Question

The dream in lines 11-20 is a miniature allegory that has several analogies to the world in which the boys live. the "angel who had a bright key /and … open'd the coffins and set them all free" (line 13-14) represents __________.

Answer 1

Answer:

A messenger from God who sets the boys free with the key of death and blissful life in heaven.

Explanation:

William Blake's poem "The Chimney Sweeper" from his "Songs of Innocence" talks about the issue of child labor. The main focus of the poem is a young chimney sweeper who had a dream about an angel and how that gave him the confidence to continue his 'work'.

The lines "And by came an Angel who had a bright key, And he opened the coffins & set them all free;" are from the 4th stanza. The young chimney sweeper, Tom, had seen an angel in his dream. And seeing that the angel brought a key to "set them all free" would help Tom happily continue working despite the gravity of being a chimney sweeper.

The angel's appearance is significant for it represents a messenger from God who would set the boys free and give them a blissful life in heaven.