Think about the first eight lines and the tone of the rest of the poem. Based on the poem, how do you think William Blake felt about child labor in London during the Industrial Revolution? Use at least three pieces of evidence from the poem to support your response. Your answer should be three to four sentences long. The Chimney-Sweeper

In this poem, William Blake describes the life and the great suffering of poor children. During this time period, children often had to work in order to survive. This was the case with poor children and orphans. It was a sad and very difficult existence.

In the poem, Blake reflects on such a life by showing how tragic and difficult it could be. It is clear that Blake feels sorry for these children, and that he believes this to be a life of suffering and sorrow. He talks about the pain of being an orphan when he says "When my mother died I was very young,/And my father sold me while yet my tongue/Could scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!"" Blake also highlights the innocence of children who face this type of life when he says "There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head/That 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."" Finally, Blake describes the very difficult conditions that the children faced, which add to the tragic tone of the poem ("So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.").