Poems Analysis

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Poem Analysis: “We Wear the Mask” and “The Chimney Sweeper.”
We are in front of two poets of entirely different extractions. Both men lived lives remarkably different from each other and had a myriad of experiences that are difficult to intertwine and relate.
However, there is something about both authors than can serve to connect them; both struggled from recognition yet finally got the praises they deserved. To Blake, a man with a handful of traits, and artistic inclinations it proved hard to gain mainstream recognition for his works. The same happened to Dunbar, who had to struggle against racial prejudice to finally be able to gather the critics’ acceptance. After reading both poems, we have found a link that would allow us establishing parallels between such dissimilar authors; the link is social criticism.
Social criticism proves an important theme in both poems. On one hand, Dunbar criticizes the dominant white society that forces African-Americans to smile while their history has been nothing but full of pain and sorrow. On the other, Blake, a romantic; criticizes the Industrial Revolution and all the situations it had caused, such as child labor; poverty, and squalor.
In this essay, we aim to compare and contrast the themes found in both poems. We shall do a separate analysis of each poem, concerning their subjects; cultural traditions, and historical background as to provide a t…