London William Blake Metaphorical expressions share similarities and differences in the significance of there meaning to a poem. “The mind-forg’d manacles I hear” is the fourth line of the second quatrain in William Blake’s line. This metaphorical expression represents the mental state the people of London are inflicting on themselves due to their own perceived social status and economic value due to the abuse of government on the society. The importance of understanding this expression is significant not only how it pertains to the people of London, yet how ironically as humans this expression occurs in our every day lives. In mark in every face I meet, Marks of weakness, marks of woe” is the third and fourth lines of the second quatrain. This metaphorical expression represents Blake’s view of the literal and connotative suffering of the people of London. The significant restriction is money, and how not having money socially makes these people apart of the lower class. These mental restrictions are harder to break free from any physical chain the government or church might place on them. “Manacles” is a symbol that has the denotative meaning of “chains” or “shackles”. The connotative meaning expresses the mind restrictions the people of London have due to their own lack of acceptance within society. The mind forg’d manacles represent a clear connation the role of materialism and the power of money has on diversifying society. This materialistic manacle is darkening society, where people live in fear instead of happiness. As Blake describes in the first quatrain, the streets are becoming all about materials and business ventures due to the governments political and economic control of society. Blake see’s suffering in his people. The significance of this metaphorical expression is that Blake can mark or see by his own eyes the people he meets are walking around in fear, and are dominated by sadness “marks of woe”. This expression also sets forth this first real imagery Blake uses, which as readers we can interpret as clear sadness and suffering. This first quatrain is also significant in setting the tone/mood of Blake throughout the poem; yet he progressively gets angrier throughout. The connation of the word mark in this expression can be interpreted in to two different meanings. Blake uses repetition here, which is extremely important to note because it emphasizes the “marks of woe”. Blake also uses repetition in the second quatrain, which is a similarity to the mind-forg’d manacles in the sense that it exists in the same quatrain. “Mark” can be interpretive in the denotative sense in “and mark in ever face I meet” meaning he physically is performing the act of marking the sad faces of the people he meets. It has the connotative emotional mark of visible signs of suffering. The main similarity between the two metaphorical expression are the visible and mental suffering is due to London growing into a society powered by materialism. The other similarity is that the mind forced restrictions are because of a mental and physical state weakness. Therefore both share similar connotative elements of oppression and suffering expressed in their metaphors. Ironically, the difference between the two is marks of weakness is a physical visible image that Blake see’s; mind-forg’d manacles are mental sufferings that Blake hears. Manacles and mark are also similar in there denotative sense because the “marks” Blake see’s can be a result of the physical manacle’s due to society’s social chains it places on people, such as the child labor Blake exploits in the latter quatrains. In my opinion, Blake feels that the suffering of the people of London stem from the church and the government, two important themes that share emotional connation of corruption through expressions such as “every black’ning church”, and “runs in blood down palace walls”. The nighttime doesn’t hold
