"The Chimney Sweeper" was a great poem. The rhyme scheme works very well. The words painted clear images of what Blake wanted to show us. I got that this is about child labor in the mid-late 1700's. This child was sold to work before it could speak. This becomes clear in the beginning when you read, "And my father sold me while yet my tongue
Could scarcely cry 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!"
These children in the poem are chimney sweepers who seem to be somewhat aware of the health risks of their job. When Tom dreams about the "coffins of black," I pictured the coffins covered in soot. Maybe throughout his time sweeping chimneys, Tom has seen many people die. Tom does however find comfort in his dream that when all is said and done, he will be with god and the angels.
"Mother to Son" sounds like it may be taking place on the mother's deathbed. She tries to tell her son that her life hasn't been easy but she has persevered. Trying to send the message that no matter what he faces, no matter how hard it gets, he can pull through.
Considering the time of this piece and the language, I get the impression that the mother is an african american woman. She has dealt with oppression, "boards torn up," and poverty, "places with no carpet on the floor."
In "For My Daughter" the poem takes a wicked turn in the last two lines. Almost like a twist. As you read the poem you are pulled in one direction and then, just when you think you have it figured out, the speaker says, "I have no daughter. I desire none."
So this poem could mean many things. One of the ways I looked at it after rereading it over and over again was this.
The speaker (we don't know if it is a male or female) could be analyzing ("These speculations in the sour sun.") the state of the world (widespread syphilis, impending war) and coming to the conclusion that having a child at this time may be a bad idea. This person doesn't want their child to grow up in a time like this.
Although I am in no position in life to plan to have a child, this is a thought process I myself have faced when thinking about becoming a father. The condition of the world today is not a burden that I would want my child to bare.
I like it!
ReplyDeleteGreat comments and analysis. Regarding the coffins in Tom's dream, think about what the chimney sweepers' job requires them to do and how coffins might be representative of where/what the boys sweep.
ReplyDeleteYes the speech of the mother in "Mother to Son", as Trudel has pointed out, is reminiscent of dialogue in Hurston's "Sweat". If we look at the last line of the poem,should we reconsider that the mother is on her deathbed?
Yes, Kees' poem, or sonnet to be more specific, does shift in those two last lines. And while your reading is valid and supported by lines of the poem itself, I wonder about the first line where the speaker says "Looking into my daughter's eye..."(Kees 1)?