London

Question 1

“I wander through each chartered street, mear where the chartered Thames does flow”

Answer 1

• The first person pronoun “I” immediately establishes as a first person narrative. Makes the events in the poem sound more real and credible
• The verb “wander” shows the purposeless nature of people in London. Blake feels powerless to the change
• “Chartered” = something that is regulated and owned by another body. Thames being chartered is ironic as water is free-flowing

Question 2

“Mark in every face I meet. Marks of weakness, marks of woe”

Answer 2

• Everyone is marked and affected by the problems in London
• Repetition of mark highlights the never-ending and inescapable suffering in London
• Break from iambic tetrameter = contains less syllabuls than previous lines = it is weaker than previous lines
• Blake weakens the line to emphasise weakness in people

Question 3

“Mind-forged manacles”

Answer 3

• People are restrained socially and emotionally rather than physically
• The manacles are “mind-forged” suggesting that these limitations are self-imposed
• Intertextual reference to Rousseau: “man is born free, but everyweher is in chains”

Question 4

“Hapless soldier’s sight runs in blood down palace walls”

Answer 4

• “Hapless” has conotations of uselessness = suggesting the soldiers are useless at war
• Enjambment shows how the blood is continually running down the walls
• Corrupt European monarchy of the romantic era
• Blake is accusing the monarchy for wasting lives on unimportant matters (war)
• Saying that the monarchy are to blame for this suffering
• The “palace walls” form a barrier between the rich men of society and the poor soldiers that are fighting for them

Question 5

Context, form, structure - LONDON

Answer 5

• Written in strict ABAB rhyme scheme and quatrains: suffering is relentless and inescapable
• Regular structure reflects how London seems organised from afar. The actual content of the poem shows the real suffering. The orderly structure shows how the government is trying to cover up and hide the chaos
• After the French revolution: overthrow of the monarchy leads to bloodshed and violence