London Flashcards
introduction
- It is a bleak poem which explores the relentlessly miserable reality behind London’s industrial facade.
- It comments on the negative aspects of London at the time, including child labour, prostitution and the corruption of power and authority.
- It is a short but obvious criticism of the establishment, including the church, the army and the monarchy, which have allowed the city to fall into such a degraded state.
- The choice of title and topic, London (the financial and political centre of Britain), also establishes the theme of power in the poem.
form
- simple dramatic monologue
- four quatrains - the use of four quatrains could be symbolic of the rigidity of London’s hierarchy at the time Blake was writing
- first person - the first person speaker conveys the horror of London
- can only observe
structure / rhyme and rhythm
- regular ABAB rhyme scheme - could represent the relentless monotony of living in this city
- iambic tetrameter
- enjambment
finish the quote : ‘charter’d…
…street’
finish the quote : ‘charter’d…
Thames does flow’
‘charter’d’
- repetition
- makes increasing amount of control seem inescapable
- it covers both land - ‘street’ and water - ‘Thames’
finish the quote: ‘every..
…cry of every man’
…Infant’s cry of fear’
…voice, in every ban’
‘in every…’
- repetition
- anaphora alludes to the overwhelming presence of misery, suggesting it is a collective experience and implies an inescapable cycle of poverty
- universal misery
- emphasises the misery of ALL of the Londoners
topic of the third stanza
- Blake blames the church and the monarchy
- blaming the state - rejects authority
structure
- 4 stanzas
- four lines
- regular structure
topic of the first stanza
- suffering - ‘weakness’
final line
- ‘And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse’
- curse
cyclical
- starts and ends with suffering
- poet is implementing a cyclical structure
rhyme scheme
- strong alternate rhyme - ABAB
- reflective of relentless misery
- 4x de-DUM - mimics walking - iambic tetrameter - seven syllables instead of eight on lines 4,9,10,11,12,14 and 15 - represents how control can lead to weakness
finish the quote: ‘the mind forg’d mannacles…
…I hear’
‘the mind forg’d mannacles I hear’
- the control is mental and therefore total
- ‘mannacles’ implies the populace is imprisoned: they are stuck in a cycle of poverty with little hope of escape
finish the quote: ‘marks of weakness…
..marks of woe’
‘marks of weakness, marks of woe’
- strong negative image - people are made weak and sad by living in London
- changing nature of London - Blake left London for a few years
imagery in first quatrain
- visual imagery
- ‘charter’d street’
- ‘every face I meet’
- ‘marks’
imagery in second quatrain
- aural imagery
- shows how it is harder to escape noises than sights
- evidence of London’s control is all around
- ‘cry’
-‘voice’ - ‘ban’
- ‘hear’
finish the quote: ‘runs in blood…
..down palace walls’
‘runs in blood down palace walls’
- image suggests that the monarchy is responsible for the negative impact it is having on its people
finish the quote: ‘marriage..
…hearse’
‘marriage hearse’
- juxtaposition
- ‘marriage’ -> new life
- ‘hearse’ -> death
- suggests how London can destroy even the most pure thing
- the final oxymoron cements Blake’s adverse view of the future: there seems to be no hope
finish the quote: ‘blasts the new..
..born infant’s tear’
‘blasts the new born infant’s tear’
- image suggests how London’s corruption is reaching newborns
- inevitable and inescapable
finish the quote: ‘blights..
…with plagues’
‘blights with plagues’
- by suggesting that London is like a disease or an illness -> Blake suggests that it will corrupt many people and is incurable
soundscape
- ‘cry’
- ‘curse’
- ‘sigh’
- what he hears as he wonders through london
- all have negative connotations
imagery
- semantic field of suffering
title - ‘London’
- establishes poem’s topic
- declarative and unadorned with description and opinion
- suggesting how it will depict London “as it is”
‘charter’d’
- dual meaning
- referring to the amount of trade occurring
- political and economic control - a document that expresses ownership of the land
‘charter’d Thames’
- Blake mocks the economic control of the Industrial Revolution
- the Thames, nature, is not something that can be controlled
finish the quote: ‘every black’ning..
..church appalls’
‘every black’ning church appalls’
- ‘black’ning’ - walls are turning black - corruption
- ‘appalls’ - shock and disgust -> turn pale
capitalisation of ‘Man’, ‘Infant’, ‘Chimney-sweeper’, ‘Church’ and ‘Soldier
- entities of people
- against ‘Palace’
- unhappy
- potential for revolution
finish the quote: ‘youthful…
…Harlot’s curse’
‘youthful Harlot’s curse’
- Harlot
- a prostitute
- juxtaposition between purity and sordidness
- highlights London can corrupt everything
mood and tone
- a sense of inevitability pervades throughout the poem -> shown in repetition - ‘cry’ ‘mark’ ‘every’
- critical - persona criticises many aspects of London life -> such as ‘black’ning church’ -> negative impact it has on others
key quotations for corruption
“Every blackning Church appalls”
“hapless Soldiers sigh / Runs in blood down palace walls”
‘blights with plagues the Marriage hearse”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR CORRUPTION
“Every blackning Church appalls”
“hapless Soldiers sigh / Runs in blood down palace walls”
‘blights with plagues the Marriage hearse”
Colour symbolism connotes the decaying core of the establishment and alludes to both physical and moral decay
The metaphor of blood is linked with death and suffering, symbolising the corrupt system and creating a feeling of despair and outrage. Enjambment could reflect this blood flowing, a symbol of guilt
An oxymoron and language associated with disease at the end of the poem creates a bleak tone and reinforces the poem’s message about the city’s lack of hope
key quotations for society
“charter’d street […] charter’d Thames”
“In every voice, in every ban”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR SOCIETY
“charter’d street […] charter’d Thames”
“In every voice, in every ban”
Repetition of the adjective “charter’d” symbolises a city that is rigid and controlled and suggests human desire to control even natural forms
Anaphora in this stanza builds a rhythmic intensity that mirrors the relentless suffering described
key quotations for oppression
“mind-forg’d manacles”
“Chimney-sweepers cry”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR OPPRESSION
“mind-forg’d manacles”
“Chimney-sweepers cry”
The metaphor suggests that the citizens lack any societal freedom. These “manacles” are not physical chains but mental and social restrictions that limit freedom and happiness
Blake offers a critique of the exploitation of children, as chimney sweeps were often young boys forced into dangerous work. Emotive language is used to contribute to the feeling of misery
key quotations for appearance vs reality
“And mark in every face I meet/Marks of weakness, marks of woe”
ANALYSIS FOR KEY QUOTES FOR APPEARANCE VS REALITY
“And mark in every face I meet/Marks of weakness, marks of woe”
This parallelism reinforces the idea that these conditions are widespread and that there is a disconnect between London’s outward appearance as a great city and the actual lived experience of its inhabitants. The repetition of “marks” suggests a permanent impact on the people
