William Blake's "London": Imagery, Irony, and Oppression

Introduction: The Paradox of Modern Misery

William Blake's poem "London" forces us to look at happiness and consider what that term truly means. The poet goes to great lengths to describe scenes in the city that reveal pain and misery. He hears the cries of the people and sees their suffering everywhere he turns. The imagery in this poem is powerful, but even more powerful is the irony. Blake is looking at a city that is modernized and, for all intents and purposes, should be happy. However, the townspeople are anything but happy — they are alienated and oppressed despite all the trappings of modern life.

The poem asks us to consider what it means to be happy. These people may have caused their own misery by depending on the government to bring them happiness. "London" is a poem that asks the reader to look beyond the surface and consider the real meaning of happiness, and Blake accomplishes this through powerful imagery and irony.

Imagery and Symbolism in the Streets of London

Blake employs symbolism throughout the poem to prove his points. One of his primary concerns is to convey the misery that he sees all around him. When he walks down the streets, he witnesses "marks of weakness, marks of woe" (Blake 4) on the faces of those he encounters. He also hears "every cry of man" (5), as well as "the Chimney-sweeper's cry / Every blackening Church appalls, / And the hapless Soldier's sigh" (9–12). As he continues on his way, he can also hear "How the youthful Harlot's curse / Blasts the new-born Infant's tear, / And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse" (14–16).

These scenes are powerful because they are filled with images that are not difficult to imagine. The last scene is particularly important because the poet is attempting to show the reader how the fear heard in the baby's cry is one that the baby will likely know again as an adult. The fear and the misery cannot be escaped. The image is of a town brimming with people, and yet they are entirely alienated and oppressed. William Blake, writing during the Romantic period, used such visceral imagery to critique the social conditions of industrializing London.

Conclusion: The Source of Suffering

It is also important to note that much of this misery stems from "the mind-forged manacles" (8) of the people themselves. This tells us that much of the suffering these people are experiencing is self-inflicted. This idea forces the reader to stop and think about things in a different way. The repetition of the word "every" throughout the poem is significant because it underscores the idea that everyone is responsible for his or her own happiness — they cannot look to the government to provide it. Scholarly readings of Blake's Songs of Experience have long recognized this tension between political critique and individual moral responsibility as central to Blake's vision.

Blake's "London" focuses on human suffering but also asks us to determine where that suffering originates. While we might think it comes from a modernized society, from a city crowded with people, or perhaps from a paternalistic government, the truth is quite different. Blake is walking through the streets of a well-developed city, and all he can see is the misery of people who are alienated from one another for no apparent reason. Through imagery and irony, he makes his point: the constraints that bind us are largely of our own making, and true happiness cannot be granted from the outside.

Blake, William. "London." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. M. H. Abrams, ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1986.