This is a Grade 9 GCSE essay on place in London, by William Blake. There is in depth AO2 analysis, along with relevant AO3 context. The essay can be modified to fit other questions. Especially relevant to AQA Power and Conflict anthology, along with the WJEC anthology
Blake uses the poem London as a vehicle to expose 19th century London as a place rife with
suffering and aguish. Through the repeated invocation to hear, Blake strives to lift a veil of
complacency from the residents of London, who did nothing to challenge the systemic oppression
which was prevalent in London. With London in a state of moral and physical degeneration, Blake
condemns the institutions of power in London, like the church and monarch, who failed in their duty
to protect and support those in need. Written shortly after the French Revolution, it’s likely that
Blake wished to incite a revolutionary spirit on the streets of London.
Initially, Blake creates a sense of restriction and confinement within London. Through the phrase ‘I
wander thro’ each charter’d street’, Blake establishes himself as an observer who is free to roam the
streets of London. This is demonstrated through the verb ‘wander’ which has connotations of
freedom. Alternatively, the verb ‘wander’ could also suggest that Blake is devoid of purpose. He is
lost in the streets of London, which feel unrecognisable to him as he observes the state of moral and
physical degeneration. Through the repetition of the word ‘charter’d’ Blake highlights the systemic
oppression within London. Chartering was the process of transferring public land to private hands,
enabling the rich to get richer, and the poor to get poorer. The reference to the ‘river Thames’ being
‘charter’d’ shows the excessive control that the people in power in London had over everyone,
especially the poor.
As the poem develops, Blake presents a state of universal suffering within London. Through the
phrase ‘in every cry of every man’, Blake shows that no one in London is exempt from the suffering.
This is reinforced by the anaphora of ‘every’. Furthermore, the reference to men crying emasculates
the men, which demonstrates their desperation and anguish. In the 1800s, men were expected to be
strong, stoic pillars of support, so the the word ‘cry’ paired with the word ‘man’ may have been
jarring for a contemporary audience. The phrase ‘mind forg’d manacles I hear’ suggests that society
is a manifestation of the minds that create it. Through the noun ‘manacles’, Blake suggests that the
people of London are prisoners to themselves, and they can’t escape the tyranny they suffer
because they do not take action. Blake is criticises the complacency in London which means that no
one is strong enough to challenge the systemic oppression which is a large cause of their suffering. It
is known that Blake wore the bonnet rouge in support of French revolutionaries, so it is likely that he
hopes to emulate the French Revolution in London.
As the poem comes to a close, Blake promotes justice for the children of London many of whom
were victims to poverty and exploitation. The phrase ‘youthful Harlot’s curse’ shows that the pain in
London was not limited to just adults. Today, the image of the ‘youthful harlot’ is horrifying, but in
Blake’s time it would have been normal. Young girls were so desperate for money, that they were
driven to prostitution. Blake emphasises that the institutions of power in 19 th century London failed
in their duty to protect these young, vulnerable girls. Through the phrase ‘blasts the new born
infant’s tear’ Blake highlights that babies are being stripped of their innocence and they are being
ignored in the name of their mother’s suffering. Through the phrase ‘blights with plague the
marriage hearse’ Blake emphasises that these marriages in London were dead from the start. By
juxtaposing the idea of marriage and death, Blake alludes to the spread of syphilis – which was
highly prevalent in 19th century London - whereby men contracted the disease from prostitues, and
then went on to pass it to their wives on their wedding night. The poem ends on the image of a
‘hearse’ which paints a negative, hopeless image of the future of London. Blake hoped that this
miserable outlook would provoke action from the people of London. He implores the inhabitants of
London to challenge the systemic oppression in favour of a better future.
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