London, by William Blake Flashcards
Who?
Speaker wanders through the streets of London
What?
comments on his observations
sees despair in the faces of the people he meets and hears fear and repression in their voices
When? Where?
streets of London
Victorian era
Why?
openly criticizes the church, the monarchy and the government
blames these institutions for the treatments of the poor people
What does the opening show?
‘I wander thro’ shows the poem is structured as a journey
1st person signifying a personal first-hand
account of the problems in London.
What does the repetition of ‘charter’d’ suggest?
London is owned and people have been robbed of their rights
What does the repetition in ‘every’ suggest in stanza two?
suggests the enormity of poverty from children through to adults
Quotes that show that Blake places blame on the church and state.
‘black’ning Church’ and ‘Runs in blood down Palace walls’
the adjective ‘black’ning’ implies the church is corrupt
What do the final words suggest?
‘blights with plagues’ suggests everything good is destroyed. “Plagues” implies decay and pestilence, no cure for the level of suffering and the pain is like an infestation that is attacking London
‘Marriage hearse’
ending with this oxymoron to create an ominous tone, implying that there a no happy endings for the poor people and that being born in the lower social class equals pain and death
Context
- Published as part of ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’
–> This poem is one of the songs of
Experience reflecting the more negative aspects of life - Blake lived and worked in London during the Victorian era, a time of great poverty and industrial change.
- romantic poet
–> nature informs their understanding of the world
–> feelings and emotions, intense with their emotions
–> freedom, rebel
Structure
Blake uses a lot of repetition which could imply the cycle of poverty and that there is no escape for the lower social classes.
Blake begins the poem London by just observing the streets
However, as the poem progresses, it is evident he is angry about the institutions that should support the poor people such as the church, the monarchy and the government.
The poem ends negatively with implications of death.
Comments on the title
Blake probably chose the title ‘London’ because he observed what misery the poor people had to endure in the capital city of England.
What does the repetition of the word ‘mark’ in the first stanza symbolise?
repetition of the word ‘mark’ symbolises the
physical scarring of the people of London. It could also suggest the obvious suffering that was happening
Analysis on ‘mind-forg’d manacles’
‘Manacles’ are handcuffs.
The image of ‘mind-forg’d manacles’ implies that the people are trapped emotionally in society and in their social class
‘Chimney..
..-sweepers cry’
Analysis on ‘Chimney-sweepers cry’
Blake is criticising the exploitation of children in London.
Children were expected to do dangerous jobs to survive.
Analysis on ‘Runs in blood down palace walls’
suggest that soldiers are dying in pointless wars
Blake is blaming the monarchy for the deaths of the soldiers as the metaphor ‘runs in blood’ implies that the Monarchy is murdering the soldiers
‘youthful..
..Harlots curse’
Analysis on ‘youthful Harlots curse’
‘Harlots’ are prostitutes.
By using the adjective ‘youthful’, Blake is observing how young women/girls in London have to go to desperate lengths to survive.
The word ‘curse’ could imply that they are punished because they are born into poverty and they are forever trapped
