“The Chimney Sweeper” From Songs of Innocence William Blake’s Songs of Innocence comprises “songs of happy cheer” about field and flower, hill and stream, and the innocence of child and lamb, as seen through the eyes of a child (World Book vol.2 pg 314). In one excerpt, “The Chimney Sweeper,” Blake, through religious symbolism, gives the image of an innocence child living a life of hardship and grief that gains comfort from the knowledge that …showed first 75 words of 335 total…

…showed last 75 words of 335 total…rather than physical reality” of life (New Standard Encyclopedia B-281). Although the poems in Songs Of Innocence “are charmingly lyrical, written with almost childlike simplicity,” they carry a powerful, spiritual message of God (B-281). “The Chimney Sweeper” gives hope to a child living in a world of poverty where there is virtually no hope. Bibliography Works Cited Blake, William. New Standard Encyclopedia. 1995 ed. Vol 3. Pg B-281. Blake, William. The World Book Encyclopedia. 1965 ed. Vol 2. Pg 314.