He implies that the shackles worn by the people and inflicted by society have some disastrous results. What lovely feedback. Often, the chimney sweepers were just children. The speaker then turns his attentions to the “hapless soldier”. To endure 1800s England was to know the most restrictive of societies, where laws were broken only on penalty of death, and people followed a specific societal protocol. In the first stanza, the speaker provides setting and, While the first stanza sets up the tone of, Introduction to the Songs of Innocence by William Blake, Song: How sweet I roam’d from field to field by William Blake, The Chimney Sweeper: When my mother died I was very young by William Blake. But maybe she knows that Blake did think negatively about the idea of marriage as he was a free thinker. (Source. The poet says that he often visits midnight streets in the night. In the poem, the poet talks about the psychological as well as physical exploitation of the poor people by the rulers, the priests, and the rich people. After industrialization, the rich class began exploiting the working class. It is impossible to say. The soldier is described as hapless and not patriotic or brave which shows that the poet is talking about their problems as humans. And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse. They just cry like child because they don’t know how to raise their voices. He begins with the Chimney sweeper. Don’t be so aggressive, may I suggest anger management. Note that the poet uses wander at the beginning which indicates freedom which is quite opposite to chartered which depicts restrictions. Let us try to understand each phrase. good poem could have better annotations, and ALOT less agression! It's amazing that one word makes us think of so many things: the Thames, Westminster Abbey, the Crown Jewels, Big Ben, Charles Dickens, ba... Blake talks about slavery and imprisonment, both literal and figurative, everywhere. The words of this poem condemn every kind of organized religion and government while it reveals the human heart’s longing for freedom. “She haS always enjoyed writing…” instead of “have”! We will discuss that after understanding it first. Blake was a nonconformist who associated with some of the leading radical thinkers of his day, such as Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft. I’m confident Sophia would be pleased by the praise. Overall, good analysis. Note that the poet uses the word chartered (charter’d in old English) twice. The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience). . The Chimney sweeper was one of the poorest of society. After industrialization, the rich class began exploiting the working class. Blake experienced some of this first hand. Isn’t that the lyrics to a Jason Derulo song? the Thames River). The login page will open in a new tab. It throws light on how nature is now controlled and restricted by the upper class for its own benefit. Good analysis though I’m intrigued as to why she thinks that Blake was necessarily against marriage. I’m pleased it is helping! According to the poet, in the cries of poor men, infants who weep because of fear and in the voices (which are also in the form of cries) because of ban i.e. According to the poet, the cries of chimney sweepers (orphans and abandoned children) appalled (revolt) against the blackning Church. Very well spotted! I think this is a great example of using powerful metaphors to convey tone. Then, things become even more interesting, as the speaker reveals the object of the Harlot’s cursing. While the first stanza sets up the tone of London, the second stanza gives some insight into the speaker’s melancholy feelings toward the people he watches pass him by. Please do not be so aggresive when you speak I found it deeply saddening to see. Please log in again. Isn’t it talking about the men who had perhaps been to the harlots before they married and were now just about to infect their poor wives? That's simple enough, isn't it? Thank you! The street here means the land and Thames means water. the Thames River). The last line of London reveals the speaker’s thoughts on marriage as well. Near where the charter’d Thames does flow. ‘London’ by William Blake is a post-industrial poem which throws light on the ill-effects of industrialization. As he walks, he notices something about the faces of the people walking by. The idea of a youthful harlot suggests the level of poverty and corruption, that a girl who was yet a youth would be involved in prostitution. While lots of Blake's speakers are kids, this one is most likely an adult male (and we're just assuming that since Blake was also a dude), a dude that is really unhappy with the state of things Lon... London: around 1794—that's the short answer to the question of where this poem takes place. many regards. The speaker is obsessed with hearing in "London." Thanks. Not only streets were now under government control but also nature (e.g. You must have the eyesight of an eagle! The setting can of course be derived from the title, but the first stanza also reveals that the speaker is walking down a street. He claimed to have seen a tree full of angels when he was nine, and to have seen God "put his head to the window" when he was 4. These people, like Blake, believed in free thinking and were not the kind to conform to society’s standards. It is a poet not an author. In London, William Blake brings to light a city that was overrun by poverty and hardship. During the times of Blake, the Church would use to make the orphans work in the chimneys because they were small in size and could go into the chimneys. They lack parental love and proper nutrition. Unfortunately Alissa is no longer writing for us and I believe that only she can edit her bio. Unfortunately the writer of this article is no longer with poem analysis. Blake’s poem is about the social problems, inequalities and Injustice that arose due to the industrial revolution. This sets up the tone as melancholy. In the first stanza, the speaker provides setting and tone. In the final stanza, the speaker reveals how the corruptness of society attacks innocence. What's your thoughts? Three of the poem's four stanzas, for example, say something about sound or hearing. Log In. government or a private firm) and has certain laws. Thank you. And by all over, we mean all over. The speaker makes it very clear that he believes the government to have too much control and society to be too stringent. Overall, the poem has criticized society, the church, prostitution, and even marriage. Thus mind-forged manacles refer to psychological imprisonment and suffering which is not visible. Infants cry because most of them are born of prostitutes (will discuss in the end). The Harlot, apparently, has “blighted” the “marriage hearse”. stop being horrible to lee I don’t think that it is aggressive I don’t know but I have a feeling that the three sixes that I have tattooed on my head is a factor. It's just called "London." The “manacles” are shackles or some kind of chain that keeps a person imprisoned. prostitutes cursing and blaming their new-born infant children and their tears (disease or pain). The poet hears the youthful Harlots i.e. Usually I would delete this as it is clearly spam, but I was meant to bring balance to the comments on this page, not leave them in tatters. His life expectancy was threatened because of his line of work. She has always enjoyed writing, reading, and analysing literature. These children were often orphaned children, and the church was responsible for them. The gloom and the sadness seem to seep from the speaker’s voice as he describes the passersby. First, let us understand 1st two lines. Every single person that visits PoemAnalysis.com has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. Word. The revolt was in the form of cries. Hi Joel. He was consistently dirty and sick. The last stanza somehow depicts how all this happens in a cycle. The poem describes a walk through London, which is presented as a pained, oppressive, and impoverished city in which all the speaker can find is misery. You've been inactive for a while, logging you out in a few seconds... For the most part, "London" is written in iambic tetrameter. "London" is among the best known writings by visionary English poet William Blake. ‘London’ by William Blake is a post-industrial poem which throws light on the ill-effects of industrialization. It is not surprising that he should revile such a strict government. Wander is thus a pun. Thank you so much! And this stanza sums up the whole cycle which was going on in London. The speaker will expound upon this idea later on in London . This poem, London, reveals the William Blake’s feelings toward the society that he lived in. They were small enough to fit down the chimneys. Ching ching ching Chong ching ching chiiiiii. They are also infants, and are not left to be innocent for long. There's no place for sex in a poem that's about poverty, death, chimney sweeping, blood, figurative and literal slavery, etc. The speaker’s use of words such as “Charterd” “ban” and “manacles” reveal his belief that society metaphorically imprisons people. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site. “London” is a sixteen-line poem composed of four stanzas of alternatively rhyming short lines. But please keep those eyes peeled for any errors. Moreover, this prostitution blighted (here it means destroyed) with plagues (diseases of adultery) the Marriage hearse (funeral) i.e. Their innocence is “blasted” by the cry of the perverted. At one point in his life, he was accused of speaking against the king (Bio.com). I’m not sure I agree, Blake is clearly trying to paint a picture with his words. It is still universal and timeless, as every society has restrictions which it has placed on human lives. The palace, of course, is where royalty would have lived. There seems to be the marks of weariness in them all. This poem particularly condemns the stringent rules of society. The Church is described as blackening because of two reasons (I think) – first, they made the children work in chimneys and the soot made them black and dirty and the second Church did wrong by exploiting them. The speaker does not reveal whether the harlot is the mother of the baby or not, but he does imply that rather than comforting a crying infant, she curses it. He is not walking in a free, open field, but a confined, rigid, mapped out area. According to him, the hapless (unfortunate) soldiers sighed (expressed sorrow and grief) while running in blood down the Palace Walls. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia. "London" is a... We're curious if Blake ever hallucinated. sorrow and distress in the face of every poor whom he meets in the streets. Perhaps she was assuming based on the content of the poem? She has deranged marriage by having sold her body before ever entering into the marriage union. These children were forced to work in chimneys by the church. And with this came sexually transmitted diseases which were inherited by their children. There is no freedom in accessing or using them. 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