London Analysis

• London

  The poem centres from a first-person perspective on an anonymous speaker (who could be assumed to be Blake) walking through London, and commenting on the filth and corruption he sees, including the child labour, monarchial abuse, and prostitution he witnesses
• Brief Summary


  • It's short and obvious in its criticisms of the authorities which have allowed the city to get into such a dangerous and unpleasant state
• Synopsis

  1. Walking through the streets of London observing its corruption and dirt

  2. Sees signs of sadness and suffering in every person he passes

  3. Signs of child labour, church's corruption, the army and the monarchy

  4. Sees prostitutes and newborn children

  5. Views the carriages of newlyweds as hearses – cycle of misery
• William Blake


  English poet and artist, who was writing during the Romantic literary era. He lived in London for most of his life, and saw it as corrupted by greed and inequality. He thought his city was dirty and corrupt, both literally and metaphorically, and as he thought this was largely due to the political situation lots of his poetry was about political subjects. Poetry was his passion and he would use it to try and instigate change. To help him with this, he would write using simple language so his message was accessible to all. He also stood against oppressing women and supported equality.
• William Blake was considered to have radical political views
• Blake was anti-monarchy and wanted a revolution to remove it, thinking that revolution was inevitable and necessary
• Blake identified as Christian, but rejected organised religion and established church because he saw it as corrupt and hypocritical
• French Revolution

  The French Revolution became an inspiration for many radicals as it was a symbol of how the disenfranchised and oppressed could seize power from the privileged. It resulted in the end of the French monarchy, which is what Blake was hoping for in England, which ended when Louis XVI was executed in 1793. However, it was followed by "reign of terror", with thousands executed via guillotine.
• Industrial Revolution


  England transformed into an industrial power, and oversaw a mass movement to cities from the countryside. However, this urbanisation led to most of London being covered in smog from factories and industrialisation
• Chartered


  The term "Chartered" means government gave the wealthy exclusive rights to land and resources that had been previously owned in common, which meant the wealthy started owning monopolies of land.
• Songs of Experience


  This was a poetry collection that acted as a companion piece to "Songs of Innocence" (1789), which was focused around the innocence and naivety of children and the beauty and peace of nature, providing simple moral messages. On the other hand, "Songs of Experience" exposed the corruption and suffering / the harsh reality of the new, changed world and the social issues (such as poverty, child labour and prostitution) that were attached to it.
• London


  Blake explores the theme of authoritarian abuses of power in his poem which is set in the capital of (arguably) the most important country in the world at the time: London. Blake was a hopeful poet who tried to use his talent at writing to motivate change. Maybe he hoped that readers of "London" would consider their own impact on the run down state of the city, and potentially how they could help improve it.
• Structure of London

  • Four regular stanzas following an alternate rhyme scheme, consistent iambic tetrameter, cyclical structure, and a first-person dramatic monologue perspective
• The repetition of "marks" demonstrates that this is a permanent impact of place's power with wide-reaching and exception-free extent
• The adjective "blackening" refers to the moral blackening of the church, which is a criticism of organised religion and its failure to provide for the disadvantaged members of society
• The juxtaposition of the connotations of new beginnings, joy and happiness of wedding with the end of life and grief of a hearse


  Suggests the cycle of misery in London
• The break from the iambic tetrameter reflects how if people rise up against institutions of power, they can free themselves from societal restraint
• The phrase "youthful harlot's curse" incites sympathy in the reader and also shows pessimistically how every life is destined for misery
• The line "how the chimney-sweeper's cry / Every black'ning church appalls" reflects the lack of morality and action of the church, which should offer support and help to the poor, but instead is focused more on its own wealth
• The juxtaposition of innocence of youth with immorality of harlot highlights the corruption in London
• Iambic Tetrameter


  Technique where the poet uses eight syllables in each line, with pairs of sounds going da-DA with the emphasis on the second syllable
• Blake is fairly consistent in his use of iambic tetrameter
• Iambic Tetrameter


  • Shows order and control, as the consistency of a rhythm provides a sense of the relentless oppression
• ABAB rhyme scheme

  Blake employs this, along with consistent stanza lengths
• Quatrains (4 lines) and fixed structure

  • Enhances the sense of complete control and oppression, which could mimic the way he feels lower classes are trapped in London
  • Highlights how suffering is relentless and never-ending, to the point of being overwhelming
• Breaks and lines that stand out from the rhythm


  Could represent the possible opportunities members of Victorian society have to break free through the small inconsistencies in the tight structure of the poem
• Breaks and structural weakening

  Could serve to reflect the weakness of London's inhabitants, as they have been permanently weakened by the suffering they've endured, and this is the reason why they cannot stand up for justice or rebel against oppression
• The first letters of each line of the third stanza spell out HEAR (Hear Every And Runs)
• Auditory signs of suffering

  Cry, sigh, curse, I hear
• Blake wants the reader to start listening to the signs of suffering around them, as well as listening to his message, ultimately calling for recognition of society's ills
• Juxtaposition


  Contrasting connotations, e.g. "marriage hearse"
• Blake was in favour of liberating women, and felt that marriage itself is an abuse of power, giving men the opportunity to abuse power over their wives
• Anaphora


  A word which refers to a previously used word
• The poem uses the phrase "in every", with "every" also repeated within the lines (seven times in total throughout poem)
• Semantic Field


  A writer uses words which are linked by a theme or topic throughout a text or passage
• Oppression

  • Stems from privatisation, using the repetition of the word "chartered"
  • Juxtaposition between "chartered" and "flow" - "flow" implies freedom, whereas "chartered" is describing it as owned by someone
  • Blake is commenting on the oppression of nature by humans
• Suffering

  • Caused by the institutions of power (monarchy, government, Church)
  • Blake uses the physical features of London as symbols for the different forms of suffering and corruption present within the city
  • Suffering is a symptom of the church's failure to deliver on its duty
  • Babies and children suffer, which incites sympathy and shows how every life is destined for misery
  • Women are victimised, condemned to immorality and prostitution
• Motif of suffering being never-ending

  • Emphasised by the poem's cyclical structure and narrative, which suggests suffering is internalized and inescapable because those who live in London won't act and rise up against their oppressors