In Many Ways, Poetry Has The Ability To Shape The Minds

In many ways, poetry has the ability to shape the minds of people and their views on a certain subject. Throughout the ages, poets and writers have been a part of social and political change due to the written works presented to the public. One such poet was William Blake. His poetry has inspired much change in both the past and the present. An analysis of â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper,† one of Blake’s most popular works, can help many to understand the significance of his work in a time period when social riot was visible in the public’s eyes. By exploring the writing style, structure and imagery in this poem, as well as identifying the importance of symbolism, a conclusion can be made concerning the purpose of this poem. Learning more about†¦show more content†¦This poem consists of a community of poor chimney sweepers, the narrator of this poem being one of the many sweepers. This poem begins with the unfortunate events of the narrator himself and his des cription of how he came to be one of the chimney sweepers. Through the use of perfect language, Blake is able to capture the event and all of its emotion. The narrator starts by saying, â€Å"When my mother died I was very young, And my father sold me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Instantly, the readers feel sympathy for the narrator, knowing his childhood has not been the kindest. The almost perfect word choice allows readers to seep into the mind of the narrator as he continues his story. He says, â€Å"So your chimneys I sweep and in soot I sleep† (Blake 706). In the next stanza, the narrator describes a fellow chimney sweeper, Tom Dacre, and his heavenly dream. Written in a rhythmic and song-like format helps this poem flow throughout its entirety. Each line consists of patterns which help keep the poem simple as readers begin to understand its meaning. William Blake uses rhythm and sound to create a poem easy to comprehend. This is present as the narrator describes one of the many characters. He says Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head s bare, You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair† (706). This line shows the simple structure and uses rhyming to keep the reader interested through the remainder of the poem. AnShow MoreRelatedAttic Romanticism : Reason And Imagination1705 Words   |  7 Pagesstruggle, celebrated itself with such a child, simultaneously Antigone and Cassandra.† (Friedrich Nietzsche on the relationship between the Apollnian and Dionysian) How do both reason and imagination shape poetry? Reason and Imagination are two concepts that seem opposed to one another. Reason is the ability of humans to make sense of things, and is grounded in reality while Imagination is a more abstract concept that is variously described as recreating experiences without them physically occurringRead MoreRobert Frost and E.E. Cumings Essay1533 Words   |  7 PagesRobert Frost and E.E. 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