LIT2 - Poetry - London

Question 1

Who wrote London? Give some context about the poem:

Answer 1

-William Blake
-he would observe society during the IR, and criticise the rich and the insouciance of the established church

Question 2

Give 4 quotes for London:

Answer 2

-mark in every face I meet/Marks of weakness, marks of woe
-In every cry of every man…the mind-forged manacles I hear
-Every black’ning church appalls
-How the youthful harlot’s curse/Blasts the new-born infant’s tear,/And blights with plagues the marriage hearse

Question 3

mark in every face I meet/Marks of weakness, marks of woe

Answer 3

-mark is used as a verb then as a noun twice for added impact
-exaggerated situation of how the people have suffered mental and physical marks on them due to the inequality in the oppressive London’s society
-semantic field of suffering throughout the poem
-7 syllables rather than 8, represents the broken inhabitants of London

Question 4

In every cry of every man…the mind-forged manacles I hear

Answer 4

-powerful repetition of “every” and “cry” with semantic field of suffering develops the sense that London is some dystopian city
-metaphor “mind-forged manacles” makes reader aware of the total control the inhabitants are enslaved by, and how the poor were unable to move up the social hierarchy

Question 5

Every black’ning church appalls

Answer 5

-verb “black’ning” means immoral or corrupted, showing how they have been corrupted internally (also suggests physical blackening from soot)
-exposes the hypocrisy of the established church, and how they don’t do anything to help society

Question 6

How the youthful harlot’s curse
Blasts the new-born infant’s tear,

Answer 6

-extended metaphor for industrialisation

-euphemism for an STD - implies that London has been infected by the disease of industrialisation
-harsh verb “blasts” represents how the next generation will be born into this dystopian city

Question 7

blights with plagues the marriage hearse

Answer 7

-powerful oxymoron at the end (“hearse”) of a supposed new beginning (“marriage”)
-refers to how industrialisation was supposed to be a new beginning, encouraging progress, but instead it is driving society to its own death

Question 8

Explain the structure in the poem London:

Answer 8

-tight stanza structure implies the tight control the working class would be under
-starts with a leisurely “I walk” but ends with oxymoron, creating a shocking effect and a concern for the future of society

-present tense to indicate immediacy
-rhymes connect words (eg “ cry…sigh”) to double the effect of the words, eg the semantic field of suffering