London - by William Blake

William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.

1.

London

By William Blake 

 

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 every cry of every Man,

In every Infant's cry of fear,

In every voice: in every ban,

The mind-forg'd manacles I hear 

How the Chimney-sweepers cry

Every blackning Church appalls, 

And the hapless Soldiers sigh

Runs in blood down Palace walls 

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

Verse 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.

1. What is the Thames?

2. Is Blake walking through inner or outer London?

3. What does "charter'd" mean?

4. What does "mark" mean in line 3?

5. What does mark mean in line 4?

Verse 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 

1. Which sense is the verse focused on? (compare with Verse 1)

2. Which word is repeated 5 times? Which word is repeated 4 times?

3. What are manacles? What sound do they make?

4. Why does Blake describe the manacles as "mind-forg'd"?

* ban here could mean that many things are "banned". In verse 1 we learn that the streets and the river are chartered (privatised).

Verse 3

How the Chimney-sweepers cry

Every blackning Church appalls, 

And the hapless Soldiers sigh

Runs in blood down Palace walls 

1. Which institutions are mentioned? What do they have in common?

2. How do these institutions appear here?

3. What do you think the "chimney-sweepers" and "hapless soldiers" have in common? 

4. The poem was written in 1794. What had happened in France 5 years earlier?

Verse 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

1. What time is it?

2. What is a Harlot?

3. What is the relationship between the infant and the harlot?

4. How does a sound become an image in lines 2 and 3?

Watch a clip about this poem:

William Blake's London

Gap fill:

Something that flows ______

London was starting to ____ itself, starting to beat its _____

Blake peeled the _______

It ain’t _____ up

Industrialisation brings _____ profit, capitalism and a desire of the _______

Talking about the body of people, so they are their own _______

Soldiers, the Church chimney sweeps - these are all _______ of society

Could be a ____ to revolutionary France

An exploited soldier fighting in _______ wars on behalf of the palace

This is a time when reason has its ___ over belief.

He used his thoughts to _________ himself beyond his surroundings.

It almost feels like a warning or an urgent _____ to the people around him…

But Blake also saw ____ his own time


Discuss

In the poem it is evident that Blake cares deeply for the victims of the Age of Industry. But was he right to see only darkness in it? What about all the progress, including social progress, that has come about thanks to industrialisation?

Kahoot

Also:

Blake's Radicalism

What is the spirit behind Blake's writing?

What is the underlying feeling in London the mid 18th Century?

Why were the Albion Mills burned down?

What did Blake call the mills?

What is the "charter"?

Why did Blake's poem London mention both chartering and prostitution?

Why does Sinclair say London is a "double" city?