Critical Commentary on London and Jerusalem by William Blake

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The poetry of William Blake is well known for its metaphysical language and profound symbolism. In his two poems, entitled “London” and “Jerusalem” his use of these techniques, alongside many others, is crucial in his portrayal of the corruptive tendencies of man and his perspective on religion and England during the Industrial Revolution. Throughout these poems Blake reveals his strong dislike for the Industrial Revolution and its effect on London, expressed particularly in his poem “London”. His poem “Jerusalem” focuses very much so on the natural beauty of England and religion in England. Blake, much like many Romantic poets, bases his writings on emotion rather than intellect. This is evident throughout these poems as Blake appeals to the senses and stirs readers to question their resolve with regards to England and its natural beauty.

The poem “London” by William Blake begins with a cynical portrayal of the authority figures during the Romantic era, these being the church and the King. This is evident in Blake’s use of the word “chart’d” which implies that the “streets” and “Thames” are owned by the state, exposing the oppressive nature of capitalism in England during this era, this also proposes that nature is controlled by the wealthy. A Marxist reading of this shows the relationship between the Church or King and the land over which they rule, portraying the capital power as the bourgeoisie and their land and people on it as the proletariat. Blake continues to communicate to the reader the effect of this oppression in the line, “Marks of weakness, marks of woe.” This depicts the sadness and helplessness of the people of London. The poem is dark and gothic which is evident in Blake’s use of the words, “manacles”, “blights” and “plagues”. The use of this language aids in his depiction of a corrupt society. The beat of the poem is repetitive; this also emphasizes the constant pressures placed upon society. Throughout the next two stanzas there is a strong sense of discontent and subjugation shown in the line, “The mind-forg’d manacles I hear.” This accentuates the churches and or the king’s control over the minds of man, once again exploiting the corruptive nature that is brought about by authority and power. The values of the Christian church are challenged as Blake exposes the many flaws of the church and its corruptive tendencies. As a contemporary reader it is evident still to this day that England, the mother country, is still ever-changing and very much so industrialized, as in Blake’s era.

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The church is a symbol for salvation, hope and refuge though Blake presents the church as corrupt, oppressive and controlling; this challenges the values of many contemporary readers and those of Blake’s era. Evident in the line, “Every black’ning Church appalls;”. This line also portrays the church as not completely corrupt, rather, slowly “black’ning” or becoming corrupt. In the last stanza Blake proposes that marriage is an end to freedom as shown in, “And the blights with plagues the Marriage hearse”. Marriage, commonly takes place in a church, again this is associated with the controlling and oppressive nature of the ...

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