The Chimney-Sweeper (songs of Experience) Analysis By William Wordsworth

The Chimney Sweeper
By William Wordsworth
A little black thing among the snow,
Crying "'weep! 'weep!" in notes of woe!
"Where are thy father and mother, say? "
"They are both gone up to the church to pray.
"Because I was happy upon the heath,
And smiled among the winter's snow,
They clothed me in the clothes of death,
And taught me to sing the notes of woe.
"And because I am happy and dance and sing,
They think they have done me no injury,
And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King,
Who make up a heaven of our misery."
وتسرد معاناة طفل صغير يعمل في تنظيف الكنائس
وتصف القصيدة الطفل لشدة صغرة ووجه الملطخ بالدخان وكأنه نقطه صغيره سوداء وسط الثلج . وهو لشدة صغره لا
يستطيع أن يلفظ كلمة Sweep
جيدا التي معناها
منظف . فهو يصرخ قائلاً ًweep وهنا تظهر براعة وليام بليك بالتلاعب بهاتين الكلمتين ف weep معناها بالانجليزية ابكي واندب
وكأن الطفل بدل أن ينادي بالشوارع باسم وظيفته حتى يناديه من يحتاج إليه
فهو يدعو الجميع للبكاء والنواح على حاله- الطفل ليس بهذا الذكاء بل وليام بليك باستخدامه هاتين الكلمتين_
وعندما يسأله أحدهم عن والديه يبدأ الطفل بسرد قصته كيف جعلاه والديه يعمل
فقط لأنه كان سعيدا ويلهو مع الصبية وهنا اشارة ان سبب تعاسة معظم الاطفال
اباءهم. ويقول الطفل لأني كنت سعيدا وأغني لقد اعتقدوا انهم لم يؤذوني بشيء.
وهنا يأتي البيتان الاخيران الذين اقما اوروبا الكاثوليكية واقعدها
فهو يقول ذهبا -يقصد والديه-للكنيسه ليمدحا الله ورجل الدين والملك
الذين أقاموا جنتهم على حساب تعاستنا.
وبليك لا يقصد
الله الذات الالهيه بل الملوك واصحاب السلطه والكنيسه التي كانت تضيق الخناق
على الاوروبين انذاك

THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER (Experience)
This poem savagely exposes the hypocrisy of conventional religion; the father and mother are gone up to church to pray while their child is abandoned to the elements. The narrator asks the chimney sweep where his parents are; the child tries to explain why they have abandoned him to misery. The poem is also savage about how we misunderstand children’s emotions: because the young sweep might appear happy, in the sense that he is making the best of a dreadful situation, his self-serving and self-deluding parents choose to believe that they have done him ‘no injury’.
The force of the scene is heightened by being placed in winter, amid ‘snow’, reflecting and emphasizing the cold-heartedness of the everyday world of Experience.
In his second The Chimney Sweeper Blake condemns the hypocrisy of the pious, especially of the clergy who opposed the legislation to correct the abuses against these young waifs. The line “And because I am happy & dance & sing” may refer ironically to a May day custom; sweeps and milkmaids were given the day off and permitted to sing, dance, and do stunts in the streets for pennies.
A very much darker and more savage vision here than in the counterpart poem in the Songs of Innocence. The references to a church which is complicit in the repression of the child, together with the treatment of the negligent parents, make this one of the most bitter poems in the sequence, with its emphasis on a whole system (God, Priest and King) which represses the child, even forcing him to conceal his unhappiness (a reference to being “clothed”), psychologically as well as physically).
THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER
The Chimney Sweeper is sons of experience, a very dark and very pessimistic. The Sweeper does not free himself from his misery
In the first two lines, Blake gave us an image of anguished child in a state of agony or even in a state of corruption
The color black seems to be very important because it is used represent sin against innocence, the color of white snow
This stanza ends by someone asking him about his parents which later end up being responsible for this child’s state
In the second stanza, the child is pictured in a very more happier and playful mood

This soon changes when he decided to tell the stranger more about his parents. They are showed to be punishing their child for being so happy
It is very obvious the sweeper’s feels hate towards his parents for putting him in such sadness, and he was choose to hide it
It is clear in the last stanza that Blake’s criticizing the church, especially, and the state for letting a lot of these things happen.
During this time many children were dying from malnutrition
Neither the state nor the church did anything to stop this and is obviously why Blake feels so much anger towards them
The sweeper’s parents are really no help towards their own child
This makes the reader wonder if they are worshipped god the source of good things, why do they choose to ignore their own child
It is clearly shows Blake’s anger towards society at this time
He used his poems to make people aware of the suffering of people at this time.

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Sonnet 60 Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore Analysis

This is one of the most famous of the sonnets and perhaps the best illustration of the theme of the ravages of time. Each quatrain engages the theme in a unique way, with the destructive force of time redoubling with each successive line. Although the poet seems certain that Time's destruction is inevitable, he is nonetheless hopeful that his verse will get away with it in the end.
In quatrain one the flow of time is compared with the incessant beating of the waves against a shore, each wave building in strength and then crashing down again only to be followed by another in its place. The second quatrain uses the sun as a metaphor for human life: it is born ("Nativity") and "crawls" (like a baby) until it reaches its highest point, whereupon it is "crown'd" (with maturity) and then proceeds to fall back into darkness, or death. Line 8 concludes the metaphor with the assertion that Time both gives the gift of life and takes it away again.
This sentiment is repeated in lines 9-12, only more strongly and deeply. Time destroys the perfection of youth: he digs deep wrinkles in a beautiful face and devours the preciousness of nature in its most perfect shape - "And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow." (Time and Death each were often pictured carrying a scythe.) Nevertheless, the final couplet speaks of the poet's intention to outsmart Time himself, defying his "cruel hand" by eternalizing the fair lord in his verse. This intention has been expressed in previous sonnets; see sonnets 17-19 for examples.
Again, sonnet 60 may be the best exemplar of the theme of the ravages of time. This theme is prevalent throughout the sonnets, and it takes many different forms, sometimes referring to the destructive power of time in general, other times focusing on the effects of time on a specific character in the sonnets such as the narrator or the fair lord. The narrator seems to be hauntingly preoccupied with the passing of time and everything that it entails, including mortality, memory, inevitability, and change. He is distressed over such things that he has no control over, and at times he appears to be fighting a futile battle against time itself, just like the sun in line 7 of sonnet 60: "Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight."
Finally, some scholars have suggested that the ordering of the sonnets does not in fact correspond to the chronological order of the events they describe. Could this possible rearrangement be a deliberate attempt on Shakespeare's part to defy the one-way linear progression of time? It is interesting to note that certain sonnets with "special" (i.e. time-related) numbers take up the theme of time themselves. Sonnet 60 is a good example of this: note the pun on "our minutes" in line 2 - the phrase sounds like "hour minutes" - this is sonnet 60, and there are 60 minutes in an hour. For another example see sonnet 12, which begins, "When I do count the clock that tells the time"; as we all know, there are 12 hours on a clock face. Could these just be coincidences?

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Sonnet 60 (Addressed to the Young Man)
 

Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,	Like . . . end: Simile comparing the speed of the passage of time to
So do our minutes hasten to their end;	to the speed of waves moving toward a shore
Each changing place with that which goes before,	One wave takes the place of the wave that was there moments before.
In sequent toil all forward do contend.	This action is repeated without end.
Nativity, once in the main of light,	Nativity: early life; main of light: morning light without shadows
Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown'd,	Crawls to maturity: Young people crawl figuratively, like a baby
Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight,	Crooked eclipses: effects of aging (metaphor: aging dims the light)
And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.	Time now becomes an enemy
Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth	transfix: paralyze, stop (the ability to bloom and flourish)
And delves the parallels in beauty's brow,	delves the parallels: carves wrinkles in the brow
Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth,	And consumes youthfulness
And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:	Eventually death (scythe) cuts down the aging man
.....And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand,	However, I hope my verse will remain (continued on next line)
.....Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.	to praise all of your worthy qualities

.

 Sonnet 60 Meaning

.

.......This sonnet says time passes swiftly, just as swiftly as ocean waves rushing toward a shore. The word minutes in Line 2 and the number of the sonnet, 60, suggest that life passes like the 60 minutes in an hour. Although a young man stands for a while in the bright sunlight of youth, advancing age will all-too-soon appear as a cloud that hides the sun. Wrinkles will appear and infirmities will develop. Eventually, death–with its scythe–will come to reap its harvest. However, the poet’s verse will live on to extol the qualities of the man as he was in his youth.

What's he saying?

"Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore / So do our minutes hasten to their end;"

Like waves moving toward the pebbled shore, the minutes of our lives are ticking down,

"Each changing place with that which goes before / In sequent toil all forwards do contend."

Each minute (or wave) replacing the previous one, in a continuous forward march.

"Nativity, once in the main of light / Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown'd,"

The newborn sun rises above the sea and crawls up to maturity (noontime), where it is kingly,

"Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight / And Time that gave doth now his gift confound."

But slanting eclipses challenge the sun's glory, and Time, which gave the noon sun, now clouds it over.

"Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth / And delves the parallels in beauty's brow,"

Similarly, time destroys the perfection of youth, and carves wrinkles in a beautiful face,

"Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth / And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:"

And time feeds on the preciousness of nature's perfection, and lays waste to all in its path.

"And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand / Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand."

And yet I hope my verse will stand the test of time, praising your worth in spite of Time's cruel hand.

Why is he saying it?

This is one of the most famous of the sonnets and perhaps the best illustration of the theme of the ravages of time. Each quatrain engages the theme in a unique way, with the destructive force of time redoubling with each successive line. Although the poet seems certain that Time's destruction is inevitable, he is nonetheless hopeful that his verse will get away with it in the end.

In quatrain one the flow of time is compared with the incessant beating of the waves against a shore, each wave building in strength and then crashing down again only to be followed by another in its place. The second quatrain uses the sun as a metaphor for human life: it is born ("Nativity") and "crawls" (like a baby) until it reaches its highest point, whereupon it is "crown'd" (with maturity) and then proceeds to fall back into darkness, or death. Line 8 concludes the metaphor with the assertion that Time both gives the gift of life and takes it away again.

This sentiment is repeated in lines 9-12, only more strongly and deeply. Time destroys the perfection of youth: he digs deep wrinkles in a beautiful face and devours the preciousness of nature in its most perfect shape - "And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow." (Time and Death each were often pictured carrying a scythe.) Nevertheless, the final couplet speaks of the poet's intention to outsmart Time himself, defying his "cruel hand" by eternalizing the fair lord in his verse. This intention has been expressed in previous sonnets; see sonnets 17-19 for examples.

Again, sonnet 60 may be the best exemplar of the theme of the ravages of time. This theme is prevalent throughout the sonnets, and it takes many different forms, sometimes referring to the destructive power of time in general, other times focusing on the effects of time on a specific character in the sonnets such as the narrator or the fair lord. The narrator seems to be hauntingly preoccupied with the passing of time and everything that it entails, including mortality, memory, inevitability, and change. He is distressed over such things that he has no control over, and at times he appears to be fighting a futile battle against time itself, just like the sun in line 7 of sonnet 60: "Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight."

Finally, some scholars have suggested that the ordering of the sonnets does not in fact correspond to the chronological order of the events they describe. Could this possible rearrangement be a deliberate attempt on Shakespeare's part to defy the one-way linear progression of time? It is interesting to note that certain sonnets with "special" (i.e. time-related) numbers take up the theme of time themselves. Sonnet 60 is a good example of this: note the pun on "our minutes" in line 2 - the phrase sounds like "hour minutes" - this is sonnet 60, and there are 60 minutes in an hour. For another example see sonnet 12, which begins, "When I do count the clock that tells the time"; as we all know, there are 12 hours on a clock face. Could these just be coincidences?

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Winter By William Shakespeare summary and analysis and themes

Winter

This poem by Shakespeare is divided in to stanzas with nine lines each.

The meaning of the words:


Icicle: thin point stick of ice that hangs down from something such as a roof.


Dick: name of person.


Shepherd: someone whose job is to take care of sheep.


Blow: wind moving.


Log: peace of cut trees.


Hall: a room or passage that is just inside the front entrance of a house or public building.


Pail: bucket.


Nipped: frozen.


Foul: disgusting, very ugly.

Nightly: every night.

Stare: to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes.


Owl: kind of bird hunts at night and has large eyes.


Merry: happy.


Greasy: full of oil.


Keel: cooling.


Blow: to remove.


Cough: pushing air out of your throat with tough sound because you are sick.


Parson: the man of the church.


Saw: a tool with sharp points, used for cutting wood.


Brood: to think sadly.


Marian: name of a girl.


Raw: uncooked.


Roasted: to cook or be cooked in an oven or over a fire.


Crabs: a wild fruit (green apple).


Hiss: sound (hiss).


Bowl: a wide round container that is open at the top, used for holding liquids, food etc.

Paraphrasing + imagery + figure of speech:


When icicles hang by the wall


The poet describes the ice that hangs down from the roof in a way to describe how cold the weather is. Here we have visual image.


And Dick the shepherd blows his nail


He is talking about a shepherd called Dick who is sitting out side suffering from the cold weather and he is trying to warm his hand. Here we have image of feeling the skin (very cold).


And Tom bears logs into the hall


Another man called Tom is carrying the peaces of wood that he cut to store. He is working extremely hard in cutting the wood. Here we have visual image (hard work, very cold).


And milk comes frozen home in pail


Even the milk becomes frozen from the very cold weather. The image here is visual.


When blood is nipped and ways be foul


The blood in the veins of the people is also becomes frozen and all the roads are very dirty. The image is feeling because you feel it in your skin and visual image (dirty roads).


Then nightly sings the staring owl


Every night the owl is singing it is song "Tu-with_tu-who". The image is hearing.

"Tu-with.tu-who"

This is the song that the owl is singing every night. It is a scary sound and not nice. Here we have hearing image.


A merry note


He found the song is very happy. There is an irony (figure of speech) in this line because the sound of the owl is very ugly and scary but he found it happy because it is the only sound he could hear at night in the winter. The image is hearing.


While greasy Joan doth keel the pot


In the time that dirty Joan is keeling the pot, this is a pleasant image for John who is preparing the warm food in a cold winter. In other hand, Joan looks dirty because cleaning clothes is a very hard work in winter. We have here visual image. ……………………………………………………………………………………….

When all aloud the wind doth blow

It is a description for the loud sound of the wind, it is a sound imagery because in this line you can imagine that you are hearing the wind blows. The image is hearing.

And coughing drowns the parsons saw

The voice of the sick people in the church while they are coughing is very loud and annoying so he describes it as the sound of the saw and no one can hear the parsons talking. Here we have hearing image and metaphor.

And birds sit brooding in the snow

The birds are sitting sadly and not singing because of the snowy weather. The image is visual.

And Marian's nose looks red and row

The little girl Marian has a red and row nose because of the very cold weather and sickness. Here we have visual image and metaphor.

When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl

Heated green apples are making a hissing sound in the dish because of the cold weather. The image is hearing.

………………………………………………………………………………………

Theme:

Poetry should not just deals exclusively with beauty like sunset, flowers, or love. The function of poetry is sometimes to be ugly rather than beautiful, and poetry may deal with common goals and grassy cooks as good as with sunset and flowers.

The poem contains no moral, no lessons, no messages like some readers wants.

The main theme in this poem is about the tough and extremely cold winter. It is descriptive poem for conditions that people went through in the cold winter in that time

The speaker:-
There is only one speaker in the poem who seems to be the poet himself.

Paraphrasing :-

First Stanza:-

The poet gives to us homely details of the cold weather in winter.
He said that water is freezing while it is dropping from the wall, so it is extremely cold.
And people can't stop working because the coldness of winter and they have to go out and work.
Dick the shepherd has nothing to warm him just his breath because he is poor man so he is blowing his fingertips to warm him.
And Tom is working hard to survive in this cold winter. He cuts logs and brings them home to fuel the fire to get their home little warmer.
Also in this cold weather while they were getting the milk from the farm to the house . it froze in the bucket before it arrives to the home , So they can't drink it until its defrosted .

Second Stanza :-
Harsh winter and extreme cold make the blood frozen too. And the people couldn't move around easily because of this cold and because of the street are full of mud.
At the night while Joan a greasy, dirty looking women was keeling a pot to prepare some hot food in this coldness.
The staring owl was singing in scary tune. And when the poet said "merry note" it is ironic because people always believe that the owl tone is scary and gives pessimistic feeling of death.

Third Stanza:-
When the wind blew with noise, it made the weather colder. And in the church while the priest was giving an important religious speech people usually listen and the room is quiet but actually no one was hearing him from people's coughing because they were sick and that drowned his voice. Also the birds were sad and not moving in the snow as if they were nesting, And Marian has got a cold from this horrible winter .Therefore her nose is red and soft.

Forth Stanza:-
In winter people usually prepare warmed food .So they prepared some roasted and hot apples At night the owl was singing again while Joan was keeling hot food which makes life bearable .The repetition of the sound that the owl makes adds a humorous and scary tone .Although the owl is a symbol of bad luck but Shakespeare trying to use it to add cheerful note and atmosphere to the poem.

The main idea:-
The unpleasant and cold season winter and the cold feeling the speaker feels.

Imagery:-
[When icicles hang by the wall]
[And milk comes frozen home in pail]
[And birds sit brooding in the snow]
[And Marian's nose looks red and raw]
[While greasy Joan doth keel the pot]
Visual image
[When blood is nipped, and ways be foul]
[And Dick the shepherd blows his nail]
There is imagery sense of feeling
[When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl]
Auditory imagery

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