Did exploring the textual changes from the original manuscript draft of the poem ‘London’ to the version published in ‘Songs of Experience’ add to your understanding of Blake’s writing and his politics?

Thank you for another insightful video. I have read and discussed this poem with students in a pupil referral unit in London and was thrilled with their reactions and insight.

Thank you for introducing me to this beautifully trenchant work. In 16 short lines Blake sees and hears London being "privatized" and turned black with industrial pollution, impoverished girls who would in other times be living virtuous hard-working rural lives now diseased harlots, child victims of industry at hard labor, the oppressed afraid to act or even think to change, while across the channel shines a beacon of hope. The compliant forge their own manacles, or in the context of today their own masks.

After listening to this, I had to go and look up the image of "the Ancient of Days" by Blake. How did he do it? In words and in pictures, he distilled so much power into an intense punch. The passionate conviction he felt in his soul must have been so tightly constrained by his body that it tried to leak out through his pores. Thanks for this analysis. I feel uplifted.

Thank you for a great lecture: I'm still catgching up with all of your past lectures. I have not previously understood the word "charter'd" - fascinating.

When thinking about Blake, I can't help but feel that he would be utterly appalled at the use that status quo English Imperialists make of his poem Jerusalem!

Wonderfully explained.

I love you so much. This is one of my favourite poems. Thank you.

This is so wonderful. Thank you. 👏🙏

The details are multipronged and intricate... Appreciate your effort. Do you have essays or pdf on these videos ? I would be glad to explore 😍😍

Without a doubt they work simultaneously , from my opinion as a man ,I cannot speak for women , experience can forge mental manacales ,such as fear , dread , of status quo authoritarian reach or life's crueltys causing most cowardly common men to accept their lot in life , but the mind will form.manacles , an example might be , to the formation of ideas , courage , defeatism , or the fire of a zealot , that one adopts as the force that is the enabling factor driving their personal mission or agenda ,to me a manacle of sorts , bear in mind most the masses were illetirate , mere subjects to the charters ,status quo and monarchs , imagination a rare commodity to most men , Blake wrote subliminal ,covert radical revolutionary ideas in this work of London , the heavy adjective laden description of London and it's woes , miseries , and examples of status quo ,injustice , was his justification ,for rebelling and daring to challenge the ( then) epicenter of civilization LONDON ,if it could be this miserable in the Capitol , then radical ideas , imagination were needed , but fear and lack of imagination would (true manacales) would be the reason progress , justice , decency , would be slow coming for the masses , subliminal bloody revolution would be needed in London ,in my opinion Blake was true radical but still afraid to come forward and say it in plain words , his wearing the bonnet rogue , liberty red cap , was as loud and raw as he dare ,(radical symbolism)

God life is depressing…