7 Matching Annotations
  1. Apr 2020
  2. docs.google.com docs.google.com
    The Two Chimney Sweeper Poems
    7
    1. jrsanchez8 15 Apr 2020

      First Paragraph

      The first paragraph is more ambiguous in its representation of religion. There are elements of this that do mirror actual tenets of religion. This poem could potentially be taken at face value by very devout members of church, or, as I understand it, portrays religion in a negative light as people using it to control others, and to make them only obey or not demand more.

      Second Paragraph

      This one is definitely much more negative and obvious, and shows the negatives of his experience, and that his employer or superior, as well as God, the Priest, and the King takes pleasure or is complicit with them suffering.

    2. jrsanchez8 15 Apr 2020
      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.

      He seemed to not take the messages in the first poem seriously and knows how bad he has it. However, he implies that God and the Priest and the King make his life miserable (by making most people not want to rebel or demand better?)

    3. jrsanchez8 15 Apr 2020
      So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.

      In this case harm would mean being sent to hell and not being cared after in Heaven? Seems like not sweeping the chimney wouldn't be bad enough for that.

    4. jrsanchez8 15 Apr 2020
      And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,He'd have God for his father & never want joy.

      Seems like very typical stuff in religions: God will provide an endless and great supply of resources (happiness in this case)

    5. jrsanchez8 15 Apr 2020
      That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, & Jack,Were all of them locked up in coffins of black;

      Initially seems like proof of my first statement; he sees something much more serious and worthy of crying about

    6. jrsanchez8 15 Apr 2020
      And by came an Angel who had a bright key,And he opened the coffins & set them all free;Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing they run,And wash in a river and shine in the Sun.

      Even in this sad, terrible thing, that is death, there's a happy afterlife.

    7. jrsanchez8 15 Apr 2020
      There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his headThat curled like a lamb's back, was shaved, so I said,"Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare,You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."

      I'm assuming Tom Dacre's a child.

      The Narrator points out that Tom's head being shaved is not too bad in the grand scheme of things, and could be worse, as with the end of life and old age.

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    docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vSWsCypqykoS7rlnny8QaBE60GeGiesY8l7x7HmosmExhXcxnXZZ-AjO_4JcUgRDzH7ErHpRPanY_03/pub