Essay on Analysis of William Blake's Poem London

Charles Booth’s report ‘Life and Labour of the people in London’ published in 1889 revealed that 35% of Londoners were living in extreme poverty. This evidence shows that the government could no longer ignore poverty, however it was also suggested that this may only be a

In ‘London’ Blake presents the theme of power through a reportage. The narrator wanders through a ‘chartered street’ and by ‘the chartered Thames’. This shows that in the narrator’s eyes the streets are owned and even an aspect of nature such as the River Thames is in ownership of someone. These owners that Blake refers to is the state who are believed to have acquired so much power that they can own natural landmarks. Due to this power, the people in ‘London’ wear metaphorical ‘manacles’ that are ‘mind-forged’ which shows they have trapped themselves due to the pain and suffering the higher class has caused them. Also, the repetition

The tone of the poem changes as the poem progresses. The poem begins with energetic language like “full of heroic tales” and “by a mere swing to his shoulder”. The composer also uses hyperboles like “My father began as a god” and “lifted me to heaven”. The use of this positive language indicates to the responder that the composer is longing for those days – he is nostalgic. It also highlights the perspective of a typical child. The language used in the middle of the poem is highly critical of his father: “A foolish small old man”. This highlights the perspective of a typical teenager and signifies that they have generally conflicting views. The language used in the last section of the poem is more loving and emotional than the rest: “...revealing virtues such as honesty, generosity, integrity”. This draws attention to a mature adult’s perspective.

William Blake channels his general dissatisfaction of the organization of society during the late eighteenth century in his lyrical poem entitled “London” (1794). Blake uses vividly expressive language through the spoken observations of a symbolic character he created to narrate and recite social and political problems afflicting this metropolis in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The poem’s rhythmically patterned linear style, which is very strictly structured, reinforces its central theme: that oppression will be revisited. Blake’s use of such elements of poetry as setting and situation, diction and tone, structure and form, symbols and images, sound and rhyme, and rhythm and meter to convey this

One way that Blake uses to convey his anger on what he sees is through

In William Blake’s sixteen-line poem titled “London,” the speaker appears to draw from his personal observations to describe the people who live in the city of London. He describes the people at the bottom of the society such as the chimney-sweeper’s and the harlots. The people with some authority that belong to a higher class, such as

London, by Blake is a poem rather than a sonnet, composed of four stanzas, each containing four lines. This effect breaks up the poem and helps to give a very plodding, interrupted tone. The rhymes however are consistent, every other line rhymes. This can represent the regimented, predictable nature, reflected in the industry and mechanisation. The contrast to the flowing poem of Wordsworth is evident and makes obvious that the poet's views differ, regarding London.

In his poem, “London,” British poet William Blake describes the appalling conditions of London and its people. Innocence has also been a major theme that is throughout many of Blake’s poem, including “London.” William Blake uses metaphors and imagery to show the themes of disappointment and ruined innocence throughout his poem “London.”

      Blake's genius is evident throughout the poem where his changing meter directly correlates to the point he is making at the moment. The meter is changed in the last line of the first stanza from iambic tetrameter to anapestic dimeter possibly to stress the section (Damon, 1965) The third stanza is anaspectic for the first foot but then reverts to iambic for the last two feet of the line. The speaker begins here by condemning main foundations like the Church and the military capitalizing both words. ?The Chimney - sweepers cry? is basically an exposure to the child labor prevalent during this era. Once again he uses a child to symbolize an innocent victim terrorized by higher authority. Also, these cries are accusations against the Church. Blake uses the phrase ?blackening Church? to expose the Church?s function as a tyrant rather than a source of enlightenment (Lambert Jr., 1995) This line illustrates the Church both blackened by soot and the exploited people who are forced to clean it. At this point it is clear to the reader that Blake?s representation of the church is ironically evil. It forces oppression on the people of the society. He

During the 18th century, London was not charming, clean, and astounding, at least that's what William Blake thought. William Blake and William Wordsworth, poets of the romantic period, wrote poems about London. These two poets expressed how they felt about London about how it was at the time. Blake and Wordsworth create an image in a reader's mind of how they saw London, Blake’s image being dim and Wordsworth's image is brighter. Blake viewed London as an awful place, and Wordsworth viewed London as a cheerful place. Blake and Wordsworth used metaphors, a setting, and they call attention to the classes of the people to get their message to readers.

Blake goes on in the third stanza to comment ok the use of child labour under appalling conditions, attacking the church as it ignores the cries of the chimney sweep. He is disgusted with this practice and appeals against it and effectively shows the church to be appalled by the cries of the complaining chimney sweeps. He describes the church as ‘blackening’, which illustrates the industrialisation of the church. Just as he contrasts the chimney sweeps with the indifferent church, he contrasts the soldiers sent out to die, while the palace pays no attention – ‘the hapless soldier’s sigh runs in blood down palace walls.’

    William Blake's "London" and Octavio Paz's "The Street" both use streets as symbols. Blake analyzes the traits of the different social groups on an everyday encounter while out on the streets, whereas Paz's poem encompasses the feelings of a man on a particular journey down a street.  This is just one of many similarities in the two poems.  Both poems exude an intimate feeling of discontent, yet both are for very different reasons.  Blake's poem deals with the external conflict of a politically unstable London, while Paz's poem deals more with the internal conflict the narrator experiences as a result of low self worth.  One may not catch some of the obvious similarities and differences in these two poems if not looking

William Blake and William Wordsworth both write about London in their poems. “Composed Upon Westminster bridge” and “London” both portray London differently during the industrial revolution. Blake writes about the negative aspects of London while Wordsworth on the other hand writes about the positive aspects of London. Although these poems portray London differently, they do so by the use of similar methods. The methods they use to portray London are exaggeration, use of the five senses, and personification.

The Vindication of the Rights of Man was Wollstonecraft’s first work and was written to respond to Reflections on the Revolution in France of Edmund Burke. Burke was a British writer who had impassionate dialogues on the French Revolution. His work fired up people like Wollstonecraft and Thomas Paine because of his beliefs that in order to revolutionize its traditions, citizens should not rebel against their government. Wollstonecraft acknowledges that reasons and rationality are based on the traditions, not the rights of people. One quote I liked which he states is, "... obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it for a slavish submission to any power but reason,” (Wollstonecraft 153). What I think Wollstonecraft is saying is that parents are a big deal for children. Children when their young will obey whatever their parents command as a matter of power will make them obey them when they are getting older and older even until it’s time to actual make decisions for yourself. The way it should happen is parents should show that the power they have over their children is based upon their good value and better effect of reason (based upon their virtue and superior exercise of reason). Children should learn to only obey their parents to observe that their superiors are balanced and proficient human beings. Wollstonecraft talks more about how parents are a duty for men and women, but women are more responsible for breast feeding and

William Blake grew up in the slums of London and this is shown in his poem, he wrote his poem in the slums and back alleys of London as he never had very much money. He describes London as being “charter’d”, this gives us the impression that everything has rules and boundaries in London, and that there is no mystery to be discovered. Also chartered means on a map, almost as if it is owned, by the king perhaps. The line in which the word is on, “I wander through each charter’d street,