Page 48 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit

“London”
by William Blake, pages 25-26

Vocabulary
manacles – chains that bind
hearse – used to transport a coffin

1. This poem, like “The Lamb” and “The Tyger,” was originally published as part of Blake’s
Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Judging from the poem’s tone and theme,
which book do you think “London” was published in?

“London” was originally considered part of Songs of Experience.

2. Who does the speaker blame for the pain and strife he hears and sees on London’s streets?

The speaker points to two different causes for the grief and strife he witnesses: the Church
(line ten) and Royalty (line twelve).

3. What is ironic about the poem’s final image of “the Marriage hearse”?

The image combines the beauty of love (Marriage) with the sorrow and destruction of
death (hearse). The irony lies in that marriage marks the beginning of life together, while a
hearse marks the end.

4. What does the repetition of words throughout the poem do to its message?

The repetition that prevails in the poem emphasizes the horrors and evils the speaker
observes by making them seem abundantly common.

5. After reading this poem, how would you describe the speaker’s attitude toward London?

The speaker presents nothing positive about London. In lines three and four, for instance,
he reports that in every face he sees only “Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”

T-30