London Flashcards
context on the poem
William Blake lived in London for most of his life
Wrote during the Romantic era, but opposed industrialization and its effects
Viewed London as dirty and corrupt, both literally and metaphorically
Social injustice: The rich held power while the poor had little to no rights
Form
Dramatic monologue: First-person perspective conveys the suffering and horror of London
Regular ABAB rhyme scheme: Reflects relentless misery and monotony
Structure
First two stanzas focus on the people suffering
Last two stanzas shift blame to powerful institutions
Enjambment - reflects inescapable constraints of poverty
Fixed structure - feeling of total control and oppression
Repetition: Emphasizes the ongoing suffering and the need for change
Summary of the poem
A bleak poem exploring London’s miserable reality
Stanza 1: Describes a walk through the city
Stanza 2: Shows how misery and despair are everywhere
Stanza 3: Suggests that people in power are responsible
Stanza 4: No one, not even the innocent, can escape suffering
Language
Anaphora: “In every” highlights the overwhelming misery
Repetition: Reinforces the never-ending suffering and the need for change
Sensory language: The depressing sights and sounds create an unsettling atmosphere
Contrast: Suggests corruption has affected everything, leaving nothing pure
Mood
Anger: Strong emotive language criticizes those in power
Hopelessness: The poor suffer while the powerful do nothing
Industrial Revolution: Symbolism of pollution and decay
Corruption: Institutions like the Church fail to protect people
Key Quotes
In every infants cry of fear
- Upsetting imagery
- Distressing noises - vivid and hellish experience
Every blackning Church appalls
- Colour is a symbol of corruption
- Damage caused by the industrial revolution
- pollution and decay
And blights with plagues the marriage hearse
- Death at the end of the poem - bleack tone = lack of hope
- Dirtiness ends marriages
- oxymoron - happy image od marraige linked to death/destruction
