WilliamBlake-LondonIwanderthrougheachcharteredstreet,NearwherethecharteredThamesdoesflow,AndmarkineveryfaceImeetMarksofweakness,marksofwoe.Ineverycryofeveryman,Ineveryinfant'scryoffear,Ineveryvoice,ineveryban,Themind-forgedmanaclesIhear.Howthechimney-sweeper'scryEveryblackeningchurchappals;Andthehaplesssoldier'ssighRunsinblooddownpalacewalls.ButmostthroughmidnightstreetsIhearHowtheyouthfulharlot'scurseBlaststhenew-borninfant'stear,Andblightswithplaguesthemarriagehearse.WilliamBlake鈥檚poem鈥淟ondon鈥?firstpublishedin1974,dealswiththedifficultandhardlifeinLondonatthattime.HedescribeshowdirtythestreetsandtheThamesisandhowthepoorpeoplesufferhopelesslyandhowtheyareindireneedofmoney..Hehascreatedadarkatmosphere,that鈥檚dullandtiring.InthepoemthespeakerwandersthroughthestreetsofLondonandcommentsonhisobservations.Heseesdespairinthefacesofthepeoplehemeetsandhearsfearandrepressionintheirvoices.Thewoefulcryofthechimney-sweeperstandsasachastisementtotheChurch,andthebloodofasoldierstainstheouterwallsofthemonarch'sresidence.Thenighttimeholdsnothingmorepromising:thecursingofprostitutescorruptsthenewborninfantandsulliesthe"Marriagehearse."Themainideasin鈥楲ondon鈥thatBlakeistryingtoputacrossarethatLondonisahorrible,grottyplace.HealsosuggeststhatthepeopleinLondonliveinfearandmisery.Thepoemhasfourquatrains,withalternatelinesrhyming.Repetitionisthemoststrikingformalfeatureofthepoem,anditservestoemphasizetheprevalenceofthehorrorsthespeakerdescribes.Forexample鈥榚verycryofeveryman鈥?Thissuggeststhateveryoneisupsetandasaresultofthistheyarecryingandalsotherepetitionof鈥榚very鈥reallyemphasiseseveryoneofLondon.Healsousesrepetitionof鈥榚very鈥toemphasisetheideathateverymanofLondonissuffering.Therepetitionmayalsosymbolizethewayinwhichthingscanbeenforcedintopeoplesminds,repeatedlydoingthingsmaycausethemtobecomeahabit.ThelanguageBlakehasusedin鈥楲ondon鈥ismainlynegative,becauseheusesdark,gloomyadjectives,suchas,鈥榖lackening鈥?Thissuggestsadark,evilandcorruptscene.HedoesthistocreateanegativepictureofLondon.BlakeshowshisdisgustandhatredoftheLondonhelivedin.forexample,hementionstheidea鈥楶lague鈥forexample,鈥橞lightsWithPlaguesthemarriage-hearse鈥?Thissuggeststhateventhehappiestthings,suchasmarriagearetarnishedwithdisease.Blakealsousesdarkimagerytocreateadarktoneofthepoem.Thereisalsoanexampleofjuxtapositionin鈥楲ondon鈥whenBlakeput鈥榤arriage鈥and鈥榟earse鈥together,suggestingmarriagethendeath.Theeffectofplacingasymbolofdeathnexttomarriage鈥ahappyeventissayingbasicallythathappiestthingsinlifearetarnishedbydisease,suchastheplague,causingdeath.Thepoem鈥楲ondon鈥iswritteninfourstanzas.Thepoemusesan鈥楢,B,A,B鈥rhymingpattern,whichisrestrictedtothatbeat.Blakealsousesassonanceforexample鈥榝low鈥and鈥榳oe鈥?Ithas14linesandiswritteniniambicpentameter.Blakeuseshisrhetoricalskillsofalliteration,imagery,andwordchoicetocreatehispoem,butmoreimportantlytoexpresstheemotionalsignificancethatisimplied.thecentralmetaphorofthispoem,the"mind-forg'dmanacles"ofthesecondstanza.Oncemoreavividsymbolexplainsadeephumantruth.Theimageoftheforgeappear