He acts as a jester for the kids, a character that compliments the quirky nanny and her seemingly practical but positive outlook on life.
He’s aware of his social status but is exceptionally content with his life. His lyrics, facial expressions, and cheerful dance moves demonstrate the character’s upbeat attitude and acceptance of his lower class profession. In this ‘ole wide world there’s no ‘appier bloke”
Though I spends me time in the ashes and smoke You might think a sweep’s on the bottommost rung “Now, as the ladder of life ‘as been strung In one scene, while skipping down the streets of London with the children, Bert describes his pride and joy for his job in the song “Chim Chim Cher-ee” with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. He is the male counter part to Mary Poppins (played by Julie Andrews), as both characters are the primary entertainers for Jane and Michael. The children do not fit perfectly into either category of innocence or experience, but are exposed to both through the course of their existence.Īctor Dick Van Dyke plays the lead male role of Bert in this musical production Bert is an optimistic young man who finds delight in his occupation as a chimney sweep. Therefore, the idea of innocence and experience is not a linear progression, but moves back and forth in time. Now regarding Experience, the children’s “fall” is their tainted memories of negligent parents. She finds a solution to any problem that is presented, while showering the children with her enchantment and mystery. When regarding Innocence, Mary Poppins acts as a metaphor for their sheltered life she steps in as the primary caregiver and navigates the children’s obstacles through song and dance. Their innocence is therefore “not immune to the fallen world” as greed and selfishness lead George and Winifred Banks to prioritize work and parties over their children (The Romantics and Their Contemporaries 176). The siblings are young and naïve they are blessed to live a privileged life but are discouraged in their attempts to earn the love and affection of their parents. In addition, Blake’s literature focuses on the concept of purity and a protected innocence in childhood, much like the innocence of Jane and Michael in Mary Poppins. But after comparing this cherished musical to Blake’s poetry, one can recognize the unnerving distinction between musical fantasy and historical reality.
Mary Poppins was an instant sensation, receiving five out of the thirteen academy award nominations that year. The musical uses quirky characters like Bert, to portray chimney sweeps as cheery and charming individuals. In the realm of 20 th century entertainment, the highly successful 1964 American musical Mary Poppins, succeeded in transforming these grim circumstances into a lively musical extravaganza. Their job often cost them their health and more severely, their lives. Chimney cleaning was a dangerous job performed by young boys who were orphans, outcasts, or sold into the profession by their underprivileged families. “The Chimney Sweeper” from both Innocence and Experience conveys a harsh reality of poor children working to survive in 1700s London. Written in two parts, “ Innocence and Experience are definitions of consciousness that rethink Milton’s existential-mythic states of Paradise and the Fall” (The Longman Anthology: The Romantics and their Contemporaries 176). “Song of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul” is considered to be one of William Blake’s most popular works.