William Blake

London by William Blake

This poem, London, reveals the poet’s feelings toward the society that he lived in. 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.

This poem reveals Blake’s true thoughts about the society in which he lived.

It is still universal and timeless, as every society has restrictions which it has placed on human
lives. The speaker makes it very clear that he believes the government to have too much control
and society to be too stringent.

London Analysis
Stanza 1

I wander thro’ each charter’d street,

Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.

And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

William Blake

London by William Blake

This poem, London, reveals the poet’s feelings toward the society that he lived in. 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.

This poem reveals Blake’s true thoughts about the society in which he lived.

It is still universal and timeless, as every society has restrictions which it has placed on human
lives. The speaker makes it very clear that he believes the government to have too much control
and society to be too stringent.
London Analysis
Stanza 1

I wander thro’ each charter’d street,

Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.

And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In the first stanza, the speaker provides setting and tone. 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 says
that he “wander[s] down each chartered street”. The term “wander” gives some insight into the
speaker as well. He appears to be not quite sure of himself, and a bit misguided, if not entirely
lost. The use of the term “chartered” also suggests that the streets he walks are controlled and
rigid. He is not walking in a free, open field, but a confined, rigid, mapped out area. The speaker
will expound upon this idea later on in the poem. As he walks, he notices something about the
faces of the people walking by. There seems to be the marks of weariness in them all. He
describes their faces as having “weakness” and “woe”. This sets up the tone as melancholy. The
gloom and the sadness seem to seep from the speaker’s voice as he describes the passersby.

Stanza 2

In every cry of every Man,

In every Infants cry of fear,

In every voice: in every ban,

The mind-forg’d manacles I hear

While the first stanza sets up the tone of the poem, the second stanza gives some insight into the
speaker’s melancholy feelings toward the people he watches pass him by. The speaker reveals
that from the cry of the newborn infant, to the cry of the full grown man, he hears the “mind
forg’d manacles”. This gives insight into his despairing view of mankind. The “manacles” are
shackles or some kind of chain that keeps a person imprisoned. The fact that these chains are
“mind forg’d” reveals that they are metaphorical chains created by the people’s own ideas. The
use of the word “ban” reveals that these manacles are placed there by society. A ban, of course,
is a restriction given by law. The speaker’s use of words such as “Charterd” “ban” and
“manacles” reveal his belief that society metaphorically imprisons people. Suddenly, it becomes
apparent that the thoughts, pressures, and ideals of society are under scrutiny here.
Stanza 3

How the Chimney-sweepers cry

Every blackning Church appalls,

And the hapless Soldiers sigh

Runs in blood down Palace walls

In this stanza, the speaker digs even deeper into the reasons for his feelings toward humanity. He
implies that the shackles worn by the people and inflicted by society have some disastrous
results. He begins with the Chimney sweeper. The Chimney sweeper was one of the poorest of
society. His life expectancy was threatened because of his line of work. He was consistently dirty
and sick. Those of the lowest class were forced into this kind of work in order to provide for their
families. Then, the speaker criticizes the church, calling it “blackening” and claiming that even
the church “appalls” at the the Chimney sweeper. Often, the chimney sweepers were just
children. They were small enough to fit down the chimneys. These children were often orphaned
children, and the church was responsible for them. This explains why the poet ties the chimney
sweepers with the “blackening church”.

William Blake

London by William Blake

This poem, London, reveals the poet’s feelings toward the society that he lived in. 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.

This poem reveals Blake’s true thoughts about the society in which he lived.

It is still universal and timeless, as every society has restrictions which it has placed on human
lives. The speaker makes it very clear that he believes the government to have too much control
and society to be too stringent.

London Analysis
Stanza 1

I wander thro’ each charter’d street,

Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.

And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In the first stanza, the speaker provides setting and tone. 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 says
that he “wander[s] down each chartered street”. The term “wander” gives some insight into the
speaker as well. He appears to be not quite sure of himself, and a bit misguided, if not entirely
lost. The use of the term “chartered” also suggests that the streets he walks are controlled and
rigid. He is not walking in a free, open field, but a confined, rigid, mapped out area. The speaker
will expound upon this idea later on in the poem. As he walks, he notices something about the
faces of the people walking by. There seems to be the marks of weariness in them all. He
describes their faces as having “weakness” and “woe”. This sets up the tone as melancholy. The
gloom and the sadness seem to seep from the speaker’s voice as he describes the passersby.

Stanza 2

In every cry of every Man,

In every Infants cry of fear,

In every voice: in every ban,

The mind-forg’d manacles I hear

While the first stanza sets up the tone of the poem, the second stanza gives some insight into the
speaker’s melancholy feelings toward the people he watches pass him by. The speaker reveals
that from the cry of the newborn infant, to the cry of the full grown man, he hears the “mind
forg’d manacles”. This gives insight into his despairing view of mankind. The “manacles” are
shackles or some kind of chain that keeps a person imprisoned. The fact that these chains are
“mind forg’d” reveals that they are metaphorical chains created by the people’s own ideas. The
use of the word “ban” reveals that these manacles are placed there by society. A ban, of course,
is a restriction given by law. The speaker’s use of words such as “Charterd” “ban” and
“manacles” reveal his belief that society metaphorically imprisons people. Suddenly, it becomes
apparent that the thoughts, pressures, and ideals of society are under scrutiny here.

Stanza 3

How the Chimney-sweepers cry

Every blackning Church appalls,

And the hapless Soldiers sigh

Runs in blood down Palace walls

In this stanza, the speaker digs even deeper into the reasons for his feelings toward humanity. He
implies that the shackles worn by the people and inflicted by society have some disastrous
results. He begins with the Chimney sweeper. The Chimney sweeper was one of the poorest of
society. His life expectancy was threatened because of his line of work. He was consistently dirty
and sick. Those of the lowest class were forced into this kind of work in order to provide for their
families. Then, the speaker criticizes the church, calling it “blackening” and claiming that even
the church “appalls” at the the Chimney sweeper. Often, the chimney sweepers were just
children. They were small enough to fit down the chimneys. These children were often orphaned
children, and the church was responsible for them. This explains why the poet ties the chimney
sweepers with the “blackening church”.

The speaker then turns his attentions to the “hapless soldier”. He has already criticized society, pointed
out the misfortunes of the poor and the hypocrisy of the church, and now he will also criticise the
government by suggesting that the soldiers are the poor victims of a corrupt government. He reveals his
feelings toward war by describing the blood that runs down the palace walls. The palace, of course, is
where royalty would have lived. Thus, the speaker accuses the higher up people in his society of spilling
the blood of the soldiers in order to keep their comfort of living in a palace.

Stanza 4

But most thro’ midnight streets I hear

How the youthful Harlots curse

Blasts the new-born Infants tear

And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse

In the final stanza, the speaker reveals how the corruptness of society attacks innocence. He says
that he hears the “youthful Harlot’s curse…”. 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. Then,
things become even more interesting, as the speaker reveals the object of the Harlot’s cursing.
She curses at the tears of a newborn baby. This is the ultimate attack upon innocence. 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. This reveals the hardened heart of the
harlot, which represents the hardened heart of society at large. While the innocent shed tears, the
perverted attack them.

The last line of this poem reveals the speaker’s thoughts on marriage as well. The Harlot,
apparently, has “blighted” the “marriage hearse”. She has deranged marriage by having sold her
body before ever entering into the marriage union. Although the speaker believes that the Harlot
has somehow damaged marriage, he also reveals his beliefs about marriage in the first place. The
fact that he calls it a “marriage hearse” reveals that he views marriage as death. Overall, the
poem has criticized society, the church, prostitution, and even marriage. The innocent baby
shedding tears represents those who are innocent in the world. They are few and they are scoffed
at. They are also infants, and are not left to be innocent for long. Their innocence is “blasted” by
the cry of the perverted.

Explanation: "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802"

Lines 1-3

The poem begins by giving accolades to a subject — the fairest thing on earth, a sight
so "touching in its majesty" that only a dull person would pass it unnoticed. In these
lines the speaker is discussing a subject he has yet to identify. The technique builds
suspense, and increases our surprise when, in the following line, the subject is named.

Lines 4-5

The simile of these lines — a city wearing the morning's beauty like a garment — is
strange and arresting for at least two reasons: we do not normally think of cities as
wearing anything, and it is difficult to conceive of how "beauty" might be a garment. But
because the simile is so vivid, we are forced to stop while reading the resulting image,
much as Wordsworth was made to stop by the sight of the city. In other words, we are
made to feel what Wordsworth felt. The first two words of line 4 surprise us, especially if
we are familiar with Wordsworth's other work and his belief that the city destroys many
of the good qualities of humanity — sympathy, kindness, and a sense of the sublime.
And it is clear that the city is beautiful precisely because it is wearing nothing.

Lines 6-7

These lines work to explain the simile of line 4. In the nineteenth century, from certain
places in London, one could see the fields and low hills which surrounded the city.

Line 8

In the nineteenth century, homes and businesses were heated by wood and coal;
consequently a great pall of smoke hung over the city almost continually. The absence
of smoke is due to the season (summer, when rooms do not require heating) and the
time of day (early morning, when no one is operating furnaces or cooking).

Lines 9-10
The speaker is aware that he is using a tone, a vocabulary and a sense of reverence
reserved for descriptions of waterfalls and mountain vistas. He compares this cityscape
directly to them and finds it superior.

Line 11

The sun illuminating a landscape with its light and so giving it beauty, described in lines
9-10, is in line 11 made parallel to the effect of the landscape on the speaker: as the
sun illuminates the landscape, so the landscape illuminates (or supplies a calm to) the
speaker. Also in this line the speaker has melded the external and the internal; he sees
the "calm" of the city, and he feels a "calm" within himself. But by making the same word
("calm") the object of both verbs ("saw," and "felt"), Wordsworth connects his feeling to
the feelings of the city.

Line 12

This line is significant because it describes the only movement in the poem. And the
river's movement is a glide — one imagines its surface so smooth that one cannot be
certain it is moving at all. The entirety of the poem portrays a frozen moment in time, an
extended image, a kind of snapshot.

Line 14

The "mighty heart" means the rhythms of the city when its citizens are active. But the
term recalls suggestions in Wordsworth's other poems of a single spirit which imbues
everything that lives — a "world spirit" or an animus mundi. The significance here may
be that Wordsworth, who in many works regards the city as separate from nature and
by implication separate from that animus mundi — has here embraced it as part of
nature. That the poem plays loosely within the sonnet form may be a reflection of this
theme. Much as the city only seems separate from the natural world, so the sonnet form
only seems separate from "language really used by men."

Source: Exploring Poetry, Gale, 1997.

Wordsworth wrote around 50 sonnets, most of them during the early 1800s and many
of a patriotic nature - it was the time of the Napoleonic Wars. This sonnet, on first
reading, appears a straightforward paean to the beauty of London, the Capital City -
'that mighty heart'.

Closer reading reveals something different. Wordsworth - the 'poet of nature' - was
emphatically not a city man and it might come as a surprise to find him writing of a
city at all. We are much more used to daffodils and the philosophy expressed in 'Lines
composed above Tintern Abbey'.

The alert reader pricks his ears up at the first line. Notice the stress on the first word
'Earth' - not the world, or our country, but the ground we walk on, a personification
and a stressed first syllable used also in the 'Immortality Ode' - 'Earth fills her lap with
pleasures of her own..' It's a powerful and positive assertion and the second line
continues the strength of feeling with another stressed first syllable. Associating
'majesty' with 'touching' is interesting ; 'majesty' reminds us that London is a royal city
with all the associations of splendour and grandeur; but 'touching' is a human,
vulnerable word. It reminds us of Wordsworth's preoccupation with feeling and
emotion. Notice the equal stresses on 'This City' - the topic of the poem.

It's the comparison in line four that points the way to the real meaning of the poem;
'like a garment wear the beauty of the morning' - the city's fairness lies not in itself, its
buildings, but in the effect of nature at a particular moment when the noise, the bustle
and the human life of the city is absent. Notice the pause towards the end of line four,
followed by the slow separated list of words - 'ships, towers, domes…' and the run on
lines 'wear' 'lie', shading off the rhyme, and the longer pause after 'sky' to make the
reading of line eight even more emphatic, coming as it does as the final clause of a
very long 8 line sentence. Sounding out the short vowel sounds and repetitive 't' of
'bright' and 'glittering'. Even the air is unusual - it's too early for any smoke to spoil
the view.

The second part of the sonnet develops the idea of nature creating the beauty in the
scene and as in lines one and two, line nine starts with a stressed first syllable, an
emphatic 'never'. Here is the strangeness of this sight; Wordsworth is experiencing the
transforming power of nature not in the countryside but in its opposite - the city - and
the strength of feeling is heard in the thrice repeated ' never'. He never saw such a
thing before and as always with Wordsworth, this is translated into a feeling, one of
calm. Even the river Thames is behaving differently - not a means of transport for
humans and their goods but a living being following its own path, the long vowel
sounds imitating the idea of slow, easy movement.

The exclamation 'Dear God!' with the stress on both words and the pause, serve to
emphasise the depth of emotion felt by the onlooker as he looks out onto this
transformed city. But a city not alive, not fulfilling its intended function - it is 'asleep',
its heart is not beating. It is a man made beast transformed and sedated by nature.
Humanity is absent. Notice the frequent pauses in lines and how only two rhymes are
used which creates further emphasis and increases our sense of the poet's amazement
and wonder.
Coleridge in his 'Biographia Literaria' talks of 'an inanimate cold world'...where
'objects are fixed and dead' - but this 'known and familiar landscape' may be
transmuted by nature. While London is not described as dead, but sleeping, it is the
transmuting effect of the sun and the morning silence that makes the city so beautiful
and invokes such strong emotion in the poet.

London

SUMMARY

Stanza One:

In the first stanza, the speaker is walking through the streets of London, and, everywhere he
turns, he sees the downtrodden faces of the poor. They look weak, tired, unhappy, and
defeated.

Stanza Two:
In the second stanza, as the speaker continues his travels, he hears the people's voice
everywhere. He hears the same pain and suffering in the cry of an infant to that of a grown man.
To him, the people and their minds are not free. They are restrained or "manacled" by their
various situations--mostly economical. (***Notice the acrostic HEAR in stanza III).

Stanza Three:

In the third stanza, the speaker reflects on and emphasizes how the wealthy or the elite take
advantage of the poor. During Blake's time, much money went into the church while children
were dying from poverty. Forced to sweep chimneys, the soot from the children's efforts would
blacken the walls of the white church. This image symbolizes not only the Church's hypocrisy
but the Christian religion (according to Blake).

Furthermore, during the time frame of the poem, the wealthy/elite/royals were considered
responsible for the wars that broke out, resulting in the death of many innocents and soldiers.
Because of this, many women were widowed, and, without some one to support them, many
families starved. (Remember that women were not in a position to gain many respectable jobs
during this era.) Thus, the unfortunate solider's blood is on the hands of the wealthy.

Stanza Four:

In the last stanza, midnight streets is a direct reference to prostitution and the red district. Here,
the speaker ruminates on how the young prostitutes' curse--referring to both profanity and her
child out of wedlock--their children. Also, the oxymoron of "marriage" (to join) and "hearse" (to
depart) suggests the destruction of marriage. Here, men are using prostitutes (who are more
than likely children doing a dirty job out of necessity), impregnating them, and then possibly
spreading diseases to their wives--thus "marriage hearse." This last stanza drives home the
theme of society's moral decay.