London Flashcards
what is the context for London ?
- saw London corrupted by greed & inequality, dirty & corrupt
- used his passion to try instigate change
- anti-monarchy and wanted a revolution to remove it
- rejected organised religion and the established church ans he saw it as corrupt and hypocritical
- was anti-monarchy and saw a revolution as inevitable
- inspired by the French revolution
- industrial revolution, government started owning and controlling more land
how was dramatic monologue in London used for effect ?
- first person speaker, conversational tone
- Blake wanted his poetry feel accessible to all members of society because it contains messages and views everyone should consider to take one, monologue set up the conversation
- 1st person - personal, speakers own experiences
how is cyclical structure in London used for effect ?
- 1st/2nd stanzas focus on the impact of people
- 3rd explores the source of suffering
- 4th goes back into impact again
- suggests that suffering is never ending
- implies to the reader that they’ll keep suffering until they break the cycle and rebel against society
CONTEXT: french revolution
how is iambic pentameter used in London for effect ?
- shows order & control
- consistent rhythm - shows relentless oppression
how is consistent rhyme scheme and stanza length used for effect in London ?
- ABAB - rhyme scheme
- uses quatrains & uses fixed structure, enhances sense of complete control & oppression
- mimics the way lower classes feel trapped
- consistent structure also highlights how suffering is relentless and never ending
- Blake is frustrated that the general public wont stand up to institutions of power which control them
- represents possible opportunities to break through the small inconsistencies in the tight structure of the poem
- ‘marks of weakness, marks of woe’- break out of rhyme scheme, structure weakening
why does the 1st letter of each line on the 3rd stanza spell out HEAR in London and how is it used for effect ?
- could be a subliminal message to his readers
- focused on auditory signs of suffering
‘cry’ ‘sigh’ ‘curse’ ‘i hear’ - Blake wants people to start listening to the signs of suffering around them
‘marriage hearse’ - London - social criticism
- juxtaposition
- joy & happiness contrasted with end of life & grief
- societal criticism of how for women marriage is like death
- carriage was a hearse - sent to marriage to have all their rights are taken away
- new bride is subject to oppression by their husband
CONTEXT: - Blake was in favour of liberating women and felt marriage itself was an abuse of power, men gaining power over women
‘in every’ - London - suffering
- ‘every’ , is repeated throughout the poem
- emphasising the extreme extent of the suffering, showing how it impacts everyone with no discrimination
- repetition - shows repetitive cycles of suffering in London
- repetition builds up to the end
‘mind forged manacles’ - London
- suffering of citizens of London has become internalized
- oppression caused by them forging their own restrictions
‘manacles’ - associated with slavery & lack of freedom
- people are enslaved by authorities but also by their own mindset & fear
- enslaved by injustice
- society can be reformed by people having the strength of will to break free from their aversion to change
‘and marked in every face i see’ - London
‘mark’ - verb
- speaker notices the suffering everywhere in London
- he also marks it, he isn’t ignoring it and is make note of its presence and its importance
‘chartered Thames does flow’ - London - oppression
‘chartered’ ‘flow’
- juxtaposition
‘flow’ - implies freedom
‘chartered’ - implies it is owned by somebody
- oppression of nature by humans
- nature should be free for all humans to experience, but the greed of humanity is so high it even tries to control nature
‘chartered streets’ - London - suffering
- physical features of London as symbols for the different forms of suffering
- demonstrate lack of freedom and privatization induced by the industrial revolution
‘hapless soldiers sigh’ - London - suffering
- references the threat of military action that loomed in the aftermath of the French revolution
- used armies as a way for the country to prevent rebellion & oppress citizens
‘every black’ning church’ - London - criticism of organised religion
- organised religion seen as a reason of suffering
‘black’ning’ - connotations - immorality and evil
- criticism of organised religion, its failure to provide for the disadvantaged members of society
- betrays christian faith
CONTEXT: - Blake was religious but disliked the hypocrisy of organised crime and how they didn’t practice what they preached
