Page 1: Detailed Analysis of "London"
This page presents William Blake's poem "London" alongside detailed annotations explaining its key themes and literary devices. The poem consists of four quatrains that paint a devastating picture of life in late 18th-century London.
Definition: A chartered street refers to areas under government control, highlighting themes of restriction and authority.
Highlight: The repetition of "marks" and "every" emphasizes the universality of suffering in London society.
Example: The chimney sweeper represents child labor during the Industrial Revolution, while the "blackening church" symbolizes both literal industrial pollution and moral decay.
Vocabulary: "Mind-forged manacles" represents psychological imprisonment and societal constraints.
Quote: "But most through midnight streets I hear / How the youthful harlot's curse / Blasts the new-born infant's tear" - illustrating how poverty leads to moral degradation and cyclical suffering.
The annotations reveal how Blake critiques various institutions: the government through "chartered" streets, the church through its failure to protect the vulnerable, and the monarchy through the image of blood on palace walls. The poem concludes with a powerful image of a "marriage hearse," suggesting how societal corruption destroys even life's most fundamental institutions.
