London Flashcards
“I wander through the charted streets” what does this quote show
“I”, personal pronoun makes it more personal and more real as it is the direct words from the poet. “Wander” also makes it seem aimless with no real meaning, as if the poet feels powerless or helpless to change the state of the City. “Each chartered street” shows how the issue affects everywhere in the city, not just a small area
“Chartered Thames” meaning
“Chartered” shows it is mapped and that it has been put into its place on a map. Even a powerful natural feature has been tamed by people and is no longer free, it’s under our control and therefore shares our problems.
“And mark in every face” meaning
Literally means he notices every persons face but could also suggest how everyone’s expression has changed due to the issues in the city
“Marks of weakness, marks of woe” wat does this show
Repetition of “mark” emphasises the feeling of bleakness and despair everyone is feeling and the sadness in there looks
“In every cry of every man,
In every infants cry of fear”
Répétions of in every shows how the despair is present everywhere and can’t be escaped. The different distressing noises would also make the experience hellish and scary
“The mind forged manacles” what des this show
Mind forged show how the feeling of trapment shouldn’t be there but society and the way it is run has caused people to feel trapped to do what they feel would be appropriate in society. “Manacles” is also much more dramatic than just hand cuffs, this helps emphasise the despair in people
“Black’Ning church”
Perhaps shows the negative affects of the industrial revolution, not even god is able to clean the mess people have made. Could also suggest the church has become corrupt and tarnished, preferring to spend money on nice churches rather than looking after the people like it should. “Blackening” also shows how it’s an on going process and still getting worse
“The hapless soldiers cry runs in blood down palace walls” meaning
“Hapless soldier” may suggest he feels helpless and is forced to look after the rich whilst his own kind, the working class, becomes poorer and the rich get richer. “Palace walls” may also show how the issue is only outside of the walls, those inside are unaffected and protected by the walls
“Youthful harlots curse” meaning
Vast contrast between the innocence of youth and the sordidness of prostitution, may suggest the innocent and vulnerable have no place in the society, to survive, you have to grow up. Curse could be prostitue swearing, or could be that they are the curse or could be an std
“Blasts the new born infants tear” shows
The prostitues child has the inherited std, their innocence instantly taken away, the ways of society has damages those who have barely lived yet
The blights with plagues the marriage hearse”
Happiness of marriage has been plagued. Oxymoron with marriage hearse, linking love to death perhaps shows love and happiness isn’t possible in a place like London.
Context of the poem
London is part of a series of poems Blake wrote called songs of experience. These poems focused on how innocence is lost and the corruption of societ
What is London about
It is about the narrators walk around the city and how everywhere he goes, the people are affected by misery and despair. The misery seems relentless and can’t be stopped or escaped; even the young and innocent are affected. However, the church and monarchs in palaces aren’t affected, therefore do nothing to help
What is the form, structure and rhyme scheme of the poem
It is a dramatic monologue about the suffering he sees. It uses an alternating rhyme scheme throughout the whole poem which may echo the relentless misery society is suffering. The first stanza focus on the suffering he sees and the second is about what he hears, makes it more real. In stanza three, the focus shifts to the people he believes are responsible for the problems and should fix it, the monarchs and church. Final stanza returns to people and shows even innocent as affected.
