London

In this poem I think it is very interesting how Blake seems to allude to his dislike for Governmental structure. Although he doesn’t directly address it, I get the feeling that in lines such as when he says “I wander through the chartered street” he is indirectly targeting government, since there isn’t any other clear reason for specifying that the streets are chartered. Also, “chartered” is the only word that is defined on the side of the page which leads me to believe it of some sort of importance. The Poem seems to have a very negative tone that is shown in many places such in lines 11-12 when he says, “And the hapless Soldier’s sigh runs in blood down Palace walls.” The diction here holds a very dreary tone and when this tone is associated with the title, it seems very clear that Blake sees something wrong with London. Blake also makes an allusion to the river Thames in line 2. This river flows through central London and I think is simply a reference to the fact that Blake writes this poem as if he is walking through London. This allusion demonstrates Blake’s ethos since many people outside of London wouldn’t know what the Thames is.