London Flashcards
Who wrote the poem London?
William Blake
Summary of London
First person perspective on an anonymous speaker walking through London commenting on corruption (criticism of the authorities).
How does the speaker feel in London?
- passionate about his experiences
London:
“Every . . . church . . . ”
“Every blackening church appalls”
“Every blackening church appalls”
- surface level: 1700s Industrialisation
- Figurative: moral blackening
- dismay / horror
- lack of support from religious institutions
London:
“The . . . -forged . . . i hear”
“The mind-forged manacles i hear”
“The mind-forged manacles i hear”
- Internal oppression and weakness
- culmination of suffering
- symbolism of own restrictions
- enslaved by accepting injustice
London:
“. . . harlot’s . . . ” & “marriage . . . ”
“youthful harlot’s curse” & “marriage hearse”
“youthful harlot’s curse” & “marriage hearse”
- juxtaposition
- innocence with immortality
- new beginnings with end of life
London:
“. . . of weakness, . . . of woe”
“Marks of weakness, marks of woe”
“Marks of weakness, marks of woe”
- recognising a need for change
- repetition
- permanent impact
- like the banding of cattle
- breaks the iambic tetrameter
London:
“each . . . street . . . the . . . Thames does . . . ”
“each chartered street . . . the chartered Thames does flow”
“each chartered street . . . the chartered Thames does flow”
- oppression stemming from privatisation
- charted is repeated
- 1700s legislation was passed
- oppression of nature by humans
What is the structure of the poem London?
- uniform stanza length
- Iambic tetrameter
- cyclical structure
- dramatic monologue and simple language (conversational)
What other poems can be linked to London?
- Checking out me history
- the emigree
- tissue
