London (William Blake) Flashcards
What were the names of Blake’s poem collections?
Songs of innocence - a childlike, naive view of nature
Songs of experience - a more pessimistic, perhaps realistic view of nature.
What message does the poem portray?
The poem explains how man feels trapped and contained within his own limitations, and how lack of freedom causes an increase in human suffering. He portrays the idea that civilisation is a waste of human life, how the governed city have lost the gift of living.
How does Blake present London?
He presents the city as a place which steals childhood, a place that spreads fear, desperation and darkness even in the very young. The poem explains the horror of everyday existence. The people there “belong” to a system which they are confined to, as even their emotions are “charter’d”.
What are the metaphorical images presented?
The “mind-forg’d manacles” emphasise the idea that people are trapped and contained by our own limitations, such as a desire for material possessions. It could also be the restraints placed on us by society to conform to other’s rules.
What is the significance of the “black’ning church?”
It could be a metaphor for how Blake believes religion is being tainted or polluted by city life and the industrial age. It also symbolises it’s failure to provide for the poor due to the vastness of the issue, how it “appalls” with shame and fear of the consequences.
What does the “harlot’s curse” represent?
We realise that this is the true nature that lies behind the facade of respectable ideas towards marriage. The “curse” of the harlot represents how her children will only experience pain and anguish, ultimately propagating the cycle of misery present in this poem.
What are some of the language/structure techniques used?
The capitalisation of the noun “marriage” emphasises it’s societal importance, however it is juxtaposed with the hearse to imply that wedding carriages bring death.
The poem features an alternate rhyme scheme and is written in first person, in order to make the poem flow and convey the idea that this life is orthodox.
