Index IntroductionExamples of Marxist poetry in "London"ConclusionIntroductionTo what extent is Marxist criticism useful in revealing potential meanings in William Blake's "London"? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay By applying a Marxist critique to William Blake's poem "London," the reader is able to gain great insight into the human condition and the corruption of society's institutions. and the subjugation of the lower classes. In attempting to understand these ideas Blake chooses to examine 'class politics', through which he observes the 'socioeconomic circumstances' of individuals, societies and ideologies. A study of the critical anthology allows us to conclude that authors are "constantly shaped by their social contexts" and in this respect Blake is no different, as demonstrated by the impact of the French Revolution on the poem. In "London" he examines how the government attempts to exert its influence to stop a similar riot, evidenced by its control of "charter roads". Furthermore, like a poem written in the children's book "Songs of Innocence", Blake chooses to examine the world through the eyes of a child. As a result, his vision is free from society's expectations, which allows him to reveal the harsh reality of humanity. Furthermore, the poem alludes to the idea that his empathy and childlike naivety allow him to challenge the apparatus of power without prejudice. Hence, he is able to explore the hardships of the lower class by presenting his own image of London. Examples of Marxist Poetry in “London” When exploring the social denotations within “London,” the concept of limitation is at the forefront of the government's control over the city. Describing the streets and river as "charter'd", an association with legal rights and privileges, Blake shows how London is placed under the "legalised" control of the aristocracy. Furthermore, Blake juxtaposes the notion of freedom and limitation within London through his description of the river, stating that "the Thames flows" through the city, offering the suggestion of freedom, while still submitting to being "charter'd". This indicates that the river also has restrictions imposed by the upper class. Therefore, Blake uses the idea of ​​government control over nature as a means of highlighting the powerlessness of the lower classes. Blake also explores the circumstances of ordinary Londoners in his poetry. Through the use of anaphora, Blake's repetition draws our attention to the image of the "mind-forged manacles I feel," implying that they are created in the poet's mind and not simply a physical restraint on Londoners. The handcuffs are not real, but are a metaphor to highlight the repression of the lower classes, inviting the listener to observe how society has imposed its ideas and prejudices on the poor. Like the Thames, the handcuffs show us that the people have submitted to government control. This is reinforced by Bertens who states that "it is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness". Blake is suggesting that the people of London are not capable of having autonomy, but instead follow the intellectual and political ideas that are imposed on them by the ruling class. This control is evidenced by the poem's rigid structure and its alternating rhyme scheme. The mind, therefore, is no longer presented as a source of freedom; rather it is used by society as a way to control and assert class boundaries. In contrast, Blake's presentation of “mind-forged manacles” may suggestthat people are able to free themselves from this control. Showing how tyranny imposes its strength by imposing its control on the minds of the lower classes, Blake presents the notion of rebellion as a way to free minds from society's expectations. Yet Bertens denies this concept, writing that "minds are not free at all, they just think they are." To help us explore the connotations of the human condition, Blake uses a choice of words that have great meaning in the way they engage. the listener. Through the use of double meanings and metaphors, the speaker is able to highlight the difficulties of the poor. The “Signs of weakness, Signs of pain” “in every face I meet” are presented as having both metaphorical and literal importance. We know that marking means both scratching and observing closely. Therefore, Blake could observe the literal signs of age on each face, emphasizing the physical hardships they endure. Alternatively, it could be suggested that these signs are not physical and, by observing people, he imprints the signs on them in his mind. Blake then describes both the physical hardship and the mental pressure that society places on the poor, a point reinforced by Bertens who states that “the way we think and the way we experience the world around us are wholly or largely conditioned by the conditions in which the economy is organised”. As a result, we can understand that the lower classes are unable to free themselves from the powers that repress them. Analysis of the poem suggests that Blake uses metaphor as a tool to attack corruption within London's institutions, primarily the Church and the Royal Family. By highlighting the use of child labor in the Church, a source of contention within society, Blake manages to challenge the institution and its commitment to the people. In the third stanza the speaker notes "how the Chimney Sweeps weep, every blackened Church dismayed." In a direct reference to the Church's use of orphans in chimney sweeping, Blake raises the idea that through this practice the Church has become corrupt. The blackening of the Church is both a metaphorical and literal description, where the "blackening" brings awareness to its loss of innocence and purity. This suggests that the Church is dying “morally” due to the practice of child labor. In a literal sense, the soot from chimneys blackens the skin of orphans, thus describing the physical blackening of the Church. Blake also uses poetry as a way to explore the effect of corrupt institutions on the people of London. Bertens tells us that “capitalism…thrives by exploiting its workers.” In the third stanza, the speaker shows us that the Palace is no different through the exploitation of the soldiers. Applying Marxist criticism to the metaphor "And the unfortunate soldiers sigh with blood flowing down the palace walls" reveals alternative meanings within the poem. One interpretation of this metaphor is that the Palace has "blood on its hands" due to its effort to maintain control. Like orphaned chimney sweeps, the soldier is a slave to an institution that uses him to do its dirty work. Alternatively, the soldier's sigh can be seen as an expression of his discontent with his lack of power and authority to do anything about his situation. Like the chimney sweep, he is unable to act against the institution that controls him. Instead, he must enforce the Palace's violent demands which ultimately end in blood running down the Palace walls. Bertens explains how the soldier's thought "is submissive and follows the material conditions in which it develops". He further reinforces this point, stating that “we all function as objects and..