Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Workin' for the Man Every Night and Day - Poetry Blog 5. (London)

Finally, I shall analyze the poem London by William Blake. This was probably the one I found most difficult. 

For the most part, I understand the general meaning. "I wander through each chartered street... the mind-forged manacles I hear." He's talking about how oppressive the British government is to the people. It makes sense - at that time, Great Britain was a large, dominant country. Crying is also a big part of this poem - it's used three times ("In every cry of every man, in every Infant's cry of fear... Blasts the new-born Infant's tear"), but I'm not sure what the significance is. Anyway, the poem uses oppression in a couple of different ways, like their jobs and marriage. Maybe it's saying that not only were the people enslaved by their government, but by all aspects of their lives. The tone matches the theme - it's dark and lacks hope. Overall, this poem brings about many questions, but is centered around oppression. 

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