London key quotes Flashcards
” I wander through each chartered street,
Near where the chartered Thames does flow,”
‘Wander’ verb shows society progression aimlessly
‘ Chartered ‘ highlights ordering/ruled juxtaposition .
The word “chartered” can also imply a lack of freedom and restriction.
Blake uses London’s physical features to represent the city’s corruption and suffering. The “chartered streets” symbolize the lack of freedom and privatization caused by the industrial revolution.
The poem uses enjambment, which is when sentences continue over the end of a line. This technique has a similar effect to the rigid rhythm, which could represent the endless suffering and misery in London.
“And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe”
Gov restricted the way of thinking and their voices
The word “mark” has a dual meaning: to notice something, but also to physically imprint something. Blake uses the word as both a verb and a noun. The repetition of “weakness” and “woe” draws attention to the negative feelings reflected in the people’s faces.
The idea of weakness or powerlessness manifesting on a person’s face as a “mark” has connotations of pox, scarring, or disease. This suggests that the condition is growing and requires a public health intervention.
Spiritual and existential
The marks are more than physical, they are spiritual and existential, infecting everyone around the speaker.
“In every cry of every man, in every infant’s cry of fear”
The repetition of “every” highlights how many people are affected by the issues in London.
Emotive language
The use of the word “infants” draws attention to how even the youngest and most innocent are suffering.
Anaphora
The repetition of “in every” is an example of anaphora, which highlights the widespread nature of the suffering.
Metaphor
The quote uses a metaphor to highlight how the poor have no escape from poverty.
Pessimism
The phrase shows how every life is destined for misery.
Sympathy
The phrase incites sympathy in the reader because children are supposedly born innocent and shouldn’t have to suffer.
“every blackening church appalls -
And the hapless soldiers sighs “
has multiple meanings that can be interpreted in a number of ways:
- The church is literally blackened by the soot from the chimneys of children who are forced to clean them.
- The church’s reputation is damaged by its failure to respond to the corruption of society, including its involvement in child labor. The word “appalls” can be used to describe the church’s metaphorical blackening, or becoming more evil.
-The church should provide support and help to the poor, but instead focuses on its own wealth.
The church’s hypocrisy
Blake was a Christian, but he rejected organized religion and the established church, viewing it as corrupt and hypocritical.
The church should provide support and help to the poor, but instead focuses on its own wealth.
The church’s hypocrisy
Blake was a Christian, but he rejected organized religion and the established church, viewing it as corrupt and hypocritical.
Context
In London, Blake describes the miseries of London as a critique of the consequences of the British government’s restriction of civil liberties after the French Revolution. The poem contrasts the powerful with the powerless, and the speaker criticizes the institutions that contribute to the misery and inequality, such as the church and monarchy.
Form and structure
Quatrains: The poem is made up of four stanzas, each with four lines, giving it a predictable and repetitive feel.
Iambic tetrameter: The poem is written in iambic tetrameter, a rigid rhythm that may echo the endless suffering in London.
Enjambment: The poem uses enjambment, where sentences flow over the end of lines.
Acrostic: The third stanza is an acrostic, with the first letter of each line spelling out the word “hear”. This emphasizes the sense of sound that the speaker experiences in London. convey the poem’s themes, including:
The monotony of poverty and the idea that nothing will ever change for the better
The sense of complete control and oppression that the lower classes feel in London
