London-William Blake Flashcards
Explain some context points of ‘London’
.William Blake was a poet in Victorian/Georgian England, he wrote a selection of poems in his anthologies songs of innocence and experience, most of the poems had a counterpart.
.The experience poems were often more bitter or cynical whereas the innocence poems where often naive and simple. London is one of the few without a counterpart
.The poem is set during a time in England where there was poverty,child labour and horrific war with France.Women have no rights,death rates from disease and malnutrition were high and the industrial revolution has resulted in many large oppressive factories.Blake’s poems often railed against these and how London, arguably the greatest city in the world at that time, was so dirty and corrupt
Explain the themes in ‘London’
.Looking at power and conflict, this is a poem which is about the lack of power and abuse of power. The poem is set in the capital of the most powerful country in the world and yet words like ‘manacles’ suggest slavery while the soldiers sign ‘runs in blood down peace walls’ a clear contrast between those with power and those without
Explain the revolution and people power aspects of ‘London’
.During this time France had thrown off and executed their kings. The People’s Revolution was meant to show that all men are equal and have power. In Britain, a country with an old monarchy and aristocracy, this was scary. Blake is perhaps supporting revolution, asking people to throw off the ‘manacles’ of their belief they should be told what to do
Explain the structure of ‘London’
.Written in four stanzas with a regular alternate scheme. This may reflect the regular walking pace of the narrator as he walks around London.
.The last line in each stanza tends to deliver a powerful statement which sums up the rest of the stanza. Stanza 1 focuses on misery,stanza 2 on peoples refusal to stand stall, stanza 3 about the way people are sacrificed for the rich and powerful, stanza 4 how all this poverty is corrupting everything good about family and life
.The narrator presents relentless images of downtrodden, deprived people. The first two stanzas focus on people he sees and hears, before the focus shifts in stanza three to the institutions he holds responsible. The final stanza returns to looking at people, showing how even new born babies are affected
.This is a dramatic monologue as the first person narrator speaks passionately and personally about the suffering he sees. The ABAB rhyme scheme is unbroken and seems to echo the relentless misery of the city. The regular rhythm could reflect the sound of his feet as he trudges around
Explain other ways how the narrator involves the reader?
.The narrator uses rhetorical language to persuade you of his point of view. He uses powerful,emotive words and images to reinforce the horror of the situation. Repetition is used to emphasise the number of people affected, and how society needs to change
.The poem includes the depressing sights and sounds of the city- the first stanza is about what he sees, the second what he hears, and the last two stanzas combine the visual and aural
.Contrasts are used to show how everything is affected and nothing pure or innocent remains
What are the feelings and attitudes of the poem?
.Anger- emotive language and repetition show the narrator’s anger at the situation. He mentions “every black’ning church’ and “palace walls”, suggesting he’s particularly angry at the people in power who could do something to change things but don’t
.Hopelessness- the “mind-forged manacles” suggest that people themselves are also to blame- they’re trapped by their own attitudes. They appear hopeless because they’re not able to help themselves
“In every cry of every man, in every infants cry of fear, and every voice: in every ban”
The powerful repetition of “every” and “cried” develops Blakes idea that London is a torturous and agonising place to live in. The fact that the lines are built up on the list great impression of an abundance of suffering
“How the chimney – sweepers cry every blackning church appals”
The chimney-sweepers during the time of the poem were young boys born into poor families. They were forced into dangerous working conditions as chimney sweepers despite being innocent and youthful. The church is being blackened by its compliance with these enslaving practices and the hypocrisy with the church’s acceptance of such horrendous issues in society sickens Blake
“How the youthful Harlot’s curse blasts the new-born infant’s tear”
London’s desperation is summed up by the young prostitutes cursing. It could be seen she is cursing the men that exploit her, or we could interpret that she herself, along with the rest of working – class London, is actually cursed. The adjective “youthful” is a direct criticism of the conditions for young working – class women in London
. Blake is corrupting the idea of childbirth with sexual exploitation and hate curse. The newborn infant is born into a broken world
‘The marriage hearse’
The oxymoron which juxtaposes the joy of marriage with the misery of death. Blake is suggesting that society has destroyed all the good things in life
‘Mind-forged manacles’
The alliteration helps to draw attention to the metaphor. Blake is showing how these people aren’t physically held back, but their belief in their own weakness holds them back
‘Runs in blood down palace walls’
This links to war at this time. The blood running down Palace walls signifies the sacrifice to protect the power of those who live in palaces. It’s a symbolic metaphor
Briefly describe what the poem’s about
1) The narrator is describing a walk around the city of London
2) he says that everywhere he goes, the people he meets are affected by misery and despair
3) The misery seems relentless. No one can escape it – not even the young and innocent
4) people in power like the church the monarchy and wealthy landowners seem to be behind the problems and do nothing to help people in need
Summarise the key points of London
. The poem is an ironic look at misery in the greatest city in the world
. Blakes views are revolutionary for the time challenging the idea that man is worth more than slavery
. Blake challenges the establishment in their palaces and churches which are marked by the blood and blackening of good people
