"London" by William Blake

"London" can be found on page 841 of the Norton.

Blake is bitter towards the strict barriers and conformity of London. He describes the streets as "chartered" and the people that walk them as "weak". This shows his distaste towards conformists to a constrained society. The tone of the first stanza is negative and bitter.

In the second stanza, Blake speaks about "every ban" which shows his wish to break free of the rules and live his own life. He also speaks about the cries of men and infants who are also trying to break free of conformity. The cries "of fear" explain their hesitance towards leaving the society. They are scared of breaking free with nothing to fall back on.

The tone of the third stanza is also very dark. The "blackening church" shows Blake's disagreement with his religion, or what he is supposed to believe in. The "blood down Palace walls" shows Blake's anger towards fighting and war.

The last stanza is also negative in its description of "the Marriage hearse". This again shows Blake's distaste of conformity and submission because he sees marraige as a form of death. A commitment with anyone other than himself, in this case a wife, is seen as threatening.

Blake's tone in "London" is bitter and expresses his hate for conformity.