Comparing Abuse of Power in Blake's "London" and Browning's "My Last Duchess"

Both Blake and Browning use their poems as social commentaries to expose how power corrupts, but they focus on very different scales of abuse. Blake tackles the massive problem of an entire society crushing its poorest members, whilst Browning zooms in on one toxic relationship between a Duke and his wife.

Blake's "London" uses iambic tetrameter (a strict rhythm) to show how ordinary people are completely trapped by the system. The powerful metaphor of citizens' minds being "forged" in "manacles" reveals that mental imprisonment is even worse than physical chains - people can't even think freely. Blake deliberately disrupts the poem's rhythm (dropping from 8 beats to 7) to mirror how society itself is broken and can't function properly.

The cyclical structure of Blake's poem reflects how poverty just keeps repeating - there's no escape for the working class. Blake believed in equality for all (influenced by Thomas Paine's democratic ideas), so he wanted to show how the rigid class system was the opposite of the fair society he dreamed of.

Key insight: Blake uses broken rhythm and repetitive structure to make readers feel the same frustration and hopelessness that oppressed people experience daily.

Browning's dramatic monologue takes a completely different approach by letting the abuser speak for himself. The Duke's own words reveal his controlling, manipulative nature as he refuses to even use his wife's name, calling her "my object" instead. This dehumanisation strips away her identity and reduces her to a possession he can control.