London Flashcards
“I w t e c s” Oppression, Despair, Urban life
“I wander through each chartered street”
The repetition of the word “chartered” in this line suggests a sense of oppressive control and a lack of freedom in the city. The idea that even the streets are
“chartered” implies that every aspect of life is regulated and mapped out, leaving no room for individuality or spontaneity. The verb “wander” evokes a sense of aimlessness and despair, as if the speaker is lost in a labyrinth of misery and injustice. This line sets the tone for the poems exploration of the dark underbelly of London, a city where the speaker sees suffering and exploitation at every turn. The speaker’s physical journey through the city streets becomes a metaphor for his psychological journey into the heart of the city’s pain and corruption.
“T m f m I h” Mental oppression, Imprisonment, Suffering
“The mind forged manacles I hear”
The metaphor of “mind-forged manacles” is one of the most striking images in the poem, suggesting that the people of London are not merely oppressed by external forces, but are imprisoned by their own thoughts and beliefs. The idea that these shackles are “mind-forged” implies that they are self-imposed, a product of internalized oppression and a lack of critical awareness. The fact that the speaker can “hear” these manacles suggests their psychological reality and their power to constrain and confine the human spirit. This line points to the insidious nature of ideological control, the way in which oppressive systems can colonize the minds of the oppressed, making them complicit in their own subjugation. The alliteration of the “m” sounds creates a sense of heavy, plodding inevitability, as if these mental chains are an inescapable part of the human condition in the corrupt city.
“c s c… h s s” Suffering, Exploitation, Innocence vs. experience
“chimney sweeper’s cry…hapless soldier’s sigh”
In this line, the speaker focuses on two specific groups of people who symbolize the suffering and exploitation that he sees as endemic in London. The “chimney sweeper’s cry” evokes the plight of child laborers, forced to perform dangerous and degrading work, their youthful cries of pain and protest ignored by society. The “hapless soldier’s sigh,” on the other hand, suggests the exploitation of young men as cannon fodder in the service of the state, their lives wasted in battles they do not understand. The pairing of these two images suggests a society that preys on its most vulnerable members, exploiting the innocent and the powerless for its own gain. The alliteration of the “s” sounds links the two groups, implying a shared experience of suffering and oppression. These concrete examples give a human face to the abstract ideas of misery and injustice that the poem explores.
“p t m h” Corruption, Death, Decay
“plagues the marriage hearse”
The final line of the poem offers a dark, unsettling image that brings together the themes of corruption, death, and the perversion of natural human relationships. The phrase “marriage hearse” is an oxymoron, juxtaposing the idea of marriage, traditionally associated with love, joy, and new beginnings, with the image of a hearse, a vehicle for transporting the dead. This suggests that even the most sacred of human bonds has been tainted by the corrupting influence of the city, turned into a kind of living death. The verb “plagues” reinforces this idea of corruption and disease, implying that the institution of marriage has been infected by the moral rot at the heart of London society. The stark, uncompromising nature of this final image serves as a powerful summation of the poem’s vision of a society in a state of advanced moral decay, where even the most fundamental human relationships have been perverted and destroyed.
