what is this poem about?

Question

The Chimney Sweeper (Innocence)


When my mother died I was very young,
And my father sold me while yet my tongue,
Could scarcely cry weep weep weep weep,
So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.

Theres little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head
That curled like a lambs back was shav'd, so I said.
Hush Tom never mind it, for when your head's bare,
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair

And so he was quiet. & that very night.
As Tom was a sleeping he had such a sight
That thousands of sweepers Dick, Joe, Ned, & Jack
Were all of them lock'd up in coffins of black,

And by came an Angel who had a bright key
And he open'd the coffins & set them all free.
Then down a green plain leaping laughing they run
And wash in a river and shine in the Sun.

Then naked & white, all their bags left behind.
They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind.
And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,
He'd have God for his father & never want joy.

And so Tom awoke and we rose in the dark
And got with our bags & our brushes to work.
Tho' the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm
So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.

Answer 1

Hope, "seeing the glass half-full," finding happiness in everyday life, and realizing that honest living leads to salvation.

Answer 2

This is about children, probably from around the time of the industrial revolution in London, being forced to work a job that will likely kill them. Little Tom is crying because his head is shaved to make it easier for the child to get into the chimney. That night he dreams of the many children before him who have died (probably from breathing soot). The angel set them free from the coffins, then the children washed the soot off of themselves and played in the green grass and sunshine as they made their way up to heaven. The angel told Tom that he should be a good boy and he will get to go to heaven too, "...and never want joy" (he'll never be unhappy). Tom woke and told the other children that "..if all do their duty, they need not fear harm".

This is a very sad poem. It illustrates the hopelessness of so many children's lives in the 19th Century - death was their only chance to escape and find happiness. Oh, most chimney sweeps of that day were boys.

Answer 3

a girl

Answer 4

It's about a poor little girl who sweeps chimneys. And she watches over the other kids like a mother would- the mother she never had. Then one night Tom had a dream where they (the sweepers) were set free of this harsh life by an angel of God. However, this angel says God will be their father if they fuss no more and fear no more.

It's about innocence in the way they are children of God and do not know why things have happened the way they have to them. They had to grow up so suddenly- skipping childhood. Yet the angel is telling Tom they will always be children of God and will never want- thus, they will be innocent like children forever.

Answer 5

This poem denounces the church, speaks of a hell on earth and tells of our rewards when we get to heaven and the joy of God.

Answer 6

about her this little girl mourn over her family members