London by William Blake

Question 1

London
Person?
Structure?
Rhyming?

Answer 1

1st- personal journey with speaker, experienced
4 quatrains- allows for rhyming patterns and feeling of claustrophobia
ABAB pattern- monotony, confinement, prison like. Feet marching, immersive

Question 2

London
Context?

Answer 2

Industrial rev 18th century caused overcrowding, smog, forced labour
Blake lived in London most of his life; had radical political views as he opposed most things

Question 3

London
5 quotations

Answer 3

‘In every Infant’s cry of fear’
‘mind-forg’d manacles’
‘hapless Soldier’s sigh’
‘youthful Harlot’s curse’
‘the Marriage hearse’

Question 4

London
‘In every Infant’s cry of fear’

Answer 4

Anaphora, inescapable sorrow, builds horror
Hyperbole, affects all of the huge population
Capitalisation, individual people who should be innocent and content

Question 5

London
‘mind forg’d manacles’

Answer 5

Juxtaposition of physical and mental control
Oppression from government, brainwashing people
Verb, labourous work of rev like Blacksmiths
Entrapment of the people, prison like

Question 6

London
‘hapless Soldiers sigh’

Answer 6

Sibilance, echoes sound of sighing
Unfortunate, relying on luck
Synecdoche, represents the hundreds in army

Question 7

London
‘youthful Harlot’s curse’

Answer 7

Pre-modifying adjective, young age women are forced into prostitution
Taboo language ‘curse’ sinful job, their fate is suffering

Question 8

London
‘the Marriage hearse’

Answer 8

Oxymoron, marriage sign of hope, start of new life, hearse is depressing, end of life
Presence of prostitutes destroys marriages, connections
Endless cycle of sorrow and poverty from birth to death