The poem "London" by William Blake is a reflection on the social and political climate of London in the late 18th century. The speaker in the poem walks through the streets of London and observes the various forms of poverty and oppression that exist within the city.
The speaker first describes the "every face" that he sees as being "mark'd with weakness and woe," suggesting that the people of London are suffering from some sort of hardship or distress. The speaker then goes on to describe the "cry of every street" as being "howling" and "every cry of every man" as being a "cry of sorrow." This serves to further emphasize the sense of despair and suffering that is present in the city.
The speaker also makes reference to the "youthful harlot" who "curse[s] the new-born infant," which suggests that even the young and innocent are not spared from the harsh realities of life in London. The speaker also mentions the "every face" that he sees as being "mark'd with marks of weakness, marks of woe," which further emphasizes the pervasive nature of poverty and suffering in the city.
Throughout the poem, the speaker employs vivid and evocative language to convey the sense of despair and hopelessness that he observes in London. He also uses repetition and rhetorical devices, such as anaphora, to drive home the message that the people of London are living in a state of constant suffering and misery.
Overall, "London" is a powerful and poignant reflection on the social and political climate of London in the late 18th century. Through vivid and evocative language, the speaker conveys the sense of despair and hopelessness that he observes in the city, and serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of poverty and oppression.
London Poem Summary and Analysis
In the third stanza. What type of poem is London? In fact, forging is simply the heating and hammering method of metals in order to weld them together. The harlot is a young victim. Stanza 4 The streets at midnight are echoing with the curses of the youthful harlots, which suggests how young girls are corrupted into prostitution unwillingly. In the third stanza, Blake mentions a number of societal jobs that are affected by the instability, including the Chimney-sweep, Church, and Soldier.
The Symbolism and Imagery in "London" by William Blake
They were worried the British would revolt due to the social and political inequalities felt by most at the time. The same constraint occurs in the language itself. Conditions in the city have worsened under the government's economic and social control, and people have abandoned much of their moral and ethical behavior. Iambic tetrameter is what gives the poem its "singsong" quality, as it perfectly matches the time signature of most popular songs, especially children's songs. The poet says that he often visits midnight streets in the night.
The Use Of Language And Structure In 'London' By William Blake: Free Essay Example, 882 words
Exploited Youth The third stanza presents an interesting visual play on words, because the initial letters of this stanza spell out "HEAR. Moreover, Blake considers London to be a place of misery and disruption. The children born of these prostitutes were abandoned as they prostitutes could not afford to feed them. The speaker presents nothing positive about London. Their usage provoke the reader to delve deep and feel what sorrows the poet has tried to capture. Love has been portrayed as a negative force in this poem. Note that the poet uses cries instead of protests because the poor, the infants and all the underprivileged lack education and cannot protest again the system.
London Summary and Analysis
Widespread Conformity In the second stanza, the word "every" is stressed five times to emphasize the widespread nature of London's misery. One does not expect matrimony to be plagued by death, but in this poem, marriage is far from happy. The speaker of the poem is capable of hearing the sadness or pain in the cries of all people of London and those of its infants as well. They were forced to deal with the sins of their family members as well as the darkness of the urban streets also. These children were forced to work in chimneys by the church. But, according to the speaker stanza 4 , the most notable among the people who are suffering in the streets of London are the prostitutes.
#LiteraryCriticism: London by William Blake
Drawing on both established and emerging approaches, JBS presents scholarly articles and books reviews from renowned international authors who share their ideas on British society, politics, law, economics, and the arts. As the speaker wanders, he notes "marks of weakness, marks of woe" among the citizens. He talks of the chimney sweepers cry, in those days children were used to do this job as their tiny frames were able to fit up the chimneys. What are the mind-forged manacles? The poem London shows the true feelings of William Blake regarding the world in which he lived. He believes that London is nothing more than a city suffocated by a harsh economy, where Royalty and the church have allowed morality and goodness to deteriorate so that suffering and poverty are all that exist. Auditory images bombard the speaker in stanza two.
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