Blake's "London": An Analysis In the poem "London", Blake shows that oppression can not be defeated. Weakness and cursing which then leads to death play the dominant roles in the poem. Throughout the poem there are descriptions of woe and misery. Blake uses these to emphasize that poverty and neglect result in confusion, chaos, and turmoil. Weakness is one of the dilemmas, in which the poor find difficult to overcome. In the first stanza Blake says: " I wander through each chartered street. Near where the chartered Thames does flow" The chartered streets, the mind forged manacles and the repetition of key words all symbolize control over the common m