Language

• • Repition of "every" is used to push Blake's message constantly towards reader - to make the realise it is happening to all of London
• "marks of weakness, marks of woe"

  • Repition of 'mark' to show how affected humans are by the control in London, like they are permanently branded
  • Alliteration of 'weakness' and 'woe' emphasise negative side of human experience - how they affect humans
• "in every cry of every man, in every infant's cry of fear"

  • Repeated verb 'cry' shows pain and destruction of city - has emotional impact on citizens
  • Infant - Romantics believed in 'Tabula Rosa'/'blank slate' - a child was born innocent and corrupted - shows exploitation of vulnerable group
• "mind-forged manacles"

  • Metaphor to show humans have psychologically trapped themselves in constructs of establishments as we have given them power and moved away from natural state
  • "forged" - to create something - self inflicted
  • Alliteration - your own victim
• "black'ning church appalls"

  • Black'ning suggests churches are growing filthy, but also religion may have a negative influence
  • Placement of "appalls" is ambiguous - do chimney sweepers horrify the Church? Is the Church itself horrifying?
• "black'ning church appalls"

  • Juxtaposition as church is meant to be place of purity
  • Blake was religious, but religion was no longer emotional or spiritual - was very much controlled as establishment
  • Church of England is connected to monarchy - moves us away from human experience
• "soldiers sigh Runs in blood down palace walls"

  • Metaphor for exploitation at hands of monarchy
  • "blood" - claiming that each life taken at hands of monarchy
• "soldiers sigh Runs in blood down palace walls"

  • Metaphor for exploitation at hands of monarchy
  • "blood" - claiming that each life taken at hands of monarchy
• "youthful harlot's curse"

  • Corruption of idea of childbirth - sexual exploitation and have cursed children into a broken world
• "blights with plagues the marriage hearse"

  • Three lines can be linked to spread of venereal disease, passed from prostitute by man to wife - marriage therefore becomes death sentence
  • Juxtaposition/oxymoron - juxtaposes joy of marriage with misery of death - Blake suggests that society has been destroyed by all good things in life
• • Constant use of negative language to describe misery of society
• • Juxtaposition shows that every hope of happiness is tainted by despair
  • Repetitive use of juxtaposition reflects idea that people's lives are monotonous