Blake's "London"

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that whole social aspects of London during eighteenth century are compacted into the short poem, "London." The writer points out that although the poem seems a simple description of the details that Blake might have observed while he was wandering around, it certainly carries more meaning than any depicted pictures. The writer discusses that the poem not only represents the images of the city, but also reveals Blake's own thoughts and ideas about the grim social state of the times. The writer concludes that Blake's negative impressions of the city are especially expressed in his irony, depressed oppression and sarcasm with the examples of chartered streets, a chartered river, the cries of men and of infants, an infant's tear and the marriage-hearse.

From the Paper:

"The poem begins with a note of irony. The narrator wanders the "chartered" streets near the "chartered" Thames. This emphasis on charters, which were given to people who were richer or more powerful than most of the other citizens, shows Blake's disdain for the society of bureaucratic laws, which allow bureaucrats to control public sharing such as, streets and Thames of London. Blake also mentions the Thames to emphasize the extremity of the control because it is ridiculous for somebody to assert control over a river. By adding the word 'chartered' to what they were supposed to be the public facilities, and also by repeating the word, Blake's contempt for the society--controlled by bureaucratic law is indirectly, but clearly revealed in the poem."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "London" William Blake

More papers on Blake's "London":

• Poem Review # 117937 : "The Poem "London," by William Blake"
• Poem Review # 129997 : "William Blake's "London"
• Analytical Essay # 6242 : "A Poetic Cry to Change Corrupt London Society"
• Analytical Essay # 63021 : "William Blake and William Wordsworth"

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