Mary Alcock's The Chimney-Sweeper’s Complaint

The Chimney-Sweeper’s Complaint

Mary Alcock

Mary Alcock is a British poet, who belongs to the period of Industrial revolution. In her works, she has recorded the impacts of industrial revolution, especially upon children. During the industrial revolution, which started around 1760’s in Briton had a high demand for labour. Due to it many families migrated from rural areas to the industrial towns with a hope of better life. But it required hard work of the entire family member. Thus the children of the poor parents/orphans worked hard for a little pay or no pay.

          A chimney sweeper is a one who cleans ash and dust from the chimneys in the factories. The chimneys are built with a particular height and size. A chimney sweeper is a grown up man who is large to enter into the chimney. So he sends his apprentice, a boy or a girl from the age of 6 to 12. Most of the chimney cleaners do not get money instead live with the master. They are poorly fed and lived a pitiable life.

         This poem by Mary Alcock portrays the pitiable condition of a chimney sweeper boy under the control of his master. The poem is in the first person narration. The boy is addressing to unknown listeners about his sufferable life. The boy introduces himself as a chimney sweeper’s boy and he begs the listener to pity his fate. He states that knowing his helpless condition will draw tears to the listeners. He stays far away from his home and nor fortunate to see his parents; may be his parents live in a distant place or he is an orphan. His master will remove the skin from his body by beating if he appeals to him. It indicates the cruel treatment received by the chimney sweeping boys from their masters.

A chimney sweeper

        He begs the listeners to have pity on him. Even though he looks black in colour and many are passing comment on him, he tells only the truth. This information indicated the belief of the white community that the black people lie. The boy continues to address the listeners with the physical discomfort he faces. Chillness makes him to be numbered and due to it he walks in a shaky way. The chimneys are always hot which leaves the boy’s legs to be burnt and injured by stones. Due to lack of food his body looks like a skeleton. Even with such a bad health condition, the boy was forced to work day and night. The master claims that the boy is his apprentice and he has the rights to make him work. By stating so the master sends the boy to the highest top of the chimney to sweep. The boy with his panting heart and crying eyes climbs to the chimney.

                               The boy suddenly stops his narration by saying that his master is coming. He requests the listener to remember him. He does not expect anything from the listener except to share his suffering to someone.  He concludes it by wishing to hide under the ground. It indicates that he might want to be invisible or to die. The poem tries to portray the pitiable condition of the children during the industrial revolution period, which did not have any law towards children.