London Flashcards
Who wrote ‘London’?
William Blake
When was ‘London’ written?
1794
What is the speaker in ‘London’ doing?
walking around London
What type of poet was William Blake?
Romantic poet
Who was Rousseau?
Swiss philosopher
What did Rousseau say to inspire William Blake?
‘man is born free but everywhere he is in chains’
Which collection was ‘London’ published as a part of?
Songs of Experience
What was Blake’s aim behind ‘Songs of Experience’?
show world was corrupted by humans
Which collection was ‘Songs of Experience’ published alongside?
Songs of Innocence
What was Blake’s aim behind ‘Songs of Innocence’?
moralistic poems for children
What is the rhyme scheme of ‘London’?
ABAB
What does the rhyme scheme in ‘London’ symbolise?
suffering in London is inescapable
How does William Blake create emphasis in ‘London’?
repetition / anaphora
What does stanza 1 and 2 of ‘London’ describe?
people who are suffering
What does stanza 3 of ‘London’ describe?
causes of suffering
What does stanza 4 of ‘London’ describe?
people who are suffering
How does Blake create a cyclical structure in ‘London’?
stanza 1 + 2 about people
stanza 3 about causes
stanza 4 returns to be about people
What rhythm does ‘London’ have?
iambic tetrameter
What historical event was happening around the time Blake wrote ‘London’?
French Revoloution
What is the key message of ‘London’?
world is corrupt because of humans
When does Blake not use iambic tetrameter in ‘London’?
‘marks of weakness, marks of woe’
weakens line to symbolise weakness of those suffering
What did Blake commonly do to create emphasis?
repetition
What type of narrative is in ‘London’?
first person
Why is it reasonable to state that the speaker in ‘London’ is Blake himself?
he lived in London all his life but four years
Which word did the poem ‘London’ not originally include and what did it say before?
‘chart’rd’
dirty
What was Blake’s intention for the reader?
urge reader to break free of corrupted society
- relevant today
What type of poet was Blake?
Romantic
When Blake repeats ‘mark’ then ‘marks’ what does the change in meaning show?
Blake’s frustration with changing London
When and where did Blake move from London?
1800
Felpham
finish the quote : ‘I wander thro’ each….
…chart’rd street’
finish the quote : ‘near where…
…the chart’rd Thames does flow’
Why does Blake repeat the word ‘chart’rd’?
show frustration with property rights
- how can a natural thing like a river be owned???
finish the quote : ‘marks of…
…weakness, marks of woe’
finish the quote : ‘and mark in every…
…face I meet’
What technique is used in stanza 2 ‘in every’?
anaphora
finish the quote : ‘in every cry…
….of every man’
finish the quote : ‘in every Infant’s…
…cry of fear’
finish the quote : ‘in every voice…
….in every ban’
finish the quote : ‘the mind-forg’d…
…manacles I hear’
What is the chimney sweep in ‘London’ symbolic of?
child labour
What did Blake think about religion?
disagreed with organised religion
Why did Blake disagree with organised religion like the Church of England?
repressive
What religious beliefs did Blake have?
Jesus was a prophet
experienced visions
finish the quote : ‘every black’ning…
…Church appals’
finish the quote : ‘and the hapless..
…soldier’s sigh’
finish the quote : ‘runs in blood…
…down palace walls’
Who does Blake blame for the suffering of people in London?
Church
Monarchy
Government
Land owners
finish the quote : ‘but most thro’…
…midnight streets I hear’
finish the quote : ‘how the youthful…
…Harlot’s curse blasts’
finish the quote : ‘blasts the…
new born Infant’s tear’
finish the quote : ‘blights with…
….plagues’
finish the quote : ‘the Marriage…
…hearse’
What is the significance of the title?
simplistic
London has become only miserable - only presentation Blake could give
immediate association with miserable / dire
What was the political scene at the time of Blake’s writing?
hegemony of institutional power
How much did population of London increase between 1600 and 1700?
population doubled between 1600 and 1700
