"London" - William Blake

I found this poem to be the most interesting and also the most depressing. The first thing I noticed was the tone: sadness, hopelessness, and chaos, which is how Blake creates imagery and pathos. In lines 11-12, the author states, "And the hapless Soldier's sigh runs in blood down Palace walls." This idea of soldiers being sent out to die while the royals stand by, aware but unmoved, creates the bitter resentment of the hierarchy by London citizens. I really felt that this is a common theme in literature: the common people are up against "the man." So naturally, being someone not in a position of power, I often envy and resent those who have power but make poor decisions as to how to use it. In this way, the poem seems more universally relatable.

The author also evokes pity/disappointment in the reader when he says, "How the youthful Harlot's curse blasts the new-born Infant's tear, and blights with plagues the Marriage hearse." At first, I didn't know what that meant, but here Blake is depicting how, because of prostitues' behavior, the institution of marriage is devalued, probably because one, or maybe both, spouses are visiting the prostitute. Effectually, the children in these cases are raised in unstable households. Everyone suffers. Just like the image in the opening stanza, the tone of "marks of weakness, marks of woe" in this society sure makes London seem appealing.