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.
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