Essay on the Chimney SweepWriters and artists are influenced by the culture of their time. They respond to the world around them through their work. In the 18th century, England was gripped by the terrible repercussions of the Industrial Revolution. One such impact was child labor at the time, where young boys aged five and six were forced to work in harsh conditions, either sweeping chimneys or working in factories. William Blake used his romantic writing style to comment on these ever-increasing corruptions of the world. Blake's Chimney Sweeper Poems uses opposing ideas of innocence and experience to describe the world he sees using literary devices. Blake uses strong imagery to represent the feelings in his poems. An important element used was the light versus dark imagery in both poems, with the contrast of the soot-covered boy against the white snow in Songs of Experience. This darkness was used to describe the death and despair brought by work. These “death clothes” were made from soot, but literally and metaphorically (SoE). Sweeping a chimney could mean death for a young boy who panicked by hiding his leg or falling while working. The color black was also used in Songs of Innocence, as the boy described "coffins of black" and how boys were locked in them (SoI). These black coffins were used to depict the boys' social status as well as the impending death they faced. Additionally, Blake used the boy's hair color to play more on the light and dark side. In Songs of Innocence, "little Tommy Dacre" was upset when his head was shaved to keep vermin and soot out (SoI). The narrator's response was that this was done so that the soot would not run down the boy's white hair ... middle of paper ... in spirit, as one would speak to any young boy . The man reacts as if it were a normal sight, a boy covered in dirt with a broom and thinks nothing of it. Blake uses this to show the misery of the world. The man did not immediately take the boy out of the cold and dress him. He simply asks where his parents were. Narrators are used to show the child's perspectives of innocence in Songs of Innocence and the status quo of sin in Songs of Experience with these children led to sweep chimneys and put themselves in danger. But at least the chimneys are clean. Blake uses different techniques in his poems to comment on the filthy world he sees around him. A world where young boys are sent to complete a horrible task. He approaches this commentary with his depictions of innocence and experience and captures them through his literary devices..