William Blakes London - 1458 Words

Blake and London Victorian London was a far from happy place. It was full of crime, the air full of filth, and the people rancorous. One of the premier poets of the period was one William Blake who advocated the beauties of life and railed against the distaste he felt for Victorian London and some of the more rigid ideologies of the time, specifically the strict morality and religious views of the English. In the poem London, Blake makes clear his position on the city and the morals of that place. He writes: In every cry of every Man, In every Infants cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban, The mind-forgd manacles I hear. London is essentially a prison to all those that live there because of the psychological dictums of that place. Blake was a starch opponent of what he viewed as outdated sexual morays. Specifically, he became one of the forerunners of the late 19th century free love moment. He supported the abolition of laws prohibiting homosexuality, prostitution, and adultery, proclaiming marriage as a form of slavery. His views are reflected in writings of other authors of the period, such as Jonathan Swift, Voltaire, and Moliere. Having said that, William Blake was also heavily devoted to his wife Catherine, and would not have divorced her although there were rumors that he wanted a concubine to enter their bed to conceive a child and carry it for them when Catherine proved incapable of getting pregnant (William 1). It seems that William BlakesShow MoreRelatedRomanticism In William Blakes London722 Words   |  3 Pagesof life utilizing subjective comparison between opposites, religious nature, and idealism. Although William Blake is considered to be one of the founders of Romantic poetry, pieces such as â€Å"London† deviate from the conventional characteristics associated with this genre. Ironic to generic Romanticism, London hardly idealizes the horrific truth of society in industrialized urban life. However, Blake’s lack of rhapsody does manifest the social and political climate occurring at the time when RomanticismRead More William Blakes London and William Wordsworths London, 18022496 Wo rds   |  10 PagesWilliam Blakes London and William Wordsworths London, 1802 The figure of the poet as it pertains to William Blake and William Wordsworth is different according to the perception of most analysts. Blake addresses a universal audience in a prophetic voice, taking the role of the poet upon himself often using a mystical tone. In contrast Wordsworth uses language specific to all and directs his writing to ordinary people writing as an ordinary person reacting to his own Read MoreEssay on A Reading of William Blake’s London1688 Words   |  7 PagesA Reading of William Blake’s London William Blake channels his general dissatisfaction of the organization of society during the late eighteenth century in his lyrical poem entitled â€Å"London† (1794). Blake uses vividly expressive language through the spoken observations of a symbolic character he created to narrate and recite social and political problems afflicting this metropolis in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The poem’s rhythmically patterned linear style, which is very strictly structuredRead More William Blakes London Essay example995 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Blakes London Works Cited Not Included William Blakes London is a representative of English society as a whole, and the human condition in general that outlines the socio-economic problems of the time and the major communal evils. It condemns authoritative institutions including the military, royalty, new industries, and the Church. Blakes tone creates a feeling of informative bitterness, and is both angry and despondent at the suffering and increasing corruption of LondonsRead MoreAn Analysis of William Blakes Poem London Essay1852 Words   |  8 Pages In London, William Blake brings to light a city overrun by poverty and hardship. Blake discards the common, glorifying view of London and replaces it with his idea of truth. London is nothing more but a city strapped by harsh economic times where Royalty and other venues of power have allowed morality and goodness to deteriorate so that suffering and poverty are all that exist. It is with the use of three distinct metaphors; mind-forgd manacles, blackning Church, and Marriage hearse,Read MoreEssay on Analysis of William Blakes Poem London521 Words   |  3 PagesAnalysis of William Blakes Poem London London by William Blake is a poem characterised by its dark and overbearing tone. It is a glimpse at a period of Englands history (particularly London) during war and poverty, experienced by the narrator as he walks through the streets. Using personification it draws a great human aspect to its representation of thoughts and beliefs of the narrator. The author uses a rhyme scheme that mirrors the pace of walking. The pace is moderate using an octameterRead More William Wordworths London and William Blakes Upon Westminster Bridge1041 Words   |  5 PagesCompare and contrast London and Upon Westminster Bridge. Show how the two poets express differing views of London with detailed analysis of the texts and using background research. Refer to styles, techniques and effects of the poetry. Give your own responses. Both William Wordworths London and William Blakes Upon Westminster Bridge were written at the turn of the 19th century in Georgian times to illustrate the authors views of London. During this period the industrial revolutionRead More The Effects of Industrialization in William Blakes London Essay example1023 Words   |  5 PagesThe Effects of Industrialization in William Blakes London London by William Blake is one example of Blakes disapproval of changes that occurred in his lifetime. In his poem London, from his work Songs of Experience, Blake describes the woes of the Industrial Revolution and the breaking of the common mans ties to the land, which he has brought upon himself. He describes the Thames River and the city streets as chartered, or controlled by commercial interests; he refers to mind-forgedRead More Oppression and Spiritual Deterioration in William Blakes Poem London1154 Words   |  5 PagesOppression and Spiritual Deterioration in William Blakes Poem London London I wander thro each charterd street, 1 Near where the charterd Thames does flow, 2 And mark in every face I meet, 3 Marks of weakness, marks of woe. 4 In every cry of every Man, 5 In every Infants cry of fear, 6 In every voice, in every ban, 7 The mind-forgd manacles I hear: 8 How the Chimney-sweepers cry 9 Every blackning Church appalls, 10 And the hapless SoldiersRead More William Blakes The Chimney-Sweeper, Holy Thursday (Innocence) and London1520 Words   |  7 PagesCompare and Contrast William Blakes The Chimney-Sweeper, Holy Thursday (Innocence) and London I am going to compare and contrast three of William Blake poems, where he shows his feelings about the way people treat children: The Chimney-Sweeper, Holy Thursday (Innocence) and London. The Chimney-Sweeper is about a child who sweeps chimneys. William Blake sets this poem in the winter. The children worked in the cold. Blake says, â€Å"A little black thing among the snow,† â€Å"The little black thing