The Chimney Sweeper

• Important  Question / Answer: 

1. Who composed the poem?
Ans: William Blake composed this poem.

2. Why did the speaker cry?
 Ans: The speaker cried because his hair was shaved to prevent vermin and soot from infesting it.

3. What does the expression ‘That curled like a lamb’s back’ mean?
Ans: The expression ‘That curled like a lamb’s back’ means the exploitation of children.

4. How did the angel open the black coffins?
Ans: The angel opened the black coffins with a special key.

5. At what condition would Tom get joy?
Ans: Tom would get joy at terrible conditions where he was treated miserably by his masters.

6. What do you think there might be in their bags?
Ans: I think there might be special key in their bags.

7. What did the angel tell to Tom?
Ans: The angel told to Tom that if he would be a good boy, he would have "God for his father," and never suffer from unhappiness.

 8. How was the morning?
Ans: The morning was cold.

9. At the end of the poem what message was given to Tom?
Ans: At the end of the poem, Tom was given the message to be a good boy.

10. What is the poem about?
Ans: The poem is about the exploitation of children.

11. What happened when Tom was sleeping?
Ans: When Tom was sleeping, he had a dream in which an angel arrived with a bright key that opened the locks on the coffins and set the children free.

12. What is the central theme of the poem?
 Ans: The central theme of the poem is that the miserable life of all the human beings will be somewhat comforted that their lives will one day improve.

General  Summary For Students:
Ans:


The speaker of this poem is a small boy who was sold into the chimney-sweeping business when his mother died. He recounts the story of a fellow chimney sweeper, Tom Dacre, who cried when his hair was shaved to prevent vermin and soot from infesting it. The speaker comforts Tom, who falls asleep and has a dream or vision of several chimney sweepers all locked in black cons. An angel arrives with a special key that opens the locks on the cons and sets the children free. The newly freed children run through a green eld and wash themselves in a river, coming out clean and white in the bright sun. The angel tells Tom that if he is a good boy, he will have this paradise for his own. When Tom awakens, he and the speaker gather their tools and head out to work, somewhat comforted that their lives will one day improve.

SOME FACTS AND INFORMATION ABOUT THIS POEM 

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