London V2 Flashcards
Form of London
4 stanza with 4 lines : The regular structure of sets of 4 suggests the imprisoning /oppressive nature of society for those suffering from monolithic institutions such as the monarchy and the Church reinforced by the mostly regular iambic tetrameter andr regular alternating rhyme scheme (abab)
Present tense: Increases the sense of imprisonment – the situation is still ongoing (it’s not over and done with as past tense would have suggested)
Structure of London
End stopped stanzas: Similarly to those suffering from monolithic institutions each stanza is ‘imprisoned’ within itself.
Position of Blake/ narrator as just ‘wander[ing]’ – helpless to change anything at the start: Idea of him ‘wander’ing suggests that wherever he goes he sees ‘woe’ and suffering; he does not have to go anywhere particular in London to find this (Londoners helpless to change)
Language used stanza 1 -London
repetition of ‘chartered’ (meaning owned) odd juxtaposition of the idea of chartering something and this being streets that everyone ‘wander[s]’ through and a river that –as a natural phenomenon that ‘flows’ freely should not be owned/ ‘chartered’. A clear criticism of the control exerted over all aspects of the city by those in power.(‘chartered street’, ‘chartered Thames’)
repetition of ‘mark’ (in 2 senses): emphasises how clear the signs of suffering are (which therefore makes the criticism of those in power who allow this to happen to be clearer)
alliteration of the nouns ‘weakness’ and ‘woe’: makes the link between powerlessness and suffering clear
Languaged used stanza 2
repetition of ‘every’: makes the link between powerlessness and suffering clear- universal idea that eveyone is oppressed
repetition of ‘cry’: sense of ubiquity/ omnipresence of suffering is highlighted
metaphor of ‘mind-forged manacles’: manacles’ emphasises the sense of imprisonment and oppression by the monolithic institutions. Additionally, ‘manacles’ imposed by economic/ social powerlessness also lead to ‘manacled’ thought of the lower class. Theoppression extends beyond what is physical to what is psychological. (mind forged manacles - stressed)
Langauged used stanza 3 London
juxtaposition of ‘black’ning’ and ‘church’ and the church with the ‘chimney-sweeper’:
God associated with light. Blake point out the corruption of the Church or the lack of God within it by using the adjective ‘black’ning’. Blake is also making a clear criticism of the way in which powerful institutions such as the Church are complicit in the suffering around them
alliteration/ sibilance in ‘hapless soldier’s sigh’: convey a sense of ‘sigh[ing]’ and highlight the sense of hopelessness of those such as soldiers who are simply used by those in power
Use of ‘palace walls’ as an image of the monarchy: abstract and anonymous idea of chartered’ in the first stanza and the use of ‘palace walls’ as an image of monarchy conveys a sense of the distance of those in power from the oppressed and powerless (metaphroical ‘wall’)
Langauged used stanza 4 - London
image of darkness again in ‘midnight’: adds to sense of dark oppressiveness of society for those at the bottom
repeated imagery of youth (‘infant’ twice, and ‘youthful’ harlot): emphasises the sense of vulnerability and powerlessness of those at the bottom of society
alliteration of voiced plosive in ‘blasts’ and ‘blights’: emphasises the bitterness of Blake’s criticism of society, and the damage done by the restrictive laws of society and the Church
‘marriage hearse’ - unexpected juxtaposition of marriage with idea of death: implies a criticism of strict laws of marriage which can imprison people in the ‘living death’ of an unhappy relationship
Name of poet -London
William Blake
Context of poem -London
William Blake lived during the Romantic literacy era (late 18 century) and lived in London plagued by corruption due to political situations. Blake was anti-monarchy and rejected organised religion and churches as it was hypocritical despite his christian belief
Based on French revolution which inspired many radicals. The oppressed seized power from the privileged which Blake hoped for in England. It is also based on the industrial revolution where the government gave power to the wealthy through land
Blake explores authoritarian abuse of power and their impacts on the lower class suggested the clear division within the oppressed society by the monolithic institutions (church and monarchy)
Key ideas of -London
Freedom vs restriction
Corruption
Oppression
Power vs powerless
Human power
Similarities with London and checking out me history
Both of the poems challenge the power of humans from high authorities
In London, Blake challenges the church for not helping the poor - “blackening church” - blackening shows how Blake is criticising the corrupt nature of the Church authorities shown through the use of colour imagery
In Checking Out Me History, Agard challenges the authority of governments through phonetic spelling of “Dem tell me” to show thay he is opposed to the British education system of the time
Differences with London and Checking out me History
London has a cylical structure, as suffering is the focus at the start and end of the poem. The quatrains also show how the suffering is repetitive, and nothing is being done to change it. This is a result of human power
Checking Out Me History shows a solution - it focuses on people within Black History, and talks of them in italics to draw emphasis to them, which contradicts what Agard would have been taught in school
