London

• "Mind-forged manacles"

  • The only weakness is in their mind
  • Wants a revolution like the French revolution
  • Manipulated by those in power
  • Psychological, all poor think the same, frustrates narrator
  • Metaphor, no control over their lives, their minds are imprisoned.
  • Alliteration of 'm', covey greed of those in power, sound of hunger of those in poverty
  • Wants poor to challenge oppressive system and question inequality and suffereing they face.
  • Raise against monarchy
• "Blackning church"

  • Pollution due to industrialization
  • People aren't as faithful
  • Dying faith and Christianity
  • Criticise Church
  • 'Black' - evil, Corrupt
  • Church is supposed to be pure and protect people
  • Lack of Christian values as not even church helps the poor
  • Moral decay
• "Youthful harlots curse blasts the new born infants tear"

  • Kids follow cycle of poverty
  • 'Infants' - capital i, importance and affect on narrator
  • Continue cycle of misery
  • The first things they hear
  • Children suffer, work for survival, sense of sympathy
• London context:

  • Blake lived in London
  • Wanted to raise awareness of poverty
  • Poor but 'rich in spirit'
  • Hated industrial revolution
  • Romantic poet
  • Spoke for them who couldn't
  • Against monarchy
• London structure :

  • First person narrative : meet every face he meets, direct impact, feel his emotions and feel sympathy.
  • 4 stanza, 4 lines and ABAB rhyme scheme : restriction and no space