london - william blake

Question 1

Give a plot summary for London.

Answer 1

london - william blake

• the speaker notices how oppressed everyone in London is now that everything is “charter’d”
• this is apparent in everyone and everything
• child workers and soldiers are connected to institutions like the church and the palace; both are stained
• reflects on the pitiful state of the streets at night

Question 2

When was London written? What is the relevance of this time?

Answer 2

London was written in 1792. The relevance of this time is that this was during the Industrial Revolution, and the poem discusses the effects on London due to this. Also, the French Revolution was going on (1789-1799), and Blake was a supporter of this.

Question 3

How is the French Revolution linked to London?

Answer 3

the french revolution:

• the French Revolution was going on between 1789 and 1799
• Blake was a supporter of it
• it was about the oppression of the people as the government sought more power and wealth; Blake alludes to the fact that this could happen in England (“runs in blood down palace walls”)

Question 4

How is the Industrial Revolution linked to London?

Answer 4

the industrial revolution:

• the Industrial Revolution was occurring at the time that the poem was written (1792)
• this caused a lot of the suffering demonstrated in London as there were rapid changes in government, social and economic factors due to developments in mechanised working, and as a result, rules were stricter

Question 5

What type of poet is William Blake?

Answer 5

William Blake was a Romantic poet (wrote about love, nature and strong emotions).

Question 6

What ideals was William Blake known for?

Answer 6

William Blake was known for:

• his frustrations with how his home town of London, where he grew up, and how it was corrupted by greed and inequality; he experienced it first hand in a middle class society
• he was a rebellious and mystic (communicates ideals about God/the church) thinker
• he seeked rebellion against oppression
• pointed out hypocrisy (people claiming to be of a higher status)

Question 7

Which poem cluster is London from? Why is this relevant?

Answer 7

London was part of Songs of Experience.

Blake wrote Songs of Innocence and Experience in 1789. SOI is optimistic, SOE is pessimistic and mature.

Question 8

Give eight key quotes from London.

Answer 8

london - william blake:

• “near where the chartered Thames does flow”
• “in every” repeated x4
• “mind-forged manacles”
• “every black’ning church appalls”
• “hapless soldier’s sigh” (hapless = unlucky)
• “runs in blood down palace walls”
• “the new born infant’s tear”
• “plagues the marriage hearse”

Question 9

Give five relevant points about structure or form in London.

Answer 9

london - william blake:

• 7/8 syllables per line
• abab rhyme scheme
• equal stanza length
• first person

Question 10

Give four key themes present within London.

Answer 10

london - william blake:

• power of humans
• control
• suffering
• inequality