The Chimney Sweep and the Barbie Doll: An Unlikely Pair At first glance, the poems The Chimney Sweep by William Blake and Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy appear to have no tangible similarities. However, upon further analysis and interpretation, they can be seen as somewhat similar. In these two poems, the harsh treatment of children, the use of imagery, and the children's self-image in the poems are comparable. Differences between the two poems include the time period in which they were written, the characters' backgrounds, and the characters' reactions to the problems they face. While the surface level information in the poems Barbie Doll and The Chimney Sweep are easy to compare, if you dive a little deeper, the poem Barbie Doll was written and published in 1971. During this time, which was shortly after Barbie dolls became popular. , much attention was paid to the appearance of women, both old and young. Society now had a perception of what it believes should be considered beautiful or attractive in a woman. This could have easily made many women, regardless of age, feel uncomfortable, just like the young girl in the poem. The Chimney Sweep was written in a completely different time period. It was published in 1789, one hundred and eighty-two years before Barbie Doll. At that time, a situation like the one described in this poem was not at all unusual. This was due to the fact that in many parts of the world, child labor laws had not yet been established. Many young children were forced into jobs with atrocious working conditions and menial wages. The difference in the time periods of these two poems is crucial, as it severely alters the characters' upbringing, their social projection, their self-image, and the kinds of problems they have. In the Barbie doll, the girl chooses to end her life instead. to suffer from a negative self-image. She “cut off her nose and her legs / and offered them” (Piercy 17-18). After she mutilates herself in an attempt to make herself beautiful, others notice and comment on how cute her corpse is lying in the coffin. In The Chimney Sweep, the young chimney sweep finds enough hope in religion to carry on. In a dream the boy has a “An angel said to Tom, if he were a good boy, / He would have God for his father, and would never want joy” (Blake 19-20). This gives the boy the motivation he needs to continue his life and so when he woke up “he was happy and warm; / [and] if [he has done his] duty [he] need not fear harm” (Blake 23-24). The boy decides to suffer in his brutal daily life so that one day he can go to heaven, where he will be happy. These two opposing approaches to dealing with the characters' misfortune are what shape both the theme and tone of the film