London By William Blake Analysis Essay

In most poems, imagery often supports the theme and the tone of the poem. The poem “London” by William Blake is a good example. This poem, consisting of sixteen lines, mainly recounts the observations made by the poet in London. These observations made either through hearing or seeing tells of the human suffering in London and conditions of London. Normally, London is often perceived as a great city as it is the capital city of England (just as how people perceive New York as a great place to live), but the poet inform the readers that London is not what it is portrayed to be. In every stanza, the poet explains a particular subject through descriptions that supports the theme. In the first stanza, William Blake begins his poem with the narrator making observations as he wanders through the streets in London (line 1). He begins by providing a scenery of the Thames River, which is an icon in London. The word “chartered”, defined as “a grant or guarantee of …show more content…
The first metaphor, the chimney-sweep’s cry, shows that the church is involved in the unhappiness of people. Chimney-sweepers are often black due to the cleaning of chimney soot. The “black” used in line 10 to describe the church implies the failure of the church to fulfill its duty, which is to give help to the needy, which includes the chimney-sweeps. Similar to the church’s treatment to the chimney-sweeps, the palace, depicting the government and officials, is not treating the soldiers well. In line 11, the soldiers are described as helpless. The soldiers are meant to obey every command, whether it is against their will or not. This metaphor in lines 11 and 12 is an expression of powerlessness of the soldiers. Both of these metaphors reminds of the mental manacles and restrictions in society (line