Poem London revision Flashcards
who wrote the poem London?
William Blake
What is the form of the poem? (london)
the poem is written in quatrain (4 line stanza’s) And has a regular rhythm of ABAB which is unbroken and seems to echo the relentless misery of the city.Or the regular rhythm could reflect the sound of his feet as he trudges around.
The very simplistic form is almost ‘childlike’, Blake is writing this poem as a political poem and in order to get his ideas across he writes it in way that is so memorable even children can remember it that’s why he did it that form.
'’I wander thro’ each _______ street’’ (london)
'’I wander thro’ each charter’d street’’
-The word charted has a meaning that the streets have been mapped which we consider to be a helpful thing but Blake is arguing the opposite he’s complaining about the expansion of cities (urbanisation) which destroyed something that was once natural which is why you get the Thames image of nature in the next line.
But the other meaning of charted is that everything in the city is owned, the king has charted out the areas so what was once free common parkland has now had a street built on it and that street is owned by other people not you the PEOPLE. You have to pay rent to live in appartements on the street so what he is now suggesting is that the streets make you poorer the people can know longer enjoy the freedom their once had, in contrast he begins the quote with i wander, he is showing us we can still be free and wander like him as long as we start looking at London in a different way.
'’The __________ manacles i hear’’ (london)
'’The mind-forg’d manacles i hear’’
-Manacles is another image of oppression/imprisonment so just like chartered so just like ‘chartered’ he is saying we are owned/trapped by something else, well it is something ‘mind-forg’d’ he is suggesting we have done this to ourselves it is our own minds that have put us in this kind of jail. The word forged has a double meaning forge is what a blacksmith own where he manipulates metal.But forge also has the other meaning that we understand which is to fake things Blake does that deliberately what he’s saying here is that our belief in social hierarchy in the class system is a fake way at looking at the world and he’s going to show us a better one so that we can take of the manacles that are preventing us being free in our own minds.
Every _________ church appalls’’ (london)
Every blackening church appalls’’
-Blake seems to be angry at all forms of power-describing the church as ‘‘blacking’’ could suggest that it is corrupt or that it is tarnished by its failure to look after people.it’s also a grim visual image of the ugliness caused by the industrial revolution. The church has lost its way.
'’Runs in _______ down palace walls’’ (london)
'’Runs in blood down palace walls’’
-Might be a reference to the french revolution sounds like he thinks ordinary people suffer while those in the palace are protected behind walls perhaps he is suggesting the revolution which happens in France is very likely to happen in Britain.
'’blights with plagues’’ (london)
powerful language of illness and disease Destruction is implied by ‘‘blights’’ and ‘‘plagues’’ hints at something that’s uncontrollable and destined to affect lots of people.
'’marriage hearse’’ (london)
Oxymoron-links the happy image of marriage with death. suggest that everything ha been destroyed
What is the poem London about? (london)
.The narrator is describing a walk round the city of London
he says that everywhere he goes, the people he meets are affected by misery and despair
what are the feelings and attitudes in the poem? (london)
ANGER- emotive language and repetition show the narrator’s anger at the situation he mentions ‘‘palace walls’ and ‘blackening church’’ suggesting he is especially angry at the people in power,who could do something to change things but don’t
