London Flashcards
“I wander through each chartered street, near where the chartered Thames does flow.”
Repetition of “chartered” shows everything in London is about ownership and business.
Irony as human are trying to control nature even though it’s uncontrollable.
“Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”
The alliteration emphasises how the unhappiness is everywhere and the reflects their weakness.
Meaning of “marks” changes from something to take notice of to physical marks.
“in every.”
It’s repeated 3 times to show that misery is
omnipresent.
“Mind-forged manacles..”
People are mentally and physically trapped.
Lack of freedom come from ideas of authority.
“Every black’ning church appals.”
The literal meaning is that the church is covered by soot and smoke.
Metaphorical meaning is that the good is being juxtaposed with the bad to symbolise corruption.
“Hapless soldier’s sigh runs in blood down palace walls..”
Juxtaposes to the Empire’s glory.
The soldier’s unhappiness could lead to a revolution - links to the French Revolution.
“How the youthful harlot’s curse.”
Attacks the prostitution business and shows it as a sin.
Affects everyone - shows how widespread corruption
is.
“Blasts the new-born infant’s tear.”
Juxtaposes something innocent and pure with something negative and sinful.
Semantic field of violence.
“Blights with plagues the marriage hearse.”
Marriage is dead due to the commercialisation of sex.
The misuse of power leads to corruptions and
suffering.
Structure
Romantic poem/song.
Iambic tetrameter - 8 syllable lines with alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.
Alternate line rhyming.
Tone builds up to deliver the worst line at the end.
Repetitive quatrains about suffering.
Context
Industrial Revolution - People from the countryside moved to cities to find work as machines did work quicker.
HE rejected the establishment as he saw how the lower classes were suffering.
French Revolution - Against those in power.
Key themes
The lower classes are constantly suffering.
Those in power and business control everything.
Poverty promotes suffering.
