William Blake's London is a critical poem that exposes the suffering and oppression in London during the late 18th century. Whilst 'wandering' through the streets, the narrator highlights themes of poverty, corruption and the loss of freedom. Society is trapped by injustice. The use of rigid structure and repetition reinforce ideas of control and restriction.
Oppression - unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power
Charter'd - the state of everything being mapped out and controlled
Corruption - dishonest conduct especially by those in power
Proletariat - the lowest social or economic class of a community; the working class
Industrialisation - the widespread development of industries in a region
William Blake examines the concept of the oppressive and claustrophobic presence of authoritarian rule in the lives of London's proletariat - whilst promoting revolution as a means of escape from their 'mind-forged manacles'.
Blake explores poverty, revolution and the power of imagination. The French Revolution was a moment of radical hope turned into violent disillusion. He was initially a supporter and wore a 'bonnet rouge' in 1792 to show his solidarity with the revolutionaries abroad. The cap symbolised freedom from tyranny and became an icon of the French Revolution. Nobody doubted Blake's revolutionary sympathies.
Here, Blake is criticising the lack of freedom those in London are forced to endure. The adjective 'chartered' implies everything has been mapped - everything has been 'chartered' and must submit to this charter, including the natural river Thames. Repetition reinforces control and the verb 'wander' implies that the narrator feels misguided in this strict city.
The lack of faith in change is a source of frustration for Blake. He alludes to a possible revolution in London, suggesting the horrible experiences living there could lead to it. Blake was a huge supporter of the French Revolution and saw it as a model for how ordinary, disadvantaged people could seize power.
Blake utilises a regular structure to emphasise control and contrast with the relative freedom of the narrator who is able to 'wander' around the city at leisure.
The poem consists of 4 quatrains, each with end-stopped lines at the end.
It follows an ABAB rhyme scheme.