In a London Drawing Room - George Eliot

Question 1

Themes? (3)

Answer 1

Identity, oppression, urbanisation

Question 2

Tones? (2)

Answer 2

pessimistic, disapproving

Question 3

Context? (4)

Answer 3

• George Eliot, pseudonym of Mary
  Ann, was an English novelist.
• Eliot was known for the realism and
  psychological insights to characters
  in her novels
• A Drawing Room was a room where
  visitors may be entertained and
  came from the term ‘Withdrawing
  Room’, to which somebody could
  withdraw for more privacy.
• The Victorian period is a time of
  great advancement and loss. T

Question 4

Meaning and purpose? (2)

Answer 4

• This poem is a summary of the monotony and sameness of the London city landscape.
• Urbanisation takes away the
  freedom of nature.

Question 5

Language? ()

Answer 5

• Metaphor- of the houses cutting the sky: Urbanisation is too vast – blocking our vision of what the world should be.
• The verb ‘cutting’ is violent and suggests that urbanization if harming the world.
• Simile- “like solid fog”, builds a suffocating environment.
• Allusion to the industrial revolution: “the sky is cloudy, yellowed by the smoke”.
• Adjective “yellowed” suggesting a sense of decay.
• Semantic field of death and decay.
• Sibilance and consonance convey the speaker’s distaste.
• The metaphorical wall suggests that urban life is like a prison and traps people.
• Symbolism of drinking “tea” introduces the societal conventions of the 19th century but
  that below this appearance is suffering. Birds often symbolize freedom but the birds in this poem emphasises the lack of
  freedom. The sun also symbolizes life but is unable to break through the fog.
• Juxtaposition of settings: inside the
  drawing room versus the outside city
  introduces the theme of appearance vs reality and the impact of a rigid class structure in the 19th century

Question 6

Form? (3)

Answer 6

• Enjambment to suggest the
  monotony of life and individuals
  continuing on with their lives and
  ignoring the pain of others.
• The caesura after “fog” brings the
  sentence to a halt mimicking the
  sensation of suddenly butting up
  against the “solid fog”
• No volta: The are no shifts within
  the poem and the tone remains the
  same, emphasising the ‘monotony’ of life

Question 7

Structure? (1)

Answer 7

• Blank verse- creates a monotonous
  rhythm. The single stanza of 19 lines
  emphasises the city’s cramped,
  crowded and oppressive
  atmosphere. The long stanza might
  mimic the “Wall” of houses.