Concetti Chiave
- The poet emphasizes individualism, a romantic theme, by exploring the city and revealing its harsh realities.
- The term "charter'd" underscores the commercialization of both streets and the Thames, reflecting society's obsession with profit.
- Citizens are depicted as weak, suffering from poverty and political insignificance, as shown by "marks of weakness, marks of woe."
- The poem criticizes societal institutions, like the Church and Government, which exploit the poor and perpetuate inequality.
- Imagery of darkness and despair, such as "midnight streets," enhances the poem's themes of depression and societal decay.
I(1) wander(2) thro’ each charter’d(3) street
1. I = This first word is referred to the poet. This wants to stress the importance of individualism (romantic theme). The poet wants to drive us among the city and teach us the truth about the reality that surrounds us
2. Wander = Wandering is a typical romantic theme. The wanderer is a figure that wants to feel the world, travelling with no specific destination
3. Chartere’d = it is a very unusual term and wants to stress the fact that now everyone thinks only about money and profit
Near where the charter’d Thames(4) does flow
4. Charter’d Thames = the river is chartered too because it is used especially to make the ships that transport goods land
And mark(5) in every face I meet
5. Mark = sense of the sight
Marks of weakness(6), marks of woe
6. Weakness = Citizens are weak because they are poor (physical weakness) and also because they count nothing to the Government (political weakness)
Screams and Mental Handcuffs
In every cry of every man/In every infant’s cry of fear/In every voice, in every ban(7)
the mind-forg’d manacles(7) I hear(7)
7. Mind forg’g = Sense of earing
8. These are the limits that man puts himself when he establishes laws made only for some people (rich people)
How the chimney-sweeper’s cry(9)
9. Cry = sense of earing
Every black’ning(10) church appals
10. Black’ning = First colour: black. The church becomes black because of the pollution and also because it provides for the exploitation of the children
And the hapless soldier’s sigh/ runs in blood(12) down palace walls (11)
11. And...walls: Palace with capital letter = Government. The Government sends poor people in war to die
12. Second colour: red
But most thro’ midnight(13) streets I hear
13. Midnight = The night is used to stress the feeling of depression and anguish
How the youthful harlot’s curse/ Blasts the new born infants tears (15) /and blights with plagues the marriage hearse(16) (14)
14. How… hearse = He is not blaming the prostitutes but the Church
15. Blasts…tears = The infants are cursed because they are destined to live poorly and meagerly, probably with their mother’s diseases
16. The marriage hearse = The diseases are transmitted, through the husband, from the prostitute to the wife. Blake criticizes the marriage because he declares that it is an institution made of an unfair relationship based on strength. This could be compared to institutions as the Government and the Church.
Domande da interrogazione
- What does the term "charter'd" signify in the context of the poem?
- How does the poem depict the citizens' condition in the city?
The term "charter'd" highlights the commercialization and control over natural elements, like the streets and the Thames, emphasizing society's focus on money and profit.
The poem portrays citizens as weak, both physically due to poverty and politically as they are insignificant to the government, as indicated by the "marks of weakness, marks of woe."
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