blog
media download page
Essay / The Theme of the Suffering Innocents in Blake's London of pain. . Written in the historical context of the English crusade against France in 1793, William Blake denounces repressive and hypocritical English society with striking analogies and images. He accuses the government, the clergy and the crown of failing in their mandate to serve the people. Blake confronts the reader in an apocalyptic image with the devastating consequences of the disappearance of a society's creative capacities. By choosing the first person form in the first and fourth stanzas, the poet reflects his personal experiences with the city of London. It adheres to a strict form of four stanzas each containing four lines and an ABAB rhyme. The tone of the poem changes from a contemplative lyrical quality in the first to a sharp, dramatic finale in the last stanza. The tone of the first stanza is set by regular accents, iambic meter and long vowels in the words "wander", "chartered", "flow" and "misfortune", producing a serious and somber mood. The verb “wander” connotes contemplative walking without a precise destination in streets described as “chartered”. But the word “street” is ambiguous. While they might be people's home, a neighborhood and a place of emotional refuge, the streets and the River Thames are 'chartered'; they are defined as commercial entities where commercial activities and cold cash dominate. The scene unfolds in which the poet sees the unfortunate citizens of London. Their faces reflect the physical and spiritual suffering of the ordinary man through “marks of weakness, marks of misfortune”. The repetition of...... middle of paper ......ld of art and literature. Since the "marriage", the parental generation, is already dead or dying, any new creation is now also diseased and condemned to death. This therefore signifies the end of hope for a renewal of society, but as the stanza begins with the word "how", it is also a voice of accusation and a demand for change. The theme of the innocent who suffers, who dies and who is sick. , casts a dark light on the London seen through the eyes of William Blake. He shows us his experiences, his fears and his hopes with passionate images and metaphors creating sensitivity against the hypocrisy of oppression. His words come to life and call for changes in society, government and the Church. But they also remind us that the continued renewal of society begins with new ideas, imagination, and new works in all areas of human experience..
Navigation
« Prev
1
2
3
4
5
Next »
Get In Touch