London's Misery & Despair

In the poem "London" by William Blake, the tone can be described as bleak, dismal, gloomy, and sinister. He achieves a ominous ambiance with the usage of words and phrases that exemplify this adjective. He uses words such as "cry of fear," "hapless," "appalls," "blood down Palace walls," "plagues," "Hearse," "curse," and "tear." Each word or phrase that is mentioned has a negative definition or connotation to go with it. Furthering this negativity throughout the poem, Blake intensifies the despair felt by Londoners. For example, in line four, Blake writes, "marks of weakness, marks of woe." In lines such as this throughout the poem, Blake makes clear to the reader the horrors of the political unrest currently occurring in London. An additional detail that adds to the tone is the mention of the time. The line "but most through the midnight streets I hear" allows him to accentuate the darkness of the poem. The tone of "London" is made crystal clear by Blake in a variety of ways.