"Mind-forg'd manacles"; Analysing the plight of Blake's London

Written By Ollie

I wander thro' each charter'd street,

Near where the charter'd Thames does flow. 

And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man,

In every Infants cry of fear,

In every voice: in every ban,

The mind-forg'd manacles I hear 

How the Chimney-sweepers cry

Every blackning Church appalls, 

And the hapless Soldiers sigh

Runs in blood down Palace walls 

But most thro' midnight streets I hear

How the youthful Harlots curse

Blasts the new-born Infants tear 

And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse

Blake's 'London' is morose and filled with suffering, the poem exposes the daily plight of London's pained residents whilst exploring how their own 'mind-forg'd manacles' - their corrupted human minds - have given rise to this dystopian city. 

shackled in sorrow

The poem begins with the speaker wandering through 'chater'd streets', near 'the chater'd Thames' the repetition of the verb 'chater'd' here emphasises the constricted nature of a city which does not belong to the people but rather to the aristocracy. The extent of this control is particularly evident in the description of the Thames. Rivers are classically symbols of freedom and the unpredictable nature of life, however in Blake's 'London' even the free-flowing river is confined to its course and owned by elites. This illustrates the wide extent of control that the aristocracy exerts over the city as well as demonstrating the lack of freedom for the residents of London.  

The heteronomous nature of London is further explored by Blake through the idea of the 'Marks of weakness' and 'woe' which the speaker 'marks in every face they meet'. Here Blake uses repetition once again to draw attention to the significance of the homonym 'mark', which could suggest the brand of a slave. The residents of London are branded with sorrow and 'woe' due to the servitude they feel in their own city. A servitude which is enforced by elites who claim public spaces and create restrictions and 'ban[s]' which limit residents' freedom. Furthermore, the concept of the 'mark' also acts as a biblical allusion to the New Testament which states that 'those who are marked will be saved'. Blake twists this biblical concept to accentuate the immobility and unchangeable nature of the citizen's situation, they are stuck in this position of 'weakness' and 'woe'. Yet the cause for their lack of freedom is not merely due the elite classes but also a form of oppression that they have created themselves. Blake uses a triple stress pattern to highlight the force and strength of the 'mind-forg'd manacles' which shackle London's citizens to their sorrowful lives. Tan idea which is reinforced by the perfect ABAB rhyme scheme of the poem which illustrates the rigidity of life in London, just like in the rhyme scheme in a city so full of suffering there is very little room for change or development. 

inescapable suffering

The universality of the suffering and pain felt throughout 'London' is another important aspect of the poem. This idea is reinforced by Blake through the repetition of the determiner 'every', which emphasises that pain felt in London is inescapable - everybody is affected by it. The speaker of the poem is also used by Blake to depict the all-encompassing misery of the poem. Although the speaker apears as omniscient able to witness the plight of 'every man', from 'chimney sweepers' to the elite in their 'Palace', there is no warmth to his narrative voice. He is completely nihilistic only offering depersonalised observation and commentary, even this god-like speaker has become worn down and corrupted by London. Similarly, through aural imagery, Blake immerses the reader in the suffering. the 'cry' of infants and 'sigh[s]' of soldiers make the image of London more visceral, even the mind forged manacles are 'heard' which conjures a grating metallic sound in the mind of the reader which allows the reader to better imagine the horrendous image of London which Blake depicts.  

Blackning' innocence

Additionally, Blake exposes the corruption of innocence taking place in London. he explains how 'every infant' cries a 'cry of fear', juxtaposing the innocence usually associated with infancy with the experience and terror that comes with fear to create a horrifying image. Even the pure 'infant' is not safe from the moral corruption of the city and is forced to abandon its innocence far too early. The corruption of innocence is also displayed through the metaphorical imagery of the 'blackning church'. the use of the verb 'blackening' here symbolises corruption and brings images of rot and decay to the reader's mind, this symbolises the how even the church (which should be a beacon of goodness and morality) is succumbing to the same sinful nature which it should rally against.  

Finally, Blake's use of the oxymoronic 'youthful Harlot' depicts how even the younger generations are left completely hopeless in 'London'. Although the 'youthful' should be the pinnacle of purity in this city they have no choice but to turn to dangerous and unpleasant practices such as prostitution. These youthful Harlots are 'curs[ed]' with 'plagues' which 'blight' not only the customers but also the baby that the 'Harlot' becomes pregnant with. This demonstrates how even the unborn are affected by the squalor of 'London', a 'curse' of pain and suffering has already been placed on the baby as the hereditary disease will be passed down to it. It is also interesting to note the harsh plosive 'b' sounds which Blake uses here in words such as 'blights' and 'Blasts', this accentuates the harshness of the words, illustrating the violence inherent in prostitution.