections of innocence through ‘Anecdotes for Fathers’.
‘Chimney Sweeper’, is a poem that first appeared in
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From Blake’s perspective, a passage through experience is necessary before entrance into a final state of vision, as it describes a journey from childhood innocence to maturity. In contrast to the omniscient narrator in the first poem, this poem uses the first-person singular ‘I’, indicating that he is now able to reflect deeply on his situation. The poem begins with the narrator amidst ‘a little black thing among the snow’, juxtaposing the experience of misery against the purity and whiteness of the snow. This stanza presents a self-contained introduction of the child’s plight, combined with monosyllabic phrases following the ABAB rhyme scheme which changes thereafter to an alternate rhyme scheme. Within this stanza, the conversation between the speaker and a sweeper establishes a slower, reflective pace and …show more content…
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