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This concept reveals the complexity of "psychological and physical damage" (Pagliaro), leaving one can to wonder, "whether it can be stopped and its root causes done away with ever" (Pagliaro). The answer to this question, and this state of mankind, is left up to the reader while Blake explores the inner and outer worlds through busy streets and a chartered river. Here we see entrepreneurs at work while the "weak and woeful state of Londoners comes through their faces" (Pagliaro). Harold Bloom makes a critical point about Blake when he says that he is a "poet in whom the larger apocalyptic impulse always contains the political as a single element in a more complex vision" (Bloom). Bloom notes that the third stanza alone addressed man oppression by society. The other stanzas "emphasize man's all-too-natural repression of his own freedom" (Bloom).
The irony in the poem is palpable. Early in the poem, Blake introduces the notion of misery and follows it with the notion of freedom. The city dwellers are undoubtedly free. However, the poet is asking what this could possible be worth in the face of misery and suffering. Freedom does not always come with the guarantee of happiness and peace all of the time. We do not like to think of this nor do we enjoy thinking that we could be the main source of our own suffering. Misery comes from "the mind-forged manacles" (8) of the people in the city, states the poet. He is basically telling us that the suffering is self-inflicted. The people are somewhat responsible for their own happiness and it may be time for them to stop and think about what ails them and take steps to make changes that might bring them more peace and freedom.
Blake's "London" focuses on man's suffering and the causes of this suffering. The poet walks the streets and sees how everything turns on itself and every cry seems to be one of agony as the people...
The people in this city are free but the image we see here is not one generally associated with freedom. Instead, we are faced with the bleak forecast of another lifetime of suffering under the bitter forces of moral decay while the city continues to grow and feed on itself. The beautiful city is marred by the suffering that seems to overwhelm those who live. The church is there but it does not seem to serve the people. Meanwhile, society implodes leaving us to ponder how much of our own suffering we bring upon ourselves. Blake is telling us that living is a challenge and we simply cannot expect the government or the church to take care of us when we have the capability to do so ourselves.
Works Cited
Blake, William. "London." The Norton Anthology of English Literature M.H. Abrams, ed. New
York W.W. Norton and Company. 1986.
Bloom, Harold. "Introduction." William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Gale,
Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Dec. 2010.
Esterhammer, Angela. Creating States: Studies in the Performative Language of John Milton and William Blake. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 1994. Print.
Graves, Roy Neil. "Blake's London." The Explicator 63.3 (2005): 131+. Literature Resource
Center. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
Lambert, Stephen. "Blake's 'London.' (poem)." The Explicator 53.3 (1995): 141+. Literature
Resource Center. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.
Pagliaro, Harold. "Into the Dangerous World." Selfhood and Redemption in Blake's Songs.
Gale Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.
Price, Martin. "The Vision of Innocence." Twentieth Century Interpretations of Songs of Innocence and of Experience: A Collection of Critical Essays. Gale Literature Resource
Center. Web.…
Works Cited
Blake, William. "London." The Norton Anthology of English Literature M.H. Abrams, ed. New
York W.W. Norton and Company. 1986.
Bloom, Harold. "Introduction." William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Gale,
Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Dec. 2010.
Center. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
Gale Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.
Center. Web. 30 Nov. 2010.
Thus, Blake presents an explicit condemnation not only of organized religion, but specifically those religions which seek official legitimization and control over non-adherents; considering that the Church of England was (and is) the official religion of England, whose leader simultaneously serves as the head of state, Blake's condemnation of religions and religious adherents who presume to "[govern] the unwilling" must be recognized for the rebellious and almost revolutionary statement
Blake's "London" My Questions: What are the "bans" the poet is speaking of in line 9 and what do they have to do with suffering? What can be done about man's suffering? Why does Blake call it a marriage hearse instead of a marriage coach? William Blake's poem, "London" is a reflection of Human Suffering William Blake's poem, "London" illustrates a certain misery among its inhabitants. The poet tells us as he wandered through the streets,
The fear and the misery cannot be escaped. The image here is of a town brimming with people and yet they are alienated and oppressed. One of the most powerful literary techniques Blake employs in the poem is irony. In the beginning of the poem, after Blake introduces the notion of misery, he follows it with the notion of freedom. Those in the city are no doubt free but they
As night looms, he hears "How the youthful Harlot's curse/Blasts the new-born Infant's tear, / And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse" (14-6). Even the populations' state of mind is represented with negative imagery. It is also important to note that the poet senses weariness when looks at the townspeople and that it stems from "mind-forged manacles" (8). This line makes it known that there is suffering but it
In "London," the most noticeable languages are how he uses repetition, connotation as well as multiple meanings of words. His work choice alone indicates that Blake never picked any words with good connotations which are always negative, for example he uses the word harlot instead of something like courtesan, and plagues instead of sickness (Blake, 2013). Conversely, repetition was significant in revealing the real meaning of his poem. For example
Romantic ideal in the poetry of William Blake, William Wordsworth and Walt Whitman shares the attitude that the most worthy part of human existence lies in simplicity and deep emotion rather than rational thought. Romanticism is based upon a movement away from the rationality of Enlightenment and the wealth-driven society inspired by Industrialism. This ideal is reflected in the work of the poets mentioned above. To demonstrate this, "The