Social Criticism in Blakes Chimney Sweeper and Haydens...

Social Criticism in Blakes Chimney Sweeper and Haydens Monets Waterlilies The late eighteenth century in England children as young as five years of age were bought, sold, and traded into a life that was completely at the mercy of their owner. These were children without a childhood. Almost two hundred years later America followed suit with this behavior as black Americans were forced to sit in the back of buses, use separate facilities, and attend different schools. The corruption of these contrasting societies is vividly depicted in William Blakes The Chimney Sweeper and Robert Haydens Monets Waterlilies, respectively. Both poems offer a clear understanding of how society can negatively shape a being with false†¦show more content†¦It is this insightful observation about religion that spurred Blakes view of child labor in London. Throughout his poem, he makes reference to biblical figures such as an Angel and God the Father. He uses these sacred terms to show the level of hypocrisy that was imbedded within both the Church and State at that time. For example, in lines twelve through fourteen he writes, Were all of them locked up in coffins of black. And by came an Angel who had a bright key, And he opened the coffins and set them all free... This Angelic character is the first mention of religion in The Chimney Sweeper, and he is portrayed as the heroic figure. The reader would assume that the sweepers shall be saved! However, Blake goes on to say, And the Angel told Tom, if hed be a good boy, Hed have God for his father, and never want joy (19-20). In essence Blake is stating that these boys will go to heaven if they are good little sweepers. This is apparent in his last line, which states, So if all do their duty they not fear harm. Children in London were caught in a trend of being bartered from home to work, which in turn spread quickly over the rest England. It was the greed of many parents that led them to mistreating their own flesh and blood. The emotions and feelings of the children were never taken into consideration during the dirty business deals. Each child had a price tag on his head, and