Reading Response 3 "Blake's The Chimney Sweeper"

  The article “Blake’s The Chimney Sweeper” by James Harrison explains how Blake’s poem “The Chimney Sweeper” is expressed in a way that makes it seem as though it could have been written by an innocent child. The way Blake writes is an art; it can make the reader feel as though it is completely realistic. According to Harrison this is what Blake wanted. Harrison states that “The meter is, in fact, such that we feel a child might have written the poem, or is at least reciting it. More than anything else, it is skillfully naïve of Blake. The way he exploits hymn-like measures in the preceding “Holy Thursday”, co-opting as it were a child to write or speak the poem for him, which convinces us of the authenticity of its innocent, non-ironic point of view.” Harrison explains in his writing that it’s necessary for the readers to believe the point of view Blake is writing from. The authenticity of this poem would be questioned and not taken seriously if written from a different point of view. Harrison stresses this point in his writing. He continuously praises Blake for how the poem is written. Harrison says “The secret of this poem lies in the extraordinary multiplicity of viewpoints and tones of voices. “ This means that the way Blake wrote the characters into the poem gives it more depth. This article helps explain why I chose William Blake for my blog project. The whole point of having a blog on Blake was to try and show the readers that he was a talented writer who knew how to capture an audience. The blog demonstrates how this is done by analyzing different pieces by Blake and figuring out their deeper meaning. Blake had a way of writing that could make it seems as though many different people were speaking in one poem. Harrison understands that and wrote a good article about it.

                I agree with Harrison on this subject. After reading “The Chimney Sweeper” (both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience) I finally understood that Blake knew what he was doing. I was amazed that he could take the one poem “The Chimney Sweeper” and turn it into two different tales. Blake does this with multiple poems. One was from the view point of an innocent child, and one from an experienced child. However, I didn’t realize that this was such an accomplishment until I read Harrisons article. Harrison helped me to understand that the tone in a poem can make it flow together or clog it up and ruin it. Blake’s common theme throughout his poetry is that it has two sides. Most of his poems can be taken from an innocent side or one of experience. I began to discover that this occurred frequently once I took a deeper look into Blake’s poems. Harrison has a valid point that Blake’s writings could not be taken as seriously if it was written from a standard point of view. I have come to appreciate Blake’s writings more as I read them because I understand now that its not all about speed reading though it. With Blake I have to take my time and really try to comprehend with what is being said. Harrison helped me to understand that this is not a bad thing, like I originally thought it was. He helped me to understand that things can have more meaning if they are written from a more artistic point of view as Blake does. I’ve noticed throughout Blake’s writing that it seems as though he is making some words and things up this gives his writing an edgy and creative style that a lot of writers don’t have. I also don’t always understand what type of message he is trying to convey, but that is one of the things that makes him so popular. His poetry has lots of different interpretations and I learned this through researching him and reading James Harrison’s article, I feel like this article was beneficial to understanding why Blake wrote the way he did. Overall, William Blake was a talented poet who just takes some time to understand. Once there is that understanding there can be a greater appreciation for his writing.

"Little Boy Lost" and "Little Boy Found"

The Little Boy Lost Songs of Innocence

“THE LITTLE BOY LOST”
"Father, father, where are you going?
   O do not walk so fast!
Speak, father, speak to your little boy,
   Or else I shall be lost.'
The night was dark, no father was there,
   The child was wet with dew;
The mire was deep, and the child did weep,
   And away the vapour flew."


The poem “The Little Boy Lost” by William Blake tells about a boy who has been led astray by his own father. It starts out saying “Father, father, where are we going?” the little boy is innocent and completely trusts his father, even though he doesn’t know where they are headed.  This is how most children act because they haven’t been corrupted by the world yet. They think everyone is a good and gentle human being.  Next in the poem it says

“O do not walk so fast!
Speak, father, speak to your little boy,
   Or else I shall be lost.”

The little boy begins calling out to his father in alarm to help him but the father’s attention is elsewhere. It appears as though he doesn’t care what happens to his little boy.  He has too much on his mind to take into account what might be happening to the young boy. It is also possible that the father in this story could be trying to give the boy life experience by abandoning him. The little boy would have to figure out his own way home, and learn important survival skills.  In the next line

“The night was dark, no father was there,
 The child was wet with dew;
The mire was deep, and the child did weep”

The child doesn’t realize his father abandoned him, but he started to weep because he thinks he got lost. He is forced to wonder through the wet dew trying to find the way back home. The innocent child doesn’t know what’s going on, he has never felt like this before; until now the child has always had the security of his father.

“THE LITTLE BOY FOUND”

“The little boy lost in the lonely fen,
   Led by the wandering light,
Began to cry, but God, ever nigh,
   Appeared like his father, in white.

He kissed the child, and by the hand led,
   And to his mother brought,
Who in sorrow pale, through the lonely dale,
   Her little boy weeping sought.”

The follow up poem to “The Little Boy Lost” tells about the boy receiving a little bit of hope. The “wandering light” is a symbol for the boy that everything will turn out alright. When the boy began to cry God stepped down to help the child find his way home. It is possible that the “wandering light” was some form of God or an Angel protecting the boy.  Blake demonstrates that the child is so innocent and inexperienced he can’t survive without someone to guide him.  In a way the child thinks of God as his real father so he is comforted by his presence. The child is returned home to his mother who is over joyed to have him home safely, and the father is not mentioned again.

Love's Secret

William Blake’s poem “Love’s Secret” seems short but to the point.  In this poem Blake tells about a young man who confessed his love for a women and she rejected him.  Blake's trying to convey that love is left better unsaid. He's saying that when telling a person of your love it can destroy it and leave it worthless. The wind in this poem symbolizes fate. It moves silently of its own accord and the people on earth have no real power over it.  The idea of love can scare people away; they may take it the wrong or think a relationship is moving too fast. I know in my personnel life that love doesn’t always seem like a safe thing to me. When opening your heart and loving someone, your giving them the power to crush you, which is what happened in this poem (this is why Blake says “never seek to tell thy love.”). In the second stanza the narrator describes telling his lover that he needs her with all of his heart.  In the poem the boy express's that he is “trembling, cold, in ghastly fears” while explaining himself to the girl. Meaning that the boy is scared to tell the girl how he feels, because he does not want that sort of rejection.
The man's worst fears came true. The woman didn't want to hear about this love, and left with another man. Commitment is scary for the women in this story. Perhaps, she had been in a relationship before and it didn’t end well leaving her fearing love. She doesn’t have a problem finding men, but she does have a problem holding on to them. She’s scared that if she lets herself get attached she will get hurt. This is not a fulfilling way to live a life. Love is risky, but that is one of the things that make its so rewarding once you find it. Blake doesn’t seem to believe this, he feels it would be better to just leave things the way they are then to take a chance and mess everything up. Blake views love as sacred and something that should not be talked about, because that can destroy its value.

To go to Love's Secret

Click Here!

Blogging Response to "All about Blake"

CLICK HERE FOR All about Blake

The blog “All about Blake” is one that was put together to cover the romantic poet William Blake. I chose this blog because it has a lot of similarities to the one my group is working on. I like how they have it set up with the different pictures, and a few videos. I feel that it gives more depth to the blog and makes it more appealing to look at. They do a good job of interpreting what Blake says through his poetry. An article that sticks out to me is “The Lamb and The Tyger” I like how they explained what it stood for. The audio reading of “The Tyger” gave me a better understanding because my mind was able to comprehend while I was listening to it instead of just speed reading through it like I normally do. It gives the viewer a good alternative to just reading. This was an excellent idea on their part.   I feel like these two poems express Blake’s main idea about innocence and experience very well which is important to understanding Blake's work. What I also like about this blog is how it put in a few poems that I wasn’t familiar with I think that this gives me a wider range of Blake’s poetry for my own blog and the other readers.
This blog is important to understanding the romantic poet William Blake because it gives an overall synopsis of him.  They have many of his popular poems on their blog each with a description that gives the reader a little more knowledge to what is going on in the poem. It is also a good glimpse into Blake’s mind. This blog teaches them that William Blake had a deep understanding of the world around him. He definitely sees it differently than a lot of other people in his time did and still do today. This shows that what he though back then is still valuable today. Blake has a confusing way of talking and these posts help clear that up. I think the posts that the blog has so far, made it easier to understand what Blake was trying to say.

"The Chimney Sweeper" Songs of Innocence vs. Songs of Experience

In  William Blake’s poem “The Chimeny Sweeper” Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience both show how the living, working, and general care of chimney sweepers was often over looked and not taken into consideration.  Most of the time, in this society the chimney sweepers were looked down upon, as if they were the soot they swept up. They would sleep in cold cellars in the soot that had just been swept, they were fed poorly, and their health was not a big deal to their masters. The chimney sweepers would clean chimneys in little to no clothing so that they would not have to be replaced. The children were hardly ever bathed. Most of the children that swept chimneys had health problems. The hard work of chimney sweeping would ruin their ankles and spines leaving them deformed looking, something society looked down upon. The chimney sweeper would die at a young age, either from the fire itself or from inhaling the smoke and it ruining their lungs.

In Songs of Innocence there are two boys, the narrator and Tom Dacre.  Tom is the more innocent of the two boys. This is shown when his curls are cut off he acts devastated and begins to cry. Then the speaker who is a little bit older says that’s it’s not a big deal because now the soot can’t dirty them. The speaker feels that it’s his duty to make the little boy feel as if he is safe; he has a sense of responsibility to him. Next in the poem little Tom Dacre has a dream about all the other chimney sweepers being locked up in black coffins, and an angel setting them free. In the dream, all the boys run off white, free of their soot and their baggage. At the end the angel tells Tom that if he was a good boy he would have God for his father and never want joy. This dream is a symbol of hope for Tom. It is interpreted that as long as he is obedient he will have a good after life. What Tom does not realize is that by his being obedient he is killing himself faster.
In Songs of Experience the message is a little clearer. The narrator knows that he is a victim. In the poem it says he is “clothed in clothes of death” meaning he knows he has an early death coming and that he is not welcome in society.  His parents think they have done nothing wrong by selling him to the chimney sweeper because he seems happy.  The chimney sweeper understands that he must deal with what was given to him even if it makes his life difficult. He knows that once he dies he will have a better life waiting for him.

To read "The Chimney Sweeper" Songs of Innocence

"The Chimney Sweeper" Songs of Innocence

To read the "The Chimney Sweeper"  Songs of Experence

"The Chimney Sweeper" Songs of Experience

Alone

I sit there and wait for something to happen, to be yelled at again. The sinking feeling in my stomach won’t stop; each breath making it heavier and heavier.

I am alone, depressed, rejected, betrayed.

How did I get to this point in life? It was so happy so bright with color, vibrant and exhilarating. I lived for each day loved every breath I was allowed. I was completely in love with my surroundings, never wanting a dull moment.

Until that night when it all went wrong...  It seemed harmless a drink here and there, sneaking around, a love that wasn’t approved of, but what’s the big deal its just a little white lie right?

Then something happens, a friend’s betrayal, you found out that you meant nothing to them because they are their number one priority. They come first and you.. Well you get thrown under the bus. The world comes crashing down, I can’t breathe, and I don’t want to live. The trust is gone, the friends are gone, and life becomes a chore rather than a privilege. What happens next…?

I don’t know. The thought goes through my head every day.

To not care anymore to be a “bad” kid, the alcoholic, the pot smoker, the easy girl, the pill popper.  These labels don’t matter anymore; life feels as if it is over. Pulling me down into a spiral that is black and seems as if it never will end. The eating stops, the weight starts to drop, people are worried. My head is spinning all day long with the “what ifs” I wish I could change it I want to go back. Every moment burns in my throat i wish it was possible.

The world feels as though it’s closing in, sucking my life with it as it goes. But there is no time machine nothing can change what happened.

I just want to feel normal again. The choice is clear. Life moves along and I need to
move along with it. An old friend returns and I can see the light once more. It flickers feebly in front of me daring me to reach out and grasp it. I did. Slowly, I come back to myself; it feels as though the heavy dark mist has lifted off. The light seems brighter. I can breathe normally most days now, I’ve slowly began to return to who I was before. The light and happy feelings return slowly once again, warm and welcoming like a summers day; life smells sweet, fresh, and new.