Questions for test "The chimney sweeper".

A bridging question in which you make a connection ( a bridge) from the new information to the poem. How to answer ...

1. How does the quote connect to the poem? 2. Give at least two examples of the connection to the text. 3.How does the quote add to your understanding of the poem?

Who is the speaker in "The Chimney Sweeper"?

A child laborer who works as a chimney sweeper

Why is the poem named "The Chimney Sweeper"?

For all those children who were forced to work as chimney sweepers. Even though the poem is called "The Chimney Sweeper," it is really about a whole bunch of children chimney sweepers.

How did the dream affect Tom the next day?

He went to work feeling happy and warm, he accepted his fate as a chimney sweeper.

How did the speaker in "The Chimney Sweeper" get his job?

His father sold him into it.

Where were the sweepers at the beginning of Tom's dream?

In coffins of black.

What does the metaphor " coffins of black" stand for? Explain

It is a metaphor for the chimneys in which those children had to work in ,which were narrrow and cramped / confined spaces , They worked while breathing in soot, which would uttimately lead to their death.

The major themes ;

Major themes (נושאים )in the poem: Misery, death, hope and innocence and are the major themes.The poem presents the miseries of children who were forced to work as chimney sweepers and their acceptance of their life. It is through the mouth of a young child speaker the poet conveys his idea that one should not lose hope. First, they seem unhappy with their job. But later they accept their fate after having that dream and , somehow their lives become easy for them. They believe their hard work would surely reward them in the long run.

What did the angel promise Tom?

That if Tom would be a good boy, he'd have God for his father.

Has anything changed for the better for the chimney sweepers by the end of the poem? Explain

The last stanza shows the reality of the chimney sweepers. It is deeply ironic the antithesis of the vision of summer sunshine and this dark cold reality they wake up to . We the readers know that they have been brainwashed to believe that by doing their work no harm will come to them. The work they do will in fact causes them much harm.

The main idea ;

The main idea is about the corrupt nature of society that exploits human labor, especially child labor. Blake gives a very clear description of the hard life those children chimney sweepers endure, he uses irony to make a contrast of the innocence of the speaker and his fellow workers in such deplorable conditions, to evoke maximum pity and protest (from the reader) against the very idea of such young workers.

What do you think is the main idea presented in the poem? Do you think the author / writer is successful in expressing it ? Explain

The main idea is about the corrupt nature of society that exploits human labor, especially child labor. Blake gives a very clear description of the hard life those children chimney sweepers endure, he uses irony to make a contrast of the innocence of the speaker and his fellow workers in such deplorable conditions, to evoke maximum pity and protest (from the reader) against the very idea of such young workers.

How does the speaker create pity in stanza one?

The speaker creates pity by telling us that his mother died when he was very young and that his father sold him into child slavery to work as a chimney sweeper.

How does the speaker comfort Tom Dacre ?

The speaker tells Tom that it is better his head is bare for the soot would have destroyed his white hair.

Tom dreams that an angel will take them out of their coffins to a beautiful place, like heaven. Do you think Tom's dream presents (מציג) a good solution to the difficult life of the children? Explain and give details from poem. Use vocabulary for the thinking skill you choose to answer the question.

Thinking skills / Compare and contrast / Different perspectives / Cause and Effect / . This question specifies a thinking skill . We discussed in class different perspectives of this poem. On one hand , the speaker, who is a young naive child sees this as a good solution. It gives them hope to know that in the next life they will be rewarded . There they can play and be carefree as children should be. The dream is to keep them motivated to continue working hard and to accept their fate. But on the other hand , we as the readers know that this is not a solution to their existence. The dream doesn't solve their problems. They still continue to work, as in the last stanza , the following day they get up in the dark and go to work. So where is the solution?

Is the speaker being sincere towards Tom Darce in stanza two?

Yes, he is. The speaker is a child like Tom Darce and he innnocently says what he believes to be a logical answer when he says to Tom that it is better his head is bald so the soot won't stick to it.