London Flashcards
Summary of London
London was written by the Romantic poet William Blake in the 1790s. 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 authorities of the time, including the church, the army and the monarchy, that have allowed the city to fall into such a downtrodden and dangerous state. The choice of title and topic, London (the financial and political centre of Britain), also instantly sets up the theme of power in the poem.
Lines 1-2
“I wander thro each charter’d street,
Near where the charter’d Thames does flow,”
Translation
The first-person narrator is strolling through the streets of London, near the River Thames
He does not seem to have a set destination, as he tells us “I wander”
Blake’s intention:
The word “charter’d” (chartered) is referring to the fact that the streets and the Thames are mapped out and legally defined
Maps are an attempt to impose order on nature
In this poem, the order is being placed on society
Chartered also means to impose legal restrictions and ownership upon something
This is ironic because the Thames is a natural body of water
The fact that the narrator is wandering suggests he has no sense of purpose, which sets the tone of melancholy and pointlessness in the poem.
Lines 3-4
“And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”
Translation
As he walks, he sees (“marks”) something about the faces of people walking by
Each face has signs of misery and despair
Blake’s intention
To “mark” means to notice, but the repetition of the word suggests that everybody is marked and affected by the city’s problems
Blake may also be suggesting that there is no escape from the bleakness
The impact of this place’s power is both permanent and wide-reaching
The people have been “marked” by London, just like the branding of cattle
Lines 5-8
“In every cry of every man,
In every infant’s cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear:”
Translation
As the speaker continues his travels, he hears people’s voices everywhere
He hears the same pain and suffering in an infant as in a grown man
“In every ban” suggests the political and religious restrictions placed upon people; the things people are not allowed to do
The “mind-forg’d” (forged) manacles means that people are not physically restrained, but are restrained socially and emotionally
Blake’s intention
The repetition of the word “every” suggests that all of humanity is affected
Blake elicits sympathy from the reader as children are supposedly born innocent and shouldn’t have to suffer
The phrase also indicates a negative view that every life is destined for this misery
The “mind-forg’d manacles” indicates the metaphorical shackles made by the mind
On paper people are free, but in reality they are not
Lines 9-10
“How the chimney-sweeper’s cry
Every black’ning church appalls,
Translation
Chimney sweeps were the poorest of society
They were usually children, employed to climb up chimneys to sweep out the soot
This could be a dangerous job, as it was not only bad for their health, but they could also suffocate and die
The soot from the chimneys would blacken the walls of the church, which was horrified by them (“appalls”)
The “black’ning church” also references the pollution in London at the time, due to the Industrial Revolution
But it could also mean a tarnished or corrupted reputation
Blake’s intention
Here, Blake is digging deeper into the effects of the “mind-forg’d manacles” on humanity
The children who worked as chimney sweepers were often orphans, whom the church was meant to be responsible for
However, the church is “appalled” by them and does not look after them as it should
During Blake’s time, a lot of money went into the church while children were dying from poverty
This emphasises what Blake considers to be the church’s hypocrisy
Blake is criticising the church and its “blackened” or tarnished reputation
He is reflecting on how the wealthy or elite take advantage of the poor
Lines 11-12
“And the hapless soldier’s sigh
Runs in blood down palace walls.”
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📣 Introducing AI Marking for English Literature 🤖 ✨ Accurate essay marks and AI Examiner feedback in a snip
GCSE
English Literature
AQA
Revision Notes
4. The Poetry Anthology
Power & Conflict
London
London (AQA GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Deb Orrock
Author
Deb Orrock
Expertise
English
Each poetry anthology in the GCSE contains 15 poems, and in the poetry question in the exam, you will be given one poem on the paper - printed in full - and asked to compare this given poem to one other from the anthology. As this is a “closed book” exam, you will not have access to the other poems, so you will have to know them very well from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to learn. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-mark response:
The meaning of the poem
The ideas and messages the poet wanted to convey
How the poet conveys these ideas and messages through their methods
How do these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas and themes of other poems in the anthology
Below is a guide to William Blake’s poem London, from the Power and Conflict anthology.
It includes:
Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam
Exam Tip
Although the comparison is not a separate assessment objective, you are expected to be able to compare the key themes presented in London with one other poem from the Power and Conflict anthology. See the section on ‘What to compare it to’ for detailed comparisons of London with suggested other poems from the anthology.
Overview
In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is essential that you understand what it is about. This section includes:
The poem in a nutshell
A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section
A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Blake’s intention and message
London in a nutshell
London was written by the Romantic poet William Blake in the 1790s. 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 authorities of the time, including the church, the army and the monarchy, that have allowed the city to fall into such a downtrodden and dangerous state. The choice of title and topic, London (the financial and political centre of Britain), also instantly sets up the theme of power in the poem.
London breakdown
Lines 1-2
“I wander thro each charter’d street,
Near where the charter’d Thames does flow,”
Translation
The first-person narrator is strolling through the streets of London, near the River Thames
He does not seem to have a set destination, as he tells us “I wander
Blake’s intention
The word “charter’d” (chartered) is referring to the fact that the streets and the Thames are mapped out and legally defined
Maps are an attempt to impose order on nature
In this poem, the order is being placed on society
Chartered also means to impose legal restrictions and ownership upon something
This is ironic because the Thames is a natural body of water
The fact that the narrator is wandering suggests he has no sense of purpose, which sets the tone of melancholy and pointlessness in the poem
Lines 3-4
“And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”
Translation
As he walks, he sees (“marks”) something about the faces of people walking by
Each face has signs of misery and despair
Blake’s intention
To “mark” means to notice, but the repetition of the word suggests that everybody is marked and affected by the city’s problems
Blake may also be suggesting that there is no escape from the bleakness
The impact of this place’s power is both permanent and wide-reaching
The people have been “marked” by London, just like the branding of cattle
Lines 5-8
“In every cry of every man,
In every infant’s cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg’d manacles I hear:”
Translation
As the speaker continues his travels, he hears people’s voices everywhere
He hears the same pain and suffering in an infant as in a grown man
“In every ban” suggests the political and religious restrictions placed upon people; the things people are not allowed to do
The “mind-forg’d” (forged) manacles means that people are not physically restrained, but are restrained socially and emotionally
Blake’s intention
The repetition of the word “every” suggests that all of humanity is affected
Blake elicits sympathy from the reader as children are supposedly born innocent and shouldn’t have to suffer
The phrase also indicates a negative view that every life is destined for this misery
The “mind-forg’d manacles” indicates the metaphorical shackles made by the mind
On paper people are free, but in reality they are not
Lines 9-10
“How the chimney-sweeper’s cry
Every black’ning church appalls,
Translation
Chimney sweeps were the poorest of society
They were usually children, employed to climb up chimneys to sweep out the soot
This could be a dangerous job, as it was not only bad for their health, but they could also suffocate and die
The soot from the chimneys would blacken the walls of the church, which was horrified by them (“appalls”)
The “black’ning church” also references the pollution in London at the time, due to the Industrial Revolution
But it could also mean a tarnished or corrupted reputation
Blake’s intention
Here, Blake is digging deeper into the effects of the “mind-forg’d manacles” on humanity
The children who worked as chimney sweepers were often orphans, whom the church was meant to be responsible for
However, the church is “appalled” by them and does not look after them as it should
During Blake’s time, a lot of money went into the church while children were dying from poverty
This emphasises what Blake considers to be the church’s hypocrisy
Blake is criticising the church and its “blackened” or tarnished reputation
He is reflecting on how the wealthy or elite take advantage of the poor
Lines 11-12
“And the hapless soldier’s sigh
Runs in blood down palace walls.”
Translation
The “hapless” or unfortunate soldier is dying
His blood runs down the walls of the homes of the elite
At the time of writing, the elite and the monarchy were considered responsible for the wars that broke out, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers and innocent people
Because of this, many women were widowed without support
Blake’s intention
Here, Blake is criticising the government and the monarchy
He is suggesting that soldiers and those who are left behind are the victims of war
The use of the word “palace” is significant, as this is where royalty would have lived.
Blake is accusing the monarchy and the elite of spilling the blood of soldiers in order to keep the comfort of living in a palace
Blake supported the French Revolution, in which ordinary people overthrew the monarchy of France
Lines 13-16
“But most through midnight streets I hear
How the youthful harlot’s curse
Blasts the new-born infant’s tear,
And blights with plagues the marriage hearse.”
Translation
“Midnight streets” is a direct reference to prostitution
“Youthful harlots” suggests just how young many of these women were, who were likely forced into prostitution because they had no other choice
The speaker hears them cursing their new-born babies and the death of marriage via a “hearse”
Blake’s intention
Blake contrasts the innocence of youth with the unpleasantness of prostitution
The speaker hears the harlots swearing, but this could also suggest a curse on the city
The fact that she curses a new-born baby is the ultimate attack upon innocence, as instead of comforting the baby, she curses it
This reveals the hardened heart of the harlot, representing the hardened heart of society at large
Blake juxtaposes “marriage” which means “to join” with “hearse”, which means “to depart” to suggest the destruction of marriage
Blake could be suggesting that men use prostitutes, get them pregnant and abandon them
They may also spread diseases, therefore killing them
This final stanza emphasises the theme of society’s moral decay
Exam tip 1
The exam question will ask you to compare how the given poem presents ideas about power and/or conflict in this poem and one other from the anthology. It is always worth starting your answer using the wording of the question, summarising the key themes of the poem. This demonstrates to the examiner that you have understood what the question is asking of you, but also that you have a good understanding of the poems themselves. For example, “Blake’s poem is a criticism of the institutions of power that ran the city of London at the time, as well as a commentary on the conflict between rich and poor. Similar themes can be found in…”
Form of London
The poem is written in the form of a simple, four stanza dramatic monologue to contrast with the complicated or difficult ideas in the poem.
Structure of London
Blake uses the structure of London to reflect the order and control imposed upon the city, and the never-ending cycle of misery and suffering caused by the abuse of power.
Language of London
Blake uses his choice of techniques and language to emphasise the oppression and suffering of the people at the hands of those in power and control.
Similarities :
London and MLD
Topic sentence.
Both Blake and Browning use the structure of their poems to comment on the idea that human power can be used to dominate, oppress and cause suffering.
Similarities:
London and MLD
Both Blake and Browning are also concerned with the inequalities between women and men, and how men can exert power over women
Similarities:
London and MLD
Both poems show how power that is inherited, but not necessarily deserved, can be abused and used to oppress
Differences:
London and MLD
While the focus of Browning’s criticism of power centres on one individual, the Duke, and the effect on his “last Duchess”, Blake comments on how the abuse of power by institutions hits the poorest members of society the hardest
