Short Questions with Answers
1. Who wrote “The Chimney Sweeper”?
Answer : William Blake.
2. What happened to the speaker’s mother?
Answer : She died when he was young.
3. Why was the speaker sold by his father?
Answer : To work as a chimney sweeper.
4. What sound does the speaker make while sweeping?
Answer : “‘Weep! ‘weep! ‘weep!”
5. Who is Tom Dacre?
Answer : Another child chimney sweeper.
6. Why did Tom cry when his head was shaved?
Answer : He missed his curly hair.
7. What comfort did the speaker give Tom?
Answer : That soot couldn’t spoil his shaved hair.
8. What did Tom dream about?
Answer : Being set free by an angel.
9. What does the “bright key” symbolize?
Answer : Freedom from suffering.
10. What does “coffins of black” refer to?
Answer : Chimney sweeper’s hardships.
11. What did the angel tell Tom about being good?
Answer : He’d have God as his father.
12. Why did the children wash in the river in Tom’s dream?
Answer : To feel clean and pure.
13. What did the children leave behind in the dream?
Answer : Their bags and burdens.
14. What does “naked and white” signify?
Answer : Innocence and freedom.
15. What time did the children wake up to work?
Answer : Early in the dark.
16. Why was Tom happy despite the cold morning?
Answer : His dream gave him hope.
17. What does the phrase “do their duty” mean?
Answer : To perform their tasks responsibly.
18. What does the poem criticize?
Answer : Child labor and poor working conditions.
19. What literary collection includes this poem?
Answer : Songs of Innocence.
20. What is the central theme of the poem?
Answer : Innocence amidst suffering.
Medium Questions with Answers
1. Why did Tom cry when his head was shaved?
Answer : Tom cried because he lost his curly hair, which he loved. His hair was compared to a lamb’s back, showing its softness and innocence. Losing it symbolized the hard life he was forced into.
2. What is the bright key in Tom’s dream, and what does it do?
Answer : The bright key in Tom’s dream is carried by an angel. The angel uses it to open the black coffins and set the children free. It symbolizes freedom from suffering and hope for a better life.
3. What does the phrase “coffins of black” mean in the poem?
Answer : The “coffins of black” refer to the chimneys where the children worked. It also symbolizes their miserable lives and the death of their innocence. It shows how trapped and hopeless they were in their work.
4. How does the angel help the children in Tom’s dream?
Answer : The angel frees the children from their black coffins and lets them play in the sun. They wash in a river and feel clean and happy. This dream gives hope that there is freedom and joy beyond their struggles.
5. What message does the angel give to Tom in the dream?
Answer : The angel tells Tom that if he is a good boy, God will be his father. He will never lack joy and will always be happy. This gives Tom hope and faith in a better future.
6. Why does Tom feel happy even in the cold morning?
Answer : Tom feels happy because of the dream he had. The dream gives him hope and makes him feel light and free. It helps him face his work with a cheerful heart.
7. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem, and why is it important?
Answer : The rhyme scheme is AABB. It gives the poem a simple, song-like quality, fitting the child narrator’s perspective. This contrasts with the serious message of the poem.
8. What is the role of the angel in the poem?
Answer : The angel gives the children hope and freedom in the dream. It represents kindness and divine help. The angel’s actions show that faith can bring comfort in hard times.
9. What is the poem’s main message?
Answer : The poem shows the suffering of child laborers and their loss of innocence. It also highlights the power of hope and faith in enduring hardships. Blake critiques society’s neglect of children’s well-being.
10. Why are dreams important in the poem?
Answer : Dreams provide the children with a sense of freedom and happiness. Tom’s dream gives him hope to continue working despite his harsh life. Dreams represent the escape from pain and the longing for a better future.
Long Questions with Answers
1. What does Tom see in his dream, and what does it mean?
Answer : Tom dreams of an angel freeing chimney sweepers from black coffins. The children wash in a river, run on green plains, and play in the sunlight. The dream represents freedom, happiness, and a life without suffering. It gives hope to Tom and others who face harsh realities. The dream also symbolizes faith in a better future beyond their struggles.
2. What is the main idea of “The Chimney Sweeper”?
Answer : The poem shows the suffering of children forced into chimney sweeping. It highlights their loss of innocence and harsh working conditions. Through Tom’s dream, the poem offers hope and faith as a way to endure. Blake critiques society for allowing such exploitation. He asks readers to reflect on compassion and the need for social change.
3. How does Blake describe the life of chimney sweepers?
Answer : Blake shows chimney sweepers as innocent children suffering in terrible jobs. Their shaved heads, soot-covered bodies, and black chimneys symbolize their misery. They live in dirty conditions and have no freedom or joy. Despite this, they find comfort in dreams and faith. Blake uses their story to criticize child labor and society’s indifference.
4. What does the angel symbolize in Tom’s dream?
Answer : The angel symbolizes hope, freedom, and divine care. By freeing the children from black coffins, the angel represents the end of their suffering. The angel’s promise of happiness shows faith in a better future. This gives Tom strength to face his work with a positive heart. The angel contrasts the harsh reality with a dream of kindness and joy.
5. What does the poem say about faith and hope?
Answer : The poem shows that faith and hope give strength to endure suffering. Tom’s dream, filled with hope, helps him face his harsh life with happiness. The angel’s promise gives the children a vision of freedom. Blake suggests that faith can lift people above their struggles. This message offers comfort in difficult times.
6. How does Blake use imagery to show the children’s struggles?
Answer : Blake uses vivid imagery like “coffins of black” to show the children’s misery. The soot-covered boys, shaved heads, and dark chimneys highlight their harsh reality. The green plains and sunlight in Tom’s dream symbolize freedom and joy. This contrast between dark and light shows the gap between their struggles and dreams. The imagery makes the poem powerful and emotional.
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