"In every cry of every Man, / In every Infant's cry of fear, / In every voice, in every ban, / The mind-forged manacles I hear."
Here's why it's a paradox:
* "Mind-forged manacles": This phrase is a paradox because it refers to chains or restraints that are created by the mind. It's a contradiction because chains are usually physical, but here they are mental.
* The Paradox: This suggests that people are imprisoned by their own thoughts and beliefs, even though there are no physical chains holding them. This is a paradox because it implies that people are both free and enslaved at the same time.
Blake uses this paradox to convey the idea that the citizens of London are oppressed by social and political systems that are rooted in the minds of the powerful. They are trapped by their own fears and anxieties, which are amplified by the inequality and injustice they face.