The Image in London by William Blake
The Image in London by William Blake
‘London’, which had been written in 1794, is a lyric. At that time, the Britain had been capitalism for centuries. The society became more decayed as the time past. To express the dissatisfaction to the society, William Blake wrote this poem. Blake opened out the reality that the society moldered day by day. The distance between the rich and poor became larger and larger. More and more unfair things happened in the daily lives. It seems that people lost the hope for the future. Blake used a technique as montage to write the different angles of the society. As the rapid change of the scene, the poem shows up a real British society to our readers. I see as though the weak and woeful faces; I hear as though the cry of chimney-sweeper; moreover, as though the youthful harlot's curse hovers over my ears unceasingly. The feeling is so impressed even more than 200 years past.
London mainly portrays the scene of one night in a London street in the 18th century. Its theme bases on people's censure to the evil of capitalism and the society.
In the first verse, the word "chartered" is repeated to imply the monopolization of capitalism and capitalists. In London, not only the streets, but also the Thames which should have flown freely is occupied by the capitalists. And how about each one "I" meet on the street? Obviously, their marks of weakness and woe show that they have already been destroyed.
Enclosure movement made the farmers lose their land, and then they had no choice but go to the factories to be the salary earners and endure the exploitation from the greedy capitalists. Everyday, they worked in the factories as tedious as machine. This killed their creativity and vigor. At last, they all became the machines under human appearance.
The second verse portrays the universal harm and damage capitalism has brought to the society. The manacles tells that people’s minds are manacled, which echoes last verse in which we know that workers have lost their body. The third verse shows that children were also engaged as workers. Since the chimneys of churches were too narrow, chimney sweeping is often done by children; even they are only four or five
years old. They should have lived a happy and free childhood, while now, they are robbed of this right and everyday they work in the dirty chimneys, tiredly and dangerously. That makes us can’t help thinking what robbed their children hood.
The fourth verse tells us, to the poet, all that have talked about before should give way to the harlot's curse. The newborn infants are scared by their fate. Capitalism presses the little girls to be harlots. Girls can't get married. In order to earn their living, they have to sell their body. As long as the girls are on the street, all their curse and infectious disease may bring death to the Britain.
All in all, the damages and harm brought by the industry culture and capitalism to the society are tremendous and dangerous. The adults are dead though they are still alive while the children are dead since they have lost the innocence they should have. The marriage which should imply new life becomes the symbol of death means that the society is stepping towards perdition.
However, this poem shows not only the complaints about industrial culture and capitalism, but also people's thirst to democracy. French Revolution in 1789 and independence of America made Britons doubt about their king. They were thirst for freedom and democracy. Such as "the hapless soldier's sigh/ Runs in blood down palace -walls.” from these two lines, we may find both the complaint and the hope the poet implies.