London Flashcards
“I wander through each chartered street”
The use of the verb makes it seem as though the speaker is alienated from the place he once loved and is walking aimlessly.
“Each charted street” “chartered Thames does flow”
The repition of “chartered” conveys how everything in the city is fixed and regulated. We see that the speaker resents being confined. Blake uses the juxtaposition of “charted Thames” Where the Thames a river that connotes freedom and nature. But here nature is controlled. we see that this control is reinforced through the use of quatrains to show the rigidity of London and how it is restricted and no space for freedom.
“Mark in every face I meet”
The use of the verb of “mark” conveys how the speaker notices the suffering and anguish on the people’s faces. And we see the magnitude of this suffering through “every face “ he meets.
“Marks of weakness, marks of woe”
We see that here “marks” is used as a noun to show how people are scarred by pain and how marks are hard to remove perhaps connoting how the people in power have ruined London and brought suffering amongst the people.
The use of the alliteration of “weakness” and “woe” shows how people are connected by poverty and there sadness and perhaps it creates and image of sobbing and weakening.
Another interpretation could be that there’s a subtle reference to the speakers confusion of what has happened to the city he onced loved and how it is unrecognisable to him.
“Mind forged manacles”
The use of the metaphors show how people have no autonomy (control) over their lives and how even there minds are restricted and imprisoned by those in power. But perhaps Blake is calling upon a revolution by saying the weakness is only in peoples mind.
We see that through the alliteration of “m” conveys how those in power are greedy and the hunger and poverty of the people.
“How the chimney sweepers cry”
Blake uses the verb of “cry” in order for us to understand and empathise with the human suffering and the conditions these people have been placed amongst, and how the powerful are careless and ruthful.
“every blackening church appalls”
Blake uses the colour imagery of “blackening” to criticize the church as it is meant to be pure and is there to protect the people however “blackening” shows the Church has been tainted and corrupt.
“and the hapless Soldiers sigh runs in blood down Palace walls.”
Blake uses the juxtaposition between the status and security of the palace versus the soldiers lives. This is reinforced through the adjective of “hapless” to show the disparity in wealth and power and how it brings suffering amongst the powerless.
“soldiers sigh”
The use of sibilance shows the effect of this injustice power to show how the people have accepted and resigned to their fate.
“youthful Harlots curse. new-born infants tear”
Here Blake symbolises the “infants” for the future and how he is mourning at where society is headed. He makes it clear through the repeated plosive sounds of “b” through the last stanza to show how society is breaking down. And Blake is warning of how in the future this will cause further violence and corruption.
context: embed it
Blake lived in London
Blake was also poor and wanted to raise awareness of poverty within London.
His poem was used to speak against the social injustice.
Blake was anti establishment
