london Flashcards
what are the themes of london?
power, time, place, death and religion
“mark in every face I meet/ Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”
Triplets – what the poet notices in the faces of all the strangers he is around in town.
“In every”
Repetition – to show how much misery and despair he notices in others. It could be a social commentary on other people.
“Man…Infants cry…voice,”
Lexical set – linked to people and Blake’s observations of people and their links to religion.
“Soldiers sigh/Runs in blood down Palace walls.”
Sibilance – this suggests despair and an outcry against the deaths of soldiers which perhaps could have been avoided.
“blights with plagues”
Imagery – links to the bible and the way that wrath can be brought down on people and links to the disease which people of the time didn’t understand and thought could have been a sign of evil in the people with the plague.
what is london about?
The persona observes the state of London as he walks through the streets. He says that
everywhere he goes that the people he sees are affected by misery and despair. The misery seems relentless and no one can escape it – not even the young and innocent. It is as if their minds are imprisoned by desolation and unhappiness. He comments that those in power (like the Church, the monarchy, and the most wealthy) seem to be responsible and don’t care about the poverty and
destitution that riddles the city like a contagious disease, ruining lives and hope for all.
