Chimney sweeper

Similar words
Infest- exit in abundance, be all over place, be plentiful, overspread Sweep- clean
Soot- dirt, smoke, carbon, ash Lamb- sheep’s young one
Vermin- lice, pest, fly Back- hind part, backside, opposite part of chest
Chimney- smoke, fireplace, furnace, hearth, pipe, stack, Hush – be silent
Coffins- box for dead person, sarcophagus, pall, funerary box Never mind- don’t take it uneasy
Curled- spiral, twist, wave Bare- naked without clothing, undressed
Harm- injury, evil, abuse, damage Spoil- destroy
Joy – great happiness, pleasure, bliss, charm, Sight- view, visions, dream
Key- essential, important, item that unlocks, opener Sweepers- persons who clean and maintain, cleaning persons
Leaping- jumping, bouncing, hopping Lock up- close by locking
Locked up- caged, imprisoned, confined Angel- a messenger of god
Quiet- peaceful, silent Bright- shining
Scarcely- barely, hardly, seldom Wind- moving air
Shaved- cut, cut down, sheared Awake- got up, arose, waked up
Shine- gleam, glare, glow Dark- lack of light, black, dusk
Open- exposure, uncover Brush- a thing for cleaning the floor, broom
Set free- release, liberate, free Warm- likeable heat, moderately hot
Plain- field Duty- responsibility
Laughing- smiling Fear- scare, threat
Wash – bathe, clean Harm- injury, damage, hurt
Sold – disposed of
Decide true or false
1. The speaker’s father is a chimney sweeper-F 11. The speaker told Tom to be quiet and not to be worried about hair-T
2. He was a teenager boy when his father sold him-F 12. There were the speaker and Tom only working on the sweepers-F
3. Tom’s hair was shaved because his mother died-F 13. Tom saw an angle in his dream who set all sweepers free-T
4. Tom Dacre cried when his hair was shaved-T 14. The angel advises Tom to be a bad and rebellious boy-F
5. Only three sweepers were locked in the coffins-F 15. Tom decided to be a good boy and went off to work-T
6. When they were set free, they went to river to have a bath- T 16. The bags are closely related to chimney sweeping equipments-T
7. The speaker’s father sold him to somebody who ran a chimney 17. The speaker was a small boy when he lost his mother-T
cleaning business-T 18. Tom Dacre is the speaker’s fellow chimney sweeper- T
8. The boy slept in a cozy room after work-F 19. The soot would spoil Tom’s white hair-T
9. Tom Dacre is the speaker’s boss-F 20. The angel spoke only to Tom-T
10. Little Tom Dacre liked being shaved off- F
Answer the following questions
1) In Tom’s dreams, he sees thousands of sweepers locked up in black coffins. What do the coffins symbolize?
= Black coffins are the symbolic of the lives that the sweepers lived, being poor out casts in society and having stained unwashed skin and often
disfigured bodies.
2) What does Blake want to say in lines 3 and 4 in stanza 4?
= After the sweepers were set free (in Tom’s dream), they washed their bodies in the river. The sweepers shine in the sun, it’s because of the
reflection of the water on the bodies.
3) What does the word ‘naked’ in stanza 5 express?
=It expresses that in Tom’s dream the sweepers are naked and flying on the clouds in the winds.
4) What does the word ‘bag’ in line one stanza 5 symbolize?
=’Bags’ represent something that they are closely related to the chimney sweeping profession.
5) Who composed the poem?
= William Blake composed the poem.
6) When did the speaker’s mother die?
= The speaker’s mother died when he was very young.
7) Who is the speaker in the poem?
=The chimney sweeper is the speaker in the poem.
8) Who does the chimney sweeper really blame for his suffering/grief?
=The chimney sweeper really blames his father for his suffering.
9) Why did the speaker’s father sell him?
=The speaker’s father sold him because he was cruel.
10) What was the speaker’s reaction when he knew that he was going to be sold?
=Speaker’s weeping or crying was his reactionwhen he knew that he was going to be sold
11) Who do you think the speaker is? = I think the speaker is a young chimney sweeper.
12) How old was the speaker when he was sold to a master sweep?
= Perhaps the speaker was 4 or 5 years old when he was sold to a master sweep.
13) Why does Tom dream of setting free?
= Tom dreams of setting free to get better life and free from burden life.
14) What did the angle tell Tom? What did the angle tell Tom to do?
 = The angel told Tom to be a good boy to get the mercy of god as father.
15) The poem ends with the moral. What’s that?
= The moral is that if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.
16) Where did the narrator sleep in the chimney?
=The narrator slept in soot in the chimney.
17) Who is Tom Dacre? Why did he cry?
= Tom Dacre is the speaker’s fellow chimney sweeper. He cried because his curled hair was shaved.
18) What is Tom’s hair compared with? =Tom’s hair is compared with the lamb’s hair.
19) Why does the speaker tell Tom to be happy with his shaved off head?
=The speaker tells Tom to be happy with his shaved off head because soot can no longer spoil his white hair.
20) What does the speaker mean by ‘white hair’?
= According to the speaker ‘white hair’ means the innocence of child.
21) Who did Tom see in his dream?
= He saw thousands of sweepers locked up in black coffins and an angle setting them free.
22) Why did the speaker cry?
= The speaker cried because his father sold him/his hair was shaved off.
23) What does the expression ‘That curled like a lamb’s back’ mean?
= The expression ‘That curled like a lamb’s back’ means having curly hair like lamb’s wool.
24) How did the angle open the black coffins?
= The angle opened the black coffins using a brighter key.
25) What do you think there might be in their bags?
=I think there might be equipments needed to sweep chimney in their bags.
26) What did the angle tell Tom?
=The angel told Tom to be an honest and good boy.
27) At what conditions would Tom get joy?
=Tom would get joy if he’d be a good boy.
28) How was the morning? = It was cold.
29) At the end of the poem what message was given to Tom?
= At the end of the poem, the message given to Tom was that if all do their duty, they need not fear them.
30) Where were sweepers locked in? =They were locked in black coffins.
31) Why did the angle come to visit the chimney?
=The angel came to visit the chimney to set the sweepers free from the locked up black coffins.
32) What was the reaction of the boys after they were set free?
=They ran through a green plain by leaping and laughing after they were set free. Extreme happiness was the reaction shown by them. (33)What
did the sweeper’s bags contain? =Their bag contained equipments needed to clean the chimney.
33) Who would help a good boy? =God would help a good boy.
34) Why was the Tom happy with his work?
= Tom was happy with his work because he believed that if he did his duty, no harm would come to him.
35) What is the theme of the poem?
= The message of the poem is that if one performs one’s task on Earth in an innocent manner, one will be rewarded in heaven.
36) Why was Tom Dacre’s head shaved?
=His head was shaved to prevent vermin and soot from infesting it.
37) How did the speaker comfort when he was crying?
= The speaker comforted Tom telling him that the soot could no longer spoil his hair.
38) Who were locked up in the coffins? =The sweepers were locked up in the coffins.
39) How were the locked coffins opened? = The angle opened the locked coffins with a bright key. In this way the locked coffins were opened.

A. Answer the following questions. 5x1=5 (2075)

a. When did the speaker’s mother die? = When he was very young.
b. Who was the speaker sold into the chimney-sweeping business by? = By his father.
c. Why did Tom Dacre cry? =He cried because his head was shaved.
d. What does the phrase ‘That curled like a lamb’s back’ mean? =The phrase means curly hair.
e. Who opened the coffins? How?= An angel opened the coffin with bright key.
Answer these questions. 5x1=5 (2075)
a. Who is the speaker in the poem? =A chimney sweeper boy is the speaker in the poem.
b. Why did Tom Dacre cry? = Tom Dacre cried because his hair was shaved.
c. What is Tom’s hair compared with? = His hair is compared with a lamb’s back/curly back of a lamb.
d. How did the speaker console Tom? =He consoled Tom by saying the soot won’t spoil his hair.
e. What did the angel do in the dream? =The angle opened the coffins and set them free.