The Poem "London," by William Blake

Poem Review # 117937

Literature > English
Literature > Poetry

A detailed analysis of the poem "London," by William Blake.

948 words () | 0 sources | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes William Blake's poem "London," which explores misery and suffering as something that negatively affects all of mankind. The writer explains that this poem is about human desolation and despair during the industrial revolution and describes how, in four short stanzas, Blake manages to describe the tension that exists both between man and society, and between mankind and nature. The poetic techniques used by Blake in "London" are examined and the symbolism and implications of the poem are explained.

From the Paper:

"The poem London makes you feel desolate, it makes you feel desperate. Blake's most powerful visual image in the poem is his "mind-forg'd manacles." In Blake's day, the criminal element wore shackles on their hands and feet as they walked shuffling from court to prison and back or from prison to ships that would take them to penal colonies in Australia. In line eight of the poem Blake makes his most important point; the problems mankind faces aren't problems that came to man from God, the problems mankind faces aren't problems that come from nature, the problems mankind faces are caused by man and man alone."

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APA Citation:

The Poem "London," by William Blake (2012, January 15). Retrieved February 10, 2012, from http://www.academon.com/Poem-Review-The-Poem-London-by-William-Blake/117937

MLA Citation:

"The Poem "London," by William Blake" 15 January 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://www.academon.com/Poem-Review-The-Poem-London-by-William-Blake/117937>