London Flashcards
” i wander through each chartered street ….
Near where the chartered Thames does flow “ .
“Marks of weakness …
Marks of woe” .
” in every cry of …
every man “.
“The mind forged ….
Manacles “ .
“Every black’ning …
church appalls”
” Plagues the …
Marriage hearse “ .
When was the poem published ?
1794
What kind of views did William Blake hold ?
Radical , socialist views and he questioned the way monarchies were run .
Did he believe in the french revolution ?
Yes
Who wrote London ?
Blake
The poem begins with ‘I’ , what does this suggest ?
Its a first person narrator , it males it seem personalised and real , also involves the reader .
What does ‘ wander ‘ suggest ?
That this person is aimless . But also shows that you have a lack of ability to change anything .
What does the repetition of the word chartered suggest ?
How controlled london is , even the river Thames and nature is controlled .
What does the repetition of the word ‘ marks ‘ mean ?
Suggests that everybody is marked and affected by the city’s problems . Blake could also be suggesting that their is despair and bleakness .
What does ‘ marks of woe ‘ suggest ?
Its affected the people physically
What does the ‘w’ sound in woe suggest ?
Suggests their crying out for help , wailing .
What does the repetition of ‘ every ‘ suggest ?
All of humanity is affected
What does the quote ‘ in every cry of every man in every infant’s cry of fear ‘ suggest ?
Everyone from adults to infants / hear and feel their suffering
What does ‘in every ban ‘ suggest ?
Suggests the political and religious restrictions placed upon people ; the things people are not allowed to do .
What does the phrase ‘ The mind forged manacles ‘ suggest ?
Suggests that people are not physically restrained but are restrained socially and emotionally .
What does the second stanza suggest ?
Suggests the sounds and senses which makes everything people are experiencing is real
What does ‘ chimney-sweepers cry ‘ symbolise ?
Symbolises child labour / emotive language
What does ‘ black’ning church suggest ?
The church is constantly black’ning because the people are committing sin all the time .
What does ‘ hapless soilders sigh ‘ suggest ?
Suggests that they are forced into that life , the soldiers are tools for the opressors
What does ‘ blood down palace walls ‘ suggest ?
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 .
What is ‘ midnight streets ‘ a direct reference to ?
Direct reference to prostitution
What does ‘ blasts the new born infants tear ‘ suggest ?
Powerful verb starting the sentence , plosive shows the power of the curse on society
What does ‘ blights with plagues ‘ suggest ?
Its a problem , powerful semantic field of illness and disease / biblical imagery / god punishing us .
What does ‘ marriage hearse ‘ suggest ?
Oxymoron / new borns are born into the death
What are four things about the structure ?
- Four quatrains with even structure could visually tell us that London is like that too .
- Dramatic monologue / telling us about what he sees and hears as if we are walking about London.
- Clearly organised stanzas shows control of monarchy .
- ABAB rhyme scheme
What are the attitudes and feelings for this ?
Opression/depression
Anger at the heirachy
Suffering of the people
Sadness
What are the poems to compare to this ?
The prelude , the Emigree , storm on the island
