London by William Blake, Essay Example

The 16-line poem by William Blake entitled “London” is about the difficulty of living in an impoverished and painful city.  In lines 3-4 of the poem it reads, “And mark in every face I meet / Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”  These lines clearly state the pain and suffering that the people of London were going through.  In the first two stanzas of the poem, Blake uses the word “every” six times.  This emphasizes that narrator’s belief that the “weakness” and “woes” of London are impacting every single person in the city.  There is not one person that does not feel the pain and anguish of the times.

The narrator continues in the third and fourth stanzas to describe the cries of the Chimney sweep, a typically impoverished occupation, and the realities of prostitution.  The narrator even suggests that the Harlot, or prostitute, “plagues the Marriage hearse.”  In other words, this suggests that prostitution is a fatal disease to the institution of marriage in London and it destroys families and relationships.  These are only a few of the many issues that are discussed throughout the poem, but it provides the reader with a true sense of the horrific scenes found in London during this time period.

It is fascinating to learn that the narrator believes that not one person escapes the touch of pain that inflicts life.  Although the “youthful Harlot’s curse” challenges and often destroys the sanctity of marriage, this suggests that the husbands have a choice in the matter.  In fact, the Harlot is likely a drug of choice that the husbands use to escape the pressures and pains of the society.  By beginning the poem with these painful descriptors, the author is implying that these force the people to cry out and cope with their pain in different ways.  The husbands are using Harlots to escape from the pain and deal with their problems inappropriately.  The narrator then mentions that the Harlots deliver a fatal blow to London marriages.  People may have a choice, but they often choose the option that has the greatest appeal as opposed to the option that delivers the best results in the long run.