London Flashcards
1
Q
“I wander through each chartered street,
Near where the chartered Thames does flow”
A
“wander”
- reflects life in London
- no purpose
- lost hope
“thames”
- even thames is controlled or “chartered”
- a river is supposed to be free flowing
- natural things are controlled
- humans shouldn’t be controlled
2
Q
“a mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”
A
“marks”-repetition
- shows the permanence of poverty
- they can’t escape their suffering
- concern for society
“every”
- widespread suffering
- a massive problem
- shared experience
“weakness”
- they are sick
- fatigued
- overworked
3
Q
“the mind-forged manacles I hear”
A
“mind-forged”
- forged meaning created
- he is nearly blaming the poor people for the oppression
- their mind is holding them back
- people aren’t able to help themselves
“manacles”
- chains are in their mind
- the people feel trapped
- self imprisonment
- hopeless, despair
- metaphor highlights the inescapability of poverty in London
“hear”
- metaphor
- he can’t actually hear it
- but the misery is palpable
4
Q
“chimney sweepers”
A
5
Q
“every black’ning church appalls”
A
“every”
-inescapable
“black’ning” juxtaposed with “church”
- holiness, purity, support
- tainted, dark
- church is corrupted and impure when it is supposed to help people in need
6
Q
“youthful harlot’s curse
Blast the new-born infant’s tear”
A
juxtaposition between the innocence of a new-born and being cursed.
Baby is doomed as soon as it it born
-stuck in the cycle of poverty
