A comparison of Blake's poems 'The Chimney Sweeper' innocence and experience

The personification of the inevitable nature of the industrial revolution can be seen in the quote “The innocence had to die, the children had to die.” The inhumane use of child labour in this period of heightened industrialism raised many moral dilemmas for the people of the time as it still does today. William Blake too had an emotional response to these measures, this can be seen in his pieces of both innocence and experience by the title The Chimney Sweeper. In these poems Blake uses emotion to convey feelings of sympathy and remorse towards the children, these are poems of sorrow, they are not neutral, as Blake himself already feels moved by the children’s plight.

Blake employs a variety of techniques to convey his messages. One of the most effective literary tools he utilises is metaphor. Metaphor is used by Blake to add another dimension to this piece, the deeper meanings of the words give a more powerful image. In The Chimney Sweeper poem of innocence a rich exam...