London Flashcards
What is it about?
Blake focuses his attention on the condition of London, England and the hypocrisy in London as well as the corruption present.
Context?
Time of industrial revolution and Blake was a model of anti- monarch so the government were fearful of an uprising.
Advocate of the French Revolution.
- Disillusioned = blood shed
- Revolution = Rebellion = turn against each other
Key quotes?
“Charter’d street” “chartered Thames”
“In every cry of every man” “in every infant cry of fear”(anaphora)
“Ban” “mind forged manacles”
“Blackening church “ “chimney sweepers cry”
“Hapless soldier” “blood down palace walls”
“Youthful harlots curse blasts the new born infants tear”
“Plague the marriage hearse”
Analysis of:
“Charter’d street” “chartered Thames”
Stanza 1- Everything Blake sees is chartered (owned by and bound to someone) - including river, which ironically should flow freely to ocean.
Everywhere he looks he sees unhappiness and suffering. - connotes restriction like an oxymoron
“Flow” & rhyme “woe” - with restriction suffering comes hand in hand
Analysis of:
“In every cry of man” “in every infant cry of fear”
-anaphora
Emphasise of restriction
Fact that “everyone” is crying in London - they are crying for own life.
Infants crying?= fearful of growing in ruined London
Analysis of:
“Ban” “mind forged manacles”
Reinforces idea of restriction.
“Manacles” - chains/shackles = people in London aren’t even free in own mind & GOV restrain hands by robbing them of own thoughts.
Weakness Blake highlights
Analysis of:
“Blackening church” “chimney sweepers cry”
Chimney sweepers = orphans under protection of refuge from church
- church blackening= Something as pure as God being corrupted & closer to death (loss of innocence)
- since own the children they dgaf about dirty chi,d labour that brings soot.
- B is angry &against child labour & sees the church as refusing to help the vulnerable = misuse of power & “kindness” putting children in dangerous working conditions
Analysis of:
“Hapless soldier” “blood down palace walls”
- Soldier exhales an “hapless”gesture = powerless to change situation. All he can do is defend palace / enforce violent orders. (Contradicts idea of war having am element of pride) – facade / propaganda = how Blake was brought up to glorify war
- Expression of discontent/powerlessness = turns to blood & runs down palace walls.
- Soldier is a “model” in terms of the representative of country - so of soldier do bad = whole place bad
- soldier being exploited
Analysis of:
“Youthful harlots curse blasts the new born infants tear”
Babies born in a world where young women prostitutes (harlots) and their tears (babies cry bare) get cursed at rather than soothed.
- “Blasts”- attacked/assaulted (metaphorically).
- Young who should be pure &control of virginity have been forced in loop of London.
Analysis of:
“Plague the marriage hearse”
Harlots curse(probes symbol for terrible life experiences) - like soldiers sigh for his” = ruins marriage hearse.
The curse- fact that there is a social divide (difference in classes)
Destroys institution of marriage and it “plagues” it
