Word Choice, Tone and Point of View in William Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper"
...s defined as: gentile and meek. This describes to me the innocence of a child. Line 4 - soot, line 11 - black coffins. The definition I found for the word black in the dictionary is: absence of illumination – color of coal. These entries make a valid reference to the darkness surrounding the characters in this story. Line 13 and 16 show instances of hope in bright – (glowing) and shining – (cause to gleam). These lines begin to describe that there is reason to believe that there is a better end in sight. There are 2 characters in this poem – a narrator who was given up as a young child and little Tom Dacre who is following along the same early path of fear and uncertainty. The speaker’s attitude is one of understanding and compassion towards Tom Dacre. Line 7-8 “Hush, Tom!...