由於18世紀末至19世紀初兒童於工業革命時期受奴役的議題得到重視，人們可透過
威廉˙布萊克（William Blake）的《倫敦》和《掃煙囪工人》清楚看到當時未能防止無
辜兒童在英國新產業中受到剝削的失能政府，而貧窮則成為了勞工家庭讓孩子被聘僱為童
工的主要原因。在當時，許多貧困的家庭認為，讓孩子出外掙錢貼補家用比受教育更重要
。 這種現象促使政府和社會開始重視此議題，並著手改善此社會常態。在這兩首詩中，
威廉˙布萊克選擇採用掃煙囪工人為主題是因為那時的童工多被僱以此工作，且已成為當
代英國史上至關重要的印記之一。這項調查的目的在於重新審視掃煙囪工人對當今生活方
式的影響，並研究關鍵的社會問題，以便深入了解奴役兒童的實施。這項研究會把童工制
度視為18世紀末至19世紀初重要的社會議題。就此意義上來講，我的閱讀將以文本分析方
式去處理影響當代詩歌作品的現有歷史與政治社會產業。對此，本研究將分為三個章節來
介紹。首先是童工問題和其廢除工作。第二部分涉及童工和威廉˙布萊克的《倫敦》。最
後的部分則探討童工和威廉˙布萊克的《掃煙囪工人》。由此研究發現，非常諷刺地，在
英國工業化時期，政府竟無能保護兒童免於惡劣條件的影響。更嚴重的是，在當今的社會
中，童工仍以不同的形式存在著，如：街頭童工等，可見廢除童工的工作依舊還未實施成
功。

Abstract
As the issue that emerged in the late 18th and early 19th century were highlighted by
children being enslaved in the industrial revolution, William Blake's "London" and "The
Chimney Sweeper" demonstrate the dysfunction of government to prevent innocent children
from exploitation in the new industries in Britain. Poverty becomes the reason why families
exploited working-class children. Many destitute families thought that it was more important for
a child to bring home a wage than to get an education. This phenomenon triggers the government
and society to abolish child labor in these eras by providing several movements. Over these two
poems, William Blake introduces the chimney sweeper as child labor became one of a vital part
of the history in Britain. The objective of this investigation is to revisit the way chimney sweeper
affects today's life and to examine the critical social issues in order to get an in-depth recognition
of the practice of slavery in children. This study will look into the child labor system as a
significant social issue in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In that sense, my reading will
conduct a contextual approach to the existing historical and political societal industries that
influence the poetic works at that time. In this regard, this study is presented in three chapters.
The first is child labor and abolition. The second covers child labor and William Blake's
"London". The third discusses child labor and William Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper". As a
result, this thesis discovers that ironically, during the British industrialization period, the
government was unable to protect children from harsh conditions. It also finds that since child
labor today exists in different forms such as street child labor, the work of abolishing child labor
has not yet been completely carried out.

Table of Contents
Thesis Validation Letter i
Acknowledgments ii
Abstract (Chinese) iii
Abstract (English) iv
Introduction 1
Chapter One : Child Labor and Abolition 11
History of Child Labor 11
Abolition of Child Labor 22
Chapter Two : Child Labor and William Blake’s “London” 29
William Blake’s Voice as a Critique to “London” 30
Child Labor in William Blake’s “London” 38
Chapter Three : Child Labor and William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” 41
William Blake’s Voice as a Critique to “The Chimney Sweeper” 42
Child Labor in the William Blake’s “The Chimney Sweeper” 55
Conclusion 61
Works Cited 65

Table of Figures
Figure 1. Population Growth in Britain 18
Figure 2. List of Important Dates about Abolition to Child Labor 26

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