Topic > Analysis of Blake's poem London - 706

The second stanza of the poem “London” represents the typical Marxist view that in a capitalist system, the proletariats are unable to rise up against the bourgeoisies, as the bourgeoisies have convinced them that they are free and that society cannot be changed. This is evident when the narrator of the poem describes the helplessness of the proletariat through the use of the words “In every”. Blake's use of syntactic parallelism and repetition of the word “every,” and the tight structure of the poem, portray a capitalist system in which the proletariat has become trapped. Perhaps it can also be suggested that Blake's use of the word "every" marks the change from the visual imagery used in the first stanza to the auditory imagery in the second stanza to allow the audience to become fully involved participants rather than passive observers whilst it cannot escape the cries of the oppressed proletariat. Above all, the final line of the second stanza of the poem shows the Marxist views as it describes the imprisonment of the proletariat in the suffocating capitalist system and also supports the famous quote of Karl Marx which states that “No mind is free, they only have the perception of being free” . This is evident when the narrator of the poem says “the mind-forged handcuffs I feel.” It can be suggested that Blake compares the working class to the prisoners of Newgate Prison who suffer from the conditions of their environment, but, significantly, Blake uses the powerful image of “mind-forged manacles” to indicate the mental chains instilled in the minds of workers . the proletariat through physical force on the part of the bourgeoisie who wants to maintain the status quo. Perhaps, one might suggest the use of the irregularly accented words “mind-forged handcuffs” depicting Blake......in the center of the card...these disturbing images serve to portray the visible marks placed on the proletariat in society capitalist. However, the use of the words “marks” could also be a biblical allusion to the mark of the beast in Revelation and the mark of Cain in the Bible. Therefore, since this word has a negative connotation, it represents the Marxist belief that capitalism destroys the soul of society as it alienates the proletariat, as they see themselves in terms of production. The signs of suffering of the proletariat detail the abusive relationship that the proletariat has with the bourgeoisie, as it is forced to work for the bourgeoisie in order to purchase its daily needs. Furthermore, the shift of the word “mark” from verb to noun from line 3 to line 4 details the shift of wealth in a capitalist system that prevents the proletariat from enjoying the fruits of labor..