London Flashcards
Summary
-The poem is a dramatic monologue in which, the narrator walks through London commenting on the filth and corruption they see.
Context
-Blake was a romantic poet who was born and lived in London. He supported the French revolution and the idea of rebellion, but he disagreed with the violence. Blake was unhappy with the living conditions, child labour and exploitation around him. He was critical of the church because he felt it didn’t do enough to help the children. He was also a graphic artist so very observant - imagery.
Structure/form
- There is a consistent rhyme scheme and stanza length which enhances the sense of complete control and oppression, mirroring the way he felt the lower class were trapped in London. The consistency also highlights the suffering is relentless and never-ending.
- Iambic tetrameter is used fairly consistently, showing order and control, highlighting the relentless oppression lower class citizens faced.
- On the page the poem looks very ordered and regimented which announces the theme of oppression and reflects the image of London as a chartered oppressive city. Link to context about graphic artist so importance of how the poem is laid out on the page.
Themes
- Power and control
- Conflict
- Place
‘charter’d street’
- The word charter’d means ‘mapped out’ which suggest that the following scenes described are controlled and regimented by the wealthy and higher authorities. This image highlights how the church has the power to help, but doesn’t.
- A charter was a process through which corporations and wealthy individuals took ownership of areas of the city, thus depriving citizens of their civic freedom.
‘Marks of weakness, marks of woe’
- The noun ‘mark’ has connotations of permanence and scarring, implying that the conditions of London are here to stay and will permanently scar the citizens - almost like a brand.
- The line breaks from the iambic tetrameter used for most of the remainder of the poem, which could reflect how people can rise up against the institutions of power and free themselves from societal restraints. Link to him supporting French revolution.
‘every’
-The word ‘every’ is repeated seven times throughout the poem. Blake uses repetition to emphasise the universal suffering that the citizens endure. The device gets repetitive, which could be reflecting the repetitive nature of the cycles of suffering in London.
‘mind-forg’d manacles’
-The phrase ‘mind-forg’d manacles’ suggests the suffering of the citizens of London has become internalised and has resulted in the manifestation of psychological restrictions. He’s implying that they’re mindsets are preventing them from achieving change. Link to him supporting french revolution - might feel like London citizens need to do the same.
‘black’ning Church’
- The blackening church could be an acknowledgement of the soot and smoke polluting London in the 1700s.
- The juxtaposition between the ‘Church’, which is supposed to be pure, and ‘black’ning’ which has negative connotations to immorality and evil, shows the corrupt nature of the church and acts as a criticism of organised religion and its failure to use its power to help the disadvantaged in society.
‘Marriage hearse’
-This is an oxymoronic phrase. There’s a juxtaposition between the connotations of new beginnings and happiness that should come with marriage, and the grief that comes with death and a hearse. Blake could be implying that we are welcoming new life into a destructive world, and therefore this can only end in failure. This is also a societal criticism of how for women, marriage was like death as all power over their lives was given to their husbands. Blake thought that marriage gave men the opportunity to abuse their power and that women should be liberated from this.
‘charter’d Thames does flow’
-There is a sharp juxtaposition between the restriction conveyed by the adjective ‘charter’d’ and the freeness suggested by the word ‘flow’. This suggests that despite humans best efforts, they can’t hope to control true power that nature has. Link to romantic poets - loved, respected nature.
‘London’
-The title immediately focuses the reader’s mind to the capital city and its connotations with power and chaos. The vastness that comes to mind when the capital city is named contrasts with the restriction and oppressiveness shown in the poem.
Comparison
- Living Space
- Ozymandias
