Comparing Blake's London, Wordsworth's Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3rd 1802 and Johnson's Inglan is a Bitch

Comparing Blake's London, Wordsworth's Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3rd 1802 and Johnson's Inglan is a Bitch

Blake's disapproval of changes that happened in his time comes in his

poem "London". For instance, the narrator in "London" describes both

the Thames and the city streets as "chartered," or controlled by

people only interested in making money. He also refers to "mind-forged

manacles" whereby he comments on how the authorities try to stop

pioneers in such thoughts like Blake. He relates that every man's face

contains "Marks of weakness, marks of woe"; and he discusses the

"every cry of every Man" and "every Infant's cry of fear." This

alliteration helps the poem flow along and really sticks in your mind

when you read it. This could be due to the fact that everywhere they

go they are under pressure from people for money, with money becoming

even more important with the introduction of the industrial

revolution. He shows his disapproval for marriage in the church by

connecting marriage and death together by referring to a "marriage

hearse" and describes it as "blighted with plague." He also talks

about "the hapless Soldier's sigh" and the "youthful Harlot's curse"

and describes "blackening Churches" and palaces running with blood.

London depicts the atmosphere of the city of London In the poem '

London' Blake describes it as an extremely depressing, doomed city

reflected in the faces of the people who show 'marks of weakness,

marks of woe'. In his poem Blake uses lots of repetition, for example

:

"And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe'

'In every cry of every man

In every infants cry of fear,

In every voice, in every ban'

Blake gives his very negative view of London, focusing on the gap

between the classes and the poverty that results. Yet Blake never

writes this he makes it clear with all the poor young women having to

sell their bodies "How the youthful harlots curse" and the children

working from birth