The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience) : Literary devices
The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience) is a notable literary work by William Blake. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience).
Literary devices
In the poem “The Chimney Sweeper: A little black thing among the snow” by William Blake, the poet uses different literary devices with words to make the poem more interesting.
Alliteration occurs when the same sound at the beginning of words is repeated. In the poem, you can see it in phrases like “happy” and “hearth” in one part and “praise” and “Priest” in another. It makes the poem sound rhythmic and musical.
Assonance is when similar vowel sounds are used in words close to each other. For example, “notes” and “woe” have a similar sound, and so do “snow” and “clothes.” This sound helps create a nice feeling when you read the poem.
Imagery: Imagery means using words to create pictures in your mind. In the poem’s first lines, Blake paints a strong picture when he describes the child as a “little black thing among the snow”