Lacking any choices or rights, the young, alienated sweepers became victims of moral degeneration, a condition only found in Blake's modern society. Abuse of the youth's innocence and the promise of a prosperous life through honest (though abusive) labor became the principle of modern society, and the conditions that served as catalysts for moral degeneration to happen in it. Indeed, in order to alleviate the young, alienated sweepers from this moral abuse, Blake only recommends death as the only way to emancipate or free themselves from it: "That thousands of sweepers...Were all...locked up in coffins of black. And by came an angel who had a bright key, and he opened the coffins and set them all free..." Noticeably, Blake's depiction of the lives of chimney sweepers and illustrating the themes of alienation and moral degeneration was an honest and real description of what suffering, poverty, and death was like to humanity of the 19th century. Death, once a feared state for society, became an acceptable escape for poor and underprivileged people like the poem's chimney sweepers. Equating death as 'heaven's gift,' signified by the presence of an "angel who had a bright key" meant that society had passed a period in history wherein what was considered before as immoral (i.e., to aspire...
William (2001) resounded this assertion when he stated that "...if Blake offers a diagnosis of alienation, decay, and degradation, he also offers a prognosis for reintegration and redemption" (93). Thus, in order for the chimney sweepers to become reintegrated and redeemed by their society, they must accept their plight as impoverished workers. Chimney sweepers who, despite the 'morning cold,' remained "happy and warm; So if all do their duty they need not fear harm." Blake's poem had mirrored that just as time changed, society's status quo had also changed to give way to the further decline of humanity's welfare and plight amid the prosperous 19th century society.
Romantic ideal in the poetry of William Blake, William Wordsworth and Walt Whitman shares the attitude that the most worthy part of human existence lies in simplicity and deep emotion rather than rational thought. Romanticism is based upon a movement away from the rationality of Enlightenment and the wealth-driven society inspired by Industrialism. This ideal is reflected in the work of the poets mentioned above. To demonstrate this, "The
William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, & Percy Shelley For William Blake, religion is but a medium used by self-interested groups and individuals who want to gain power and influence over society. His criticism of religion, particularly inappropriate use of religion by people, is expressed in the poem "Jerusalem." In this poem, Blake expresses his skepticism about religion's purpose for the society, particularly his countrymen: "And did those feet in
(It will be recalled that Wright's then unpublished Lawd Today served as a working model for The Outsider.) Cross, in his daily dealings with the three women and his fellow postal workers feel something akin to nausea. His social and legal obligations have enslaved him. He has inherited from his mother a sense of guilt and foreboding regarding his relationship to women and his general awareness of amoral physical
There are many of these individuals, and it is time that this is changed. Parents often look away from these kinds of problems, or they spend their time in denial of the issue because they feel that their child will not be harmed by parental involvement with drugs or alcohol. Some parents have parents that were/are addicts themselves, and some are so busy with their lives that they do not
A in millions) Current in millions) Provided by Federal Bureau of Investigation as of September 18, 2006. www.whitehouse.gov/goodbye/3ae6b1ac94aa97e6650780f280890a7c81100e47.html" CHART: National Correctional Populations National Correctional Populations The number of adults in correctional population has been increasing. A in millions) Current million in millions) Provided by Bureau of Justice Statistics as of November 30, 2006. (Social Statistics Briefing Room, 2006) More Statistics Violence in the Media Huston and colleagues have estimated that the average 18-year-old will have viewed 200,000 acts of violence on
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