Analysis Of The Poem London By Blake

The second stanza of the poem “London” represents the typical Marxist view that in a capitalist system, the proletariats are unable to rise up against the bourgeoisies, as the bourgeoisies have convinced them that they are free and society cannot be changed. This is evident when the narrator of the poem details the helplessness of the proletariat through the use of the words “In every”. Blake’s use of syntactic parallelism and the repetition of the word “every” and the tight structure of the poem, portrays a capitalist system in which the proletariat have being trapped. Perhaps, it can also be suggested that Blake’s use of the word “every” marks the change from the visual imagery used in the first stanza to aural imagery in the second stanza to allow the audience to become fully engaged participant rather than passive observer as they cannot escape the cries of the oppressed proletariat.

Most importantly, the final line of the second stanza of the poem displays Marxist views as it portrays the imprisonment of the proletariat in the suffocating capitalist system and it also supports the famous quote of Karl Marx that states that “No mind is free, they only perceived to be”. This is evident when the narrator of the poem says “the mind forg’d manacles I hear”. It can be suggested that Blake compares the working class to prisoners in Newgate prison suffering from the conditions of their environment, but, significantly, Blake uses the potent image of “mind forg’d manacles” to indicate the mental chains instilled in the minds of the proletariat through physical force by the bourgeoisie who want to maintain the status quo. Perhaps, it could be suggested the use of the irregular stressed words “mind forg’d manacles” which portrays Blake...

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...s this disturbing imagery to portray the visible marks placed on the proletariat in a capitalist society. However, the use of the words “marks” could also be a biblical allusion to the mark of the beast in Revelations and the mark of Cain in the bible. Thus, since this word bears a negative connotation, this portrays the Marxist belief that Capitalist destroys the soul of society as it alienates the proletariat, as they see themselves in terms of productions. The marks of woe on the proletariat details the abusive relationship the proletariat is in with the bourgeoisie, as they are forced to work for the bourgeoisie in order be able to buy their daily necessities. Furthermore, the shift of the word “mark” from a verb to a noun from line 3 to line 4 details the shift of wealth in a capitalist system which prevents the proletariat from enjoying their fruits of Labour.