The Ragged Schools Museum connects to identity and belonging through William Blake's poem, The Chimney Sweeper, by showing how poor children were treated in society. The Ragged Schools Museum shows some of the real-life conditions of poor children during the time that William Blake wrote this poem. The museum used to be a part of an actual ragged school for very poor families, a majority of whose students worked in dangerous jobs, like chimney sweeping. These schools were built to try to give the students a basic education, food, and a safer environment to be in. In The Chimney Sweeper, William Blake talks about children who are forced to work in cruel and unhealthy living conditions without the proper care or attention. The ragged schools during this time were supposed to bring attention to how bad poverty and child labor actually were, showing the efforts that were made during this time period to improve the lives of these children. The contrast between the poem and the museum shows the suffering that the children went through during this time and the efforts made to try to improve the children's lives which helps give a better understanding of what time was like for the children in poverty.
Blake, William. “The Chimney Sweeper: When My Mother Died I Was Very Young.” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43654/the-chimney-sweeper-when-my-mother-died-i-was-very-young
Cartwright, Mark. “Child Labour in the British Industrial Revolution.” World History Encyclopedia, 12 Apr. 2023, https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2216/child-labour-in-the-british-industrial-revolution/
“Hidden London: The Ragged Museum.” The Standard, https://www.standard.co.uk/going-out/attractions/hidden-london-the-ragged-museum-b1238545.html