Poetry VI / Julius Caesar Act V

College Prep 12

• Discuss "The Chimney Sweeper" from Blake's Songs of Innocence.
• Worked on outlining a critical analysis through the fourth stanza:

I. Intro


a. Literal

i. Young chimney sweeper comforts friend whose hair is cut off.

ii. Friend has a dream of being brought to a wonderful place by an angel. He’s encouraged.

b. Figurative

i. The dream is a metaphor that turns life and death upside down. They are living a kind of death, salvation (life) comes from death (heaven).

II. Stanza 1

a. Begins with a death, related with childlike matter-of-factness

b. Key words:

i. “my father sold me”

1. consequence of extreme poverty

ii. “’weep, ‘weep”

1. Play on words: child too young to say “sweep.” “Weep” elicits the grief/tragedy of the situation.

III. Stanza II

a. Key words:

i. Lamb, white hair (innocence)

ii. “soot cannot spoil your white hair?” Innocence can’t be tarnished?

IV. Stanza III

a. Tom’s dream

i. Sweepers locked in black (death) coffins

1. metaphor for their lives; death in life

ii. The Angel

1. freedom, life, messenger, guardian, from God

2. bright key: moment of death, unlocking the coffin

iii. Imagery

1. green plain: contrast to black coffin; green = life

• Finish last two stanzas plus conclusion for homwork.
• Must have list of three poems (one favorite and two options) for critical analysis by Friday.

Grade 10

• Review story, start Act V.
• Will finish reading tomorrow.
• Video on Thursday
• Multiple choice exam on Friday.
• Essay on Tuesday.