What picture of the city life do you get from the poem “London”?

What picture of the city life do you get from the poem “London”?

“London” (1794) by William Blake (1757-1827) gives us a dark picture of city life. He shows us how hard and sad life in a big city can be. Here are main points from the poem that tell us about city life.

Control Everywhere: Blake talks about “charter’d streets” and “charter’d Thames.” This means everything in the city is controlled. People and nature both seem trapped. There is no freedom. Everything and everyone has rules they must follow. This makes the city feel very tight and closed.

Sad and Tired Faces: The poet sees sad faces all around him. Everyone he looks at has “marks of weakness, marks of woe.” People are not happy. They are tired and weak. This shows us that living in the city is tough. It wears people down and makes them sad. There is pain and fear in their lives.

Corruption and Loss: Blake talks about dirty churches and sad soldiers. This tells us that even places and people who should be good and strong are not doing well. Even the church, which should help people, is dirty. The soldiers are sad, and their pain covers the palace walls. This means that the leaders do not care about the common people.

In “London,” William Blake paints a picture of a city full of control, sadness, and corruption. Life is hard for everyone. This poem helps us see the darker side of living in a big city long ago.