Analysis Of William Blake's London

William Blake’s “London” was published in 1794 as part of his series, Songs of Experience. In fact, it is one of the few members of Songs of Experience that does not have a corresponding in his Songs of Innocence. A literal interpretation of the poem depicts the speaker’s perspective of London as a highly corrupted city. Through his use of juxtaposition, diction, and repetition, Blake establishes a social commentary on London in the 1790’s. Thus, the conflict of the poem revolves around the political and religious institutions present in London and the citizens confined by them. The poem is largely written in iambic tetrameter with a few exceptions. The inconsistency in meter throughout the poem is significant as it contrasts with its diction.
The use of the word “charter’d” is important as it conjures images of a grid system (1-2). This is significant as it suggests that even the streets of London are confined by the government’s control. This is further supported by the following line when the speaker speaks of, “the charter’d Thames does flow” (2). It is important that the speaker refers to the Thames River, as it is notoriously known for how polluted it is. Furthermore, the idea of a river, a natural element, being “charter’d” further implies the confinement created by the government (1-2). Thus, the implication of a mapped-out polluted river depicts the corrupted nature of the government’s control. This is further supported throughout the rest of the stanza as the speaker refers to the “marks of weakness, marks of woe,” on the faces of those he passes by (4). The use of the word “marks” is significant as it further emphasizes the idea of everything being mapped-out (3-4). Moreover, the “marks” the speaker regards are not physical or tangible, they refer to the depressed and desperate nature of the individuals he is observing. These “marks” represent the physical impact of this corrupt government on its people (3-4). Therefore, the first stanza of the poem establishes conflict by its emphasis on the confinement instituted by the
Blake employs juxtaposition in this line to challenge the typical understanding of a prostitute. He contrasts the connotation of youthful, as something pure and innocent, with a cursing prostitute. This is significant as it demonstrates a corruption of the youth in society. It demonstrates how young women are confined by their society, as they are forced into professions such as prostitution. Again, the speaker alludes to the cyclical nature of society when he refers to the “[b]lasts the new-born Infants tear” (15). The cries of infants were alluded to earlier in the poem. However, the tone is different as the speaker emphasizes the “blasts” of their tears (15). Here, the tears are described with a sense of ferocity. This is significant as it is suggested that the infants belong to the harlots. Therefore, the cyclical nature of this situation is further established as it is implied that these infants will fall into the same cycle. The implications of this cycle are made clear in the final line of the poem when the speaker states, “[a]nd blights with plagues the Marriage hearse” (16). Here, it is implied that through this cycle that forces women into prostitution the institution of marriage has become diseased. This is supported by the juxtaposition of the “marriage hearse” which portrays marriage as an