London Flashcards
I wander through each chartered street
(power of humans)
loss and absence - of freedom
Here Blake is criticizing the granting of Royal Charters to control trade as a form of class oppression as he is suggesting that every part of London is owned by someone and is not for free. Because of this the adjective “chartered” holds connotations of structure and restrictions; Blake introduces the idea that nature itself is restricted, hyperbolically heightening the extent of limitations enforced by the government.
This is further highlighted when he says “the charter’d the Thames does flow” which suggests that even the most powerful natural features of the Earth and under human power and affected by the city’s problems. The idea of human power over nature is further heightened when we consider that during the 1800s, the Thames was thoroughly contaminated to the point where only bacteria and eels could survive, showing the destructive nature of human power.
in every face I meet/Marks of weakness, marks of woe.
loss and absence - absence of hope
the repetition of “mark” emphasises the feeling of bleakness as well as how despair affects everyone.
“mark” could be interpreted as a metaphorical scar- everyone is traumatised by their own horrific experiences faced in the city of London which is highlighted through the semantic field of suffering employed through “weakness” and “woe”
alliteration to link the despair (woe) to the futility (weakness), amplifying just how damaged the population of London was.
In every cry of every man
In every Infant’s cry of fear,
(anger)
Powerful repetition of ‘every’ and ‘cry’ develops the sense that London is a tortuous and agonising place in which to live. The lines are structured to constitute a list, building up a picture of an abundance of suffering. By having both ‘every man’ and ‘every infant’ crying, we can infer that pain and suffering are constant from birth to death. This could also show the diversity of suffering
Additionally, the hyperbolic phrase “in every cry of every man” would, at the time of the poem, been shocking to a reader, as, contextually, the patriarchal society of the era meant that men displaying sad emotions would contradict beliefs about male strength and toughness.
Mind forged manacles
loss and absence - freedom
power of humans
“Manacles” are chains which hold slaves together so he says “Mind Forged” to say the people who live in London are chained up and enslaved both mentally and physically which results in the prevention of thinking as individualists which is what Blake wanted to do as part of the Romantic movement.
this depicts the people of London as lifeless and helpless prisoners to the monarchy
Every blackning church appalls;
power of humans
Through the use of ironic as well as oxymoronic phrase “blackning church” Blake could possibly be exposing authority and those in power as hypocrites and liars, as “church” has connotations of helping, supporting and working together, however, the idea of the church being blackened implies that the church has not only been polluted by the fumes of the Industrial Revolution but also hints that the church has been corrupted and is no longer following its expectations- to help and support those in need. Instead, like all other aspects of authority, the church is lying and disguising itself to be able to sustain the power it is given- Blake is suggesting that the church and the rest of authority do not deserve this power, as they are not using it as they should, they are taking it as an advantage and abusing it.
By adding in “appalls”, Blake is literally outing his direct views towards the ways of the church, showing the reader how angry he actually is, emphasising the extent to which he thinks authority are not doing their job and are not worthy of the power they are given.
the hapless Soldier’s sigh/ Runs in blood down Palace walls.
anger, power of humans
futility of existence, the destructive stupidity of war, or the fact that soldiers who die while following orders have literally given control of their life to their country, and thus lack agency over their fates.
Could also be an allusion to the French revolution, hinting that people should rebel against the British government and monarchy
Here Blake is critising the government and the monarchy for abusing their power which results in the death of innocent people
the visual image of blood highlights the pain and suffering further
the use of the adjective “hapless” suggests how clueless soldiers are - their actions is out of their control
the verb “sigh” implies that even the soldiers disagree with what is happening - they have questioned the very people that are leading them
The youthful Harlots curse/ Blasts the new-born Infant’s tear,
loss and absence = loss of innocence
The word “youthful” here is a direct criticism of the conditions for young, working-class women in the time of George III. In London, those who failed to find work sewing or in domestic service fell back on prostitution as the most viable means of subsistence. The fact that “Harlots” is plural suggests how widespread this issue was.
the metaphorical use of “blasts” to describe how cursing affects the baby suggests that children living in poverty are raised in harsh conditions so their innocence is also lost
It could also suggest that right from birth a child is predestined to suffering and pain when born in London. The suffering of the city is inescapable and ‘every’ person is damned to it from birth.
Blights with plagues the marriage hearse
anger, loss and absence of happiness
oxymoron - marriage has connotations of happiness, joy and a new beginning whereas hearse has connotations of death, the end of life and misery. This suggests that the hypocrisy of society leads to the death of a marriage and ultimately the death of love. Women were expected to remain “clean” and “unspoiled,” yet it was the philandering of the men who were not held to the same standards that caused the marriage to become a “hearse” because of diseases caught from “youthful harlots.”
both “blights” and “plagues” hold connotations of illness and disease which creates a sense of destruction, and therefore hints that this issue is uncontrollable and destined to affect lots of people
Form
the use of the dramatic monologue infers that eveything he sees, no-one else can, showing the lack of power the readers have.
Structure
ABAB rhyme scheme and regular stanzas are unbroken and seem to echo the relentless and inescapable misery of the city. could also mimic the dominance the government and society has on its people
The alternate rhyming scheme also demonstrates the cyclical notion of suffering caused by power. this depicts how the authority damages the superior. This cyclical nature of suffering is further emphasised through the fact that the beginning of the poem shows signs of “weakness” and “woe” and the end of the poem to continue to describe the “curse” that is upon the weak- the people of London are trapped in suffering.
use of iambic tetrameter creates an underlying sombre tone, outlining the evil of power and the powerless people longing to be free from the powerful control
Blake uses a dramatic climax at the last stanza through “but most”. the poem progressively gets worse and by establishing the sinister tone at the final stanza, Blake significances the consequences of power
Overall language in the poem?
uses rhetorical language to persuade - powerful, emotive words and images to reinforce the horror of the situation
repetition to emphasise the number of people affected and to show how society needs to change