mal, and conventional subject matter that had typified neoclassicism was reversed, the authoritarian regimes that had encouraged and sustained neoclassicism in the arts were inevitably subjected to these popular revolutions. Effected by a century of wars and citizen revolutions, the writers were stimulated by the creative activity of the French Revolution; thus literature often criticized the oppressive nature of government. Political and social causes became dominant themes in romantic poetry and prose throughout the Western world, producing many vital human documents that are still pertinent. The first stanza of Blakes poem is critical to its central meaning because the Romantic era was marked with the indictment of the metropolis; and consequently directly sketches the political and social picture in London as that of dark, squalid, authoritative, and tyrannical city. The repetition of the word charter (3, 4) illustrates the municipalitys strict control over its nation. The fact that the streets, which are artificial or man-made structures, as well as the river, a natural stream of water, are both defined by law emphasizes the state of affairs in the regulated city. Both the streets and the river follow a fixed direction in the landscape of the city, indicating the strict order of the urban center as mandated by its government. The visual images in this stanza allow the readers to experience the conditions of the city in our imaginations. Blake uses the sense of sight to describe the overwhelmingly oppressed and somber nature characterizing the people he meets. Repetition of the word mark in the third and fourth lines of the first stanza create a sense of rhythm and dissonance at the same time. The well-proportioned rhythm is systematic and regulated, just like the city. The varied meanings of the term promote the chaos and disharmony of the people observed by the narrator. The first occurrence, marks in every face I meet...
