London

• • the poem is about negative effects of urbanisation and transcendentalism
• " i wander through each chartered street"

  • "wander" - verb of freedom, juxtaposes oppression
  • suggests his Romantic mindset as he understands absolute truth
  • "chartered" - repitition, reflects control
  • juxtaposition of "wander" and "chartered"
• "chartered Thames"

  • corruption of nature
  • nature polluted and controlled by industry
• "mark in every face I meet"

  • urbanisation corrupted individual
  • cause of human suffering
• "in every"

  • anaphora
  • emphasis on inescapable nature of suffering due to urbanisation
• "mind forged manacles"

  • view of establishments as almighty traps society
  • power is construct invented by humans, unnatural to allow establishments to take this power
  • encourages revolution against system we have given power to
• "blackning church"

  • impurity
  • Blake was man of faith
  • he saw establishment of church as corrupt and holding too much power
• "run in blood down palace walls"

  • irony
  • walls are blood to show foundation of monarchy built on suffering of lower class
• • theme of urbanisation taking away innocence and childhood
• structure:

  • controlled structure
  • ABAB rhyme scheme
  • 4 lines in each stanza
• "youthful harlot's curse"

  • loss of innocence
• "blights with plagues the marriage hearse"

  • juxaposition of new life and death
  • shows inescapable destruction caused by urbanisation
  • "blights" connotes disease - industrialisation is disease