London Flashcards
what type of poet was the author of london
william BLAKE
- romantic poet (lot of romantic poets were transgressive or had an underlying political message in their works)
- viewed London as corrupted by greed + inequality -> anti monarchy
- hopeful poet who tried to use his talent at writing to motivate change
- blake actually was christian but viewed organised religion as betrayal of the christian faith
historical context of London
- published not long after french rev
- [ french rev became an inspiration for many radicals as it was a symbol of how oppressed could seize power from privileged] - writted during time of george 3rd - who was seen as a tyrant
- [french monarch was excecuted - blake hoping this for george]
-INDUSTRIAL REV - urbanisation lead to most of london being covered in smog
does london have any other important contextual points surrounding the poem that could be REALLY useful??
- was part of a collection of poems: songs of expirience
SOE: exposed the corruption of suffering/ harsh reality of new changed world + social issues
SOE was a companion collection to songs of innocence (SOI)
SOI: about beauty/peace of nature/children (simple moral messages)
each poem in SOI had a darker pair in SOE to serve to show how INNOCENCE is lost with EXPIRIENCE of the harshness of reality.
however: LONDON has no companion in “innocence”
GIST: BLAKE IS TRYING TO IMPOSE THE MESSAGE THAT LONDON IS UNAMBIGUOUSLY + INDUBITABLY CORRUPT
messages of London
- explores theme of authoritarian use of power
- possibly hoped that the readers of “london” would consider their own impact on the run down state of the city, and potentially how they could help improve it
- suggests theres a huge issue with the divide between those in power + those completely void of it, relating to the huge wealth disparity affecting victorian england
- poet emphasizes those who have been hurt most by capitalist structures which cause inequality within society, focusing on their misers
- poem would have been considered revolutionary within society as he’s attacking”establishment”
- employes an immensly negative tone, which replacates his own dissilusionment with both government/monarchy and church
how are the power of humans presented in London
- emphasises how human actions, instutitions + power structures contribute to the suffering + oppression prevalent in the city.
- conveys a critical perspective on the impact of human agency on social + individual well being
how are the power of humans presented in London ( quotes )
“runs in blood down palace walls”
- metaphor
- depicts literal + symbolic bloodshed linked to the power struggles within the monarchy
- shows how actions of those in positions of authority have a direct impact on the people suffering
“how the chimney-sweepers cry”
- metaphor
- for voice of oppressed + marginalised members of society (ie - even children are suffering)
- highlights power imbalance that subjects vunerable groups to harsh living + working conditions
“in every cry of every man”
- repetition
- repetition of every emphasizes the universality of human suffering + misery
oppression in london
- prevents oppression as steaming from privitisation using repetition of word “chartered” “EACH CHARTERED STREET” “CHARTERED THAMES DOES FLOW”
- refers to how in 1700s legislation was passed giving common land to the wealthy for exclusive use and owenership -> transition of land from common to private with everything owned and controlled by wealthy.
- juxtaposition between “chartered” and “flow” (c = owned f = free) -> symbolises transaction
“chartered thames does flow” -> blake commenting on the oppression of nature by humans, as it should be free for all to access ad enjoy but the greed of humanity is so great that it tries to control nature.
-cause of suffering is shown to be institutions of power:
“hapless soldiers sigh” -> references the threat of military action that loomed in the aftermath of french rev. After rev, governments used armies to prevent further rebellion + oppress citizens
“every blackning church” -> critism of organised religion and its failiure to provide for the disadvantaged - even children “in every infants cry of fear” (children are meant to be born innocent and shouldnt have to suffer)
blake actually was christian but viewed organised religion as betrayal of the christian faith
form of london
London is a DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE -> as the first person narrator speaks passionately and personally about the suffering he sees
rhyme scheme and structure of London
ABAB rhyme scheme -> unbroken and seems to echo the regular rhythm (iambic tetrameter) could reflect the sound of his feet as he trudges around
meter of London
- iambic tetrameter
fairly consistent: shows order and control as the consistency of a rhythm provides a sense of the relentless oppression
structure of London
stanza 1+2 - focus on whos suffering
stanza 3: - focus on CAUSES of suffering
stanza 4: BACK to focus on WHOs suffering
^cyclical structure, repetetive, inescapable
- suggests that suffering is never ending
- suggests to the reader that suffering wont end unless they break cycle + rebel (like french rev)
ABAB RHYME SCHEME + QUATRAINS
- fixed structure: enhances the sense of complete control and oppression which could mimic the way he feels lower classes are trapped in London -> how suffering is relentless + never ending
- represents the possible opportunities members of Victorian society have to break free through small inconsistencies in the poem “marks of weakness, marks of woe” (only 7 sylables”
anger in London
“marriage hearse”
- oxymoron
- oxymoron encapsulates the anger towards the institution of marriage, suggesting that it has become a metaphorical hearse, emphasising the death of love and happiness
- expresses discontent + anger at social expectations + norms that lead to unfulfilling and oppressive relationships
“how the chinmey-sweepers cry/ each blackning church appals”
- symbolysm (chimney sweepers, blackning church)
- symbolysm of cs and corrupting church evokes anger, illustrating the frustration with the exploitation of the vunerable + moral decay within religious institutions.
- conveys anger at societal injustices + moral corruption that impact the most vunerable members of society
individual expieriences in London
“the mind forged manacles I hear”
- metaphpor
- metaphor depicts psychological chains that individuals create for themsevles, illustrating the internalized constraints + mental burdens expierienced by each person
- highlights personal struggle + internal conflicts faced by individuals in society marked by oppression + societal norms
“I wonder through each chartered street/ chartered thames does flow”
- repetition(chartered)
- repetition emphasizes the controlled + confined nature of urban spaces, highlighting the individuals experience of restriction and lack of freedom
- reflects personal experience of individuals navigating through the regulated and stratified streets of London during a time of social + political constraint
how is anaphora used in london
anaphora - poem uses phrase “in every” with “every” repeated throughout poem
- blake is emphasising extreme extent of suffering showing how it impacts everyone with no discrimination
- gets repetetive - shows how repetetive the cycles of suffering are
- repetition builds upto the final like like a literary crescendo.
what does the speaker notice in london
“and mark in every face I see”
- mark is seen as a verb
- speaker notices the suffering present in London everywhere, but he also marks it suggesting that he isnt ignoring it but making a note and recognizing its importance and the need for it to change.
