“Jerusalem” by William Blake: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “Jerusalem” by William Blake

“Jerusalem” by William Blake was first published in 1804 as the preface to his epic poem Milton: a Poem in Two Books. Part of Blake’s illuminated works, it combines poetic text with intricate illustrations created by the artist. “Jerusalem” is considered a masterpiece of Romantic poetry, known for its passionate social commentary, rich symbolism, and exploration of themes like revolution, oppression, and spiritual renewal. The poem’s complex structure and prophetic tone give it a unique power and have inspired countless interpretations over the centuries.

Text: “Jerusalem” by William Blake

Annotations: “Jerusalem” by William Blake

Stanza	Annotations
Stanza 1	* Mythical Questions: Blake questions whether figures from Christian mythology (Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God’) ever walked on England’s landscape. This challenges England’s image as a chosen, holy land.
Stanza 2	* Contrast & Critique: The ‘Countenance Divine’ (God’s presence) is juxtaposed with ‘dark Satanic Mills’, symbolizing the Industrial Revolution. Blake questions if it’s possible to find the holy city of Jerusalem amidst industrialization and its associated social ills.
Stanza 3	* Call to Action: The speaker demands weapons and a ‘Chariot of Fire’, imagery drawn from biblical warfare. This signals a shift from questioning to a determination to fight.
Stanza 4	* Revolutionary Spirit: The speaker vows to ceaselessly engage in ‘Mental Fight’ – a war of ideas and beliefs – to rebuild Jerusalem (a symbol for a better, more just England).

Additional Notes:

• Symbolism: The poem is heavily symbolic. “Jerusalem” doesn’t refer to the literal city, but an ideal state of peace, freedom, and spiritual fulfillment.
• Hymnal Adaptation: The poem has become well-known as the hymn “And did those feet in ancient time”.
• Social Commentary: Blake criticizes the Industrial Revolution’s impact on England’s spiritual and social landscape.

Literary and Poetic Devices: “Jerusalem” by William Blake

Literary/Poetic Device	Example from “Jerusalem”	Explanation
Alliteration	“Charter’d streets” … “Charter’d Thames”	Repetition of consonant sounds for emphasis and musical effect.
Allusion	“And did those feet in ancient time”	Reference to the possible legend of Jesus visiting England as a child.
Anaphora	“And did…”, “And was…”	Repeated phrases at the start of lines, creating a rhythmic insistence.
Apostrophe	“O England…”	Directly addressing an inanimate object (England), giving it human-like qualities.
Diction	“dark Satanic Mills”	Choice of words with strong negative connotations, highlighting industrialization’s evils.
Hyperbole	“marks of weakness, marks of woe”	Exaggeration for dramatic effect.
Imagery	“green & pleasant Land”	Vivid sensory language that evokes a picture or feeling in the reader’s mind.
Irony	“chartered streets…chartered Thames”	The word ‘chartered’ suggests freedom, but in reality highlights restriction and control.
Juxtaposition	“green & pleasant Land” vs. “dark Satanic Mills”	Contrasting images placed side-by-side to emphasize the difference.
Metaphor	“dark Satanic Mills”	Industrial buildings compared to forces of evil.
Metonymy	“every black’ning Church”	Substituting the ‘Church’ for the institution and its associated powers.
Motif	“Bow”, “Sword”, “Arrows”	Recurring symbols of mental and spiritual warfare.
Oxymoron	“bright beams of burning gold”	Contradictory terms combined for surprising effect.
Personification	“England! awake! awake! awake!”	England given human qualities, addressed as if a person.
Questions Rhetorical	“And was Jerusalem builded here…?”	Questions posed for effect, not expecting a literal answer.
Repetition	“And did…”, “build Jerusalem”	Repeating words or phrases for emphasis and rhythm.
Rhyme Scheme	ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH	Regular pattern of end-rhymes for musicality.
Symbolism	“Jerusalem”	Represents more than a literal city – it embodies ideals of a better, more just world.
Synecdoche	“every Infant’s cry of fear”	Using a part (“Infant’s cry”) to represent a whole (suffering and oppression).
Tone	Shifting – Urgent, prophetic, accusatory, hopeful	The poem’s emotional atmosphere changes throughout, reflecting its complex themes.

Themes: “Jerusalem” by William Blake

1. Theme 1: Critique of Industrialization: Blake saw the Industrial Revolution as a destructive force. The “dark Satanic Mills” symbolize its dehumanizing effects, polluting the land and exploiting workers. The “chartered streets” and “chartered Thames” suggest even nature and human activity are reduced to commercialized, controlled entities. The poem laments the loss of a simpler, greener England as it transforms into a landscape of oppression.
2. Theme 2: Spiritual Warfare: Blake envisions a struggle against oppression not just as a fight for better working conditions, but a battle of the spirit. Lines like “Bring me my Bow of burning gold… Bring me my arrows of desire” use warlike imagery to represent an internal fight against despair and a determination to create a more just world. This spiritual revolution goes against the status quo represented by the “black’ning Church.”
3. Theme 3: The Lost Ideal of Jerusalem: Jerusalem is more than a city; it’s a symbol of a divine, creative utopia. Blake asks, “And was Jerusalem builded here, Among these dark Satanic Mills?” This highlights the stark contrast between the potential for human flourishing and the grim reality of Blake’s England. The poem yearns for a spiritual renewal, a building of a metaphorical Jerusalem in defiance of the era’s injustice.
4. Theme 4: Hope and Resilience: Despite the poem’s darkness, Blake refuses to surrender to despair. “England! awake! awake! awake!” is a rallying cry for change. The final lines, promising not to cease from “Mental Fight” until Jerusalem is built, offer unwavering hope that a better world, fueled by imagination and determination, is possible.

Literary Theories and “Jerusalem” by William Blake

Literary Theory	Explanation	Example from “Jerusalem”
Romanticism	Movement emphasizing emotion, nature, individualism, and the power of imagination against rationalism.	* Focus on the natural world: “green and pleasant Land” * Critique of urbanization: “dark Satanic Mills” * Emphasis on reclaiming individual and spiritual freedom.
Marxist Criticism	Focuses on power struggles between social classes, and the ways literature reflects or reinforces them.	* Critique of Industrialization from a working-class perspective: “marks of weakness, marks of woe” * Exposure of exploitation within societal institutions, like the Church.
Ecocriticism	Examines the relationship between humans and the natural world in literature.	* Contrast between the idyllic past (“green and pleasant Land”) and the polluted present (“dark Satanic Mills”) * Nature as something commodified and restricted (“chartered Thames”)
Psychoanalytic Criticism	Explores the unconscious mind of characters, authors, and readers through symbolism and recurring motifs.	* Jerusalem as a symbol of psychological wholeness or an ideal state. * The “Bow of burning gold” and “Arrows of desire” as representing repressed urges or the fight for psychic liberation.
Postcolonial Criticism	Analyzes literature dealing with themes of colonialism, power imbalances between cultures, and the impacts on identity.	* Although not explicitly about colonialism, one could argue the yearning for Jerusalem represents a desire to reclaim cultural identity lost to oppressive structures of power.

Topics, Questions and Thesis Statements: “Jerusalem” by William Blake

• The Impact of Industrialization
• Question: How does Blake portray the negative consequences of the Industrial Revolution on England’s landscape and its people?
• Thesis: Blake’s “Jerusalem” serves as a powerful indictment of the Industrial Revolution, exposing its dehumanizing effects on individuals and its destruction of England’s natural beauty.
• Spiritual Struggle and Revolution
• Question: In what ways does Blake use religious and mythological imagery to portray the fight for social justice?
• Thesis: In “Jerusalem,” Blake transforms the fight against oppression into a spiritual battle, using religious symbolism to advocate for inner revolution as a catalyst for societal change.
• The Lost Ideal vs. Harsh Reality
• Question: How does Blake’s use of the symbol of Jerusalem highlight the disparity between an idealized England and the grim reality of his time?
• Thesis: Blake utilizes the contrasting images of Jerusalem and the “dark Satanic Mills” to expose the gap between the potential for a utopian society and the oppressive structures of Industrial England.
• The Power of Imagination and Hope
• Question: Despite the darkness of the poem, how does Blake maintain a sense of hope and the possibility for change?
• Thesis: Though “Jerusalem” criticizes the destructive forces of Blake’s era, the poem ultimately offers a vision of hope, emphasizing the power of imagination and unwavering determination to create a better world.

Literary Works Similar to “Jerusalem” by William Blake

• Other Works by William Blake:
• Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794): This collection of illustrated poems exhibits similar concerns about social injustice, the loss of innocence, and the power of the human spirit. The contrasting tones of the two sections offer a complex exploration of the world, much like “Jerusalem.”
• The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1793): A philosophical and satirical prose poem in which Blake challenges conventional morality, embraces contrarian thought, and explores the dynamic relationship between reason and creative energy. Its revolutionary spirit aligns with “Jerusalem”.

Romantic Poetry:

• “Ode on a Grecian Urn” (1819) by John Keats: This poem contemplates the relationship between art, beauty, and the fleeting nature of existence. Like “Jerusalem,” it uses powerful imagery and symbolism to raise complex questions about the human condition.
• “The Tyger” (1794) by William Blake: From Blake’s Songs of Experience, this poem explores creation and the sublime, questioning the existence of a benevolent creator in a world that contains both beauty and terror. It shares a similar sense of awe and grappling with the complexities of the universe.

Poetry of Social Critique:

• “I, Too, Sing America” (1926) by Langston Hughes: This poem addresses themes of resilience and the fight for equality in the face of oppression. Hughes’s powerful voice, similar to Blake’s, speaks out against injustice and envisions a more equitable future.
• “London” (1794) by William Blake: Another powerful poem by Blake, offering a scathing critique of the exploitation and suffering he witnessed in the city. Its bleak imagery and accusatory tone resonate with “Jerusalem”‘s themes of social ills.

Works Employing Mythological or Biblical Symbolism:

• Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton: This epic poem explores profound theological concepts, including creation, the fall of man, and good vs. evil. Milton’s influence on Blake is evident in his symbolic language and the exploration of spiritual struggle.

Suggested Readings for Further Analysis of “Jerusalem” by William Blake

Books

• Bloom, Harold. Blake’s Apocalypse: A Study in Poetic Argument. Anchor Books, 1965.
• Damon, S. Foster. A Blake Dictionary: The Ideas and Symbols of William Blake. Revised Edition, University Press of New England, 1988.
• Frye, Northrop. Fearful Symmetry: A Study of William Blake. Princeton University Press, 1947.

Articles

• Mee, Jon. “Dangerous Enthusiasm: Blake and the Revolution Debate.” Studies in Romanticism, vol. 32, no. 2, 1993, pp. 175-193. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25600819
• Punter, David. William Blake (Northcote House – Writers and Their Work). Revised Edition, Northcote House Publishers Ltd, 2002.

Websites

• The William Blake Archive: https://www.blakearchive.org/. A comprehensive digital resource of Blake’s illuminated works, including high-quality images of “Jerusalem” and critical resources.
• The Blake Society: https://blakesociety.org/. An organization dedicated to the study of William Blake, offering news, events, and scholarly resources related to his work.