William Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper"
1.) I think that Blake's poetry did have the power to enact social change. In the first poem "The Chimney Sweeper from Songs of Innocence," children are forced to work. They work hard and do not complain in hopes that when they die they will be rewarded. The children really had no say in their lives. They just did what they were told and did it the best they could. In the second poem "The Chimney Sweeper from Songs of Experience," the child answering the question is very bitter. He recognizes that even though his parents are praying for him and care for him, they are also the ones who sold him into a life of labor. When reading poems like this and hearing what children are going through, you start to feel bad and little by little a change happens.
2.) I think the editors included the parliament transcript to give readers a better understanding of what was actually happening to those sold into a life of labor. Throughout the entire transcript, you learn about the pain and suffering children went through. They were treated poorly and were not taken care of if they were sick. After a few hours in bed, they had to get back to work. After reading this, I understand better how in Blake's writings he really focuses on the unhappiness and terrible conditions people were faced with.
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