Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
Blake's "London": An Analysis - College Essays

Blake's "London": An Analysis

In the poem "London", Blake shows that oppression can not be defeated.
Weakness and cursing which then leads to death play the dominant roles in
the poem. Throughout the poem there are descriptions of woe and misery.
Blake uses these to emphasize that poverty and neglect result in confusion,
chaos, and turmoil.

Weakness is one of the dilemmas, in which the poor find difficult to
overcome. In the first stanza Blake says:

" I wander through each chartered street.
Near where the chartered Thames does flow"

The chartered streets, the mind forged manacles and the repetition of key
words all symbolize control over the common man. The chartered streets show
that the government is ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

and that by the influence of others. Even the soul,
according to predestinists, is limited by the supply or lack of divine
grace. Not so the mind; it is the only part of the individual which may
truly be said to be free.

Weakness is also illustrated in the repetitions in the first and second
stanza:

" I wander through each chartered street,
Near where the chartered Thames does flow,
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe,

In every cry of every man,
In every infant's cry of fear.
In every voice, in every ban,"

Blake's repetitions emphasize that there is a continual drone of oppression
and captivity. The audience can hear the common man beating against the
wall of his prison with each repetitive word.

Not only is weakness a dominant role in "London" but so is the cursing of
the institutions and the common man. This is evident in line ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.

Already a member? Login

CITE THIS PAGE:

APA
MLA
Chicago
Turabian

Blake's "London": An Analysis. (2006, June 7). Retrieved January 17, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Blakes-London-An-Analysis/47172

"Blake's "London": An Analysis." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 7 Jun. 2006. Web. 17 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Blakes-London-An-Analysis/47172>

"Blake's "London": An Analysis." Essayworld.com. June 7, 2006. Accessed January 17, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Blakes-London-An-Analysis/47172.

JOIN NOW

Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays

PAPER DETAILS

Added: 6/7/2006 10:08:51 PM
Category: Poetry & Poets
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 648
Pages: 3

Save |

Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS

Save and find your favorite essays easier