"And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe."
The tone of this poem is definitely negative and depressing. Every line describes some terrible aspect of London. It seems very hopeless. The author offers no alternative image to balance out the negative imagery. The repeated crying surrounds the reader in the sound and amplifies the tone.
I was really struck by the image of the "mind-forged manacles." These people are not physically in chains, yet they are still imprisoned in their life. Because of the social and cultural "chains" they can not increase their standard of living. These chains seem to come from the "Palace" and the "Church" the only institutions of the time with any power.
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