London Flashcards
What is the poem London about?
A mans walks around London where he describes how people are affected by misery and despair everywhere he goes and they can’t escape it and how people in power are behind it
What form does this poem have?
A dramatic monologue where the 1st person speaks passionately about the suffering he sees
What does the broken ABAB rhyming pattern emphasis within the poem?
It echos relentless misery of the city
How is the structure laid out?
Stanza 1- focus on what he sees
Stanza 2- focus on what he hears
Stanza 3- The institutions he holds responsible
Stanza 4- returns to looking at people and shows how newborns are affected
How does the poem being rhetoric help it?
It helps persuade Blake’s point of. It’s
Give an example of Blake using emotive and powerful words to reinforce the image of horror
“Blights of plague” where “blights” imply destruction and “plague” hints at uncontrollableness and destined to affect lots of people (including newborns as it’s in stanza 4)
What does repetition of “every” and marks” do for the poem?
Shows the number of people affected and the feeling of bleakness - how despair affects everyone, there is no relief from it
How does Blake use the use of senses
Depressing sights and sounds “infants cry of fear” - various distressing noises - make sit seem a vivid, hellish experience
How does contract emphasis the poem? (Give quote relating)
Shows how everything is affected and nothing ours remains. “Marriage hearse” - oxymoron links happy marriage with death, everything has been destroyed
How is anger seen in the poem (quote to support)
Emotive language and repetition. “Every black’ning Church” and “palace walls” show how people in power have the power to change the depression but don’t
How is hopelessness shown in the poem?
“Mind forged manacles” suggests people themselves are also to blame, trapped in their own attitudes, they appear hopeless because they’re not able to help themselves
What themes are shown in London?
Power of humans, loss and absence, anger and individual experience
