A close analysis & comparative study on two pieces of Romantic Poetry Essay

A close analysis & comparative study on two pieces of Romantic Poetry - Essay Example of a prosperous and growing England, with an exciting increase in worldly importance, others viewed the bustling city in a much more negative light, in which individuals became lost members of a crowd and social ills became much more apparent. These aspects of the city can be traced through the poetry of William Blake in poems such as â€Å"London† from Songs of Experience and William Wordsworth as it is reflected in book seven of his Prelude. In â€Å"London† for example, Blake describes the way in which the human spirit had been shackled in 1794, the year when the poem had been written. Through careful imagery, Blake expresses an abiding belief in the unchristian nature of the restrictions on freedoms being experienced by the British people. The French Revolution had just occurred and sentiment in Britain had reached an all-time low as expressed in lines such as â€Å"How the chimney-sweepers cry† (9) and â€Å"†¦ the hapless Soldiers sigh / Runs in blood down Palace walls† (11-12). These lines reflect the way in which even time-honored occupations such as chimney sweeps and soldiers had fallen into disrespect and despair. Although he is describing physical situations in lines 3-4: â€Å"A mark in every face I meet / Marks of weakness, marks of woe†, he makes it clear that he is also discussing the state of the souls of people he meets. The signs of decay and desperation are seen in ever y face encountered as the speaker walks down what is presumed to be an average London street. This is reinforced in the second stanza as the speaker says, â€Å"In every cry of every man, / In every infant’s cry of fear, / In every voice, in every ban, / The mind-forged manacles I hear† (4-8). In this, it is apparent that someone is controlling these people, although it remains unclear if the ‘mind-forged manacles’ are of their own creation or someone else’s. However, because of the inclusion of infants, who cannot possibly be imposing harsh punishments on themselves