LONDON Flashcards
What is the poem “London” about?
First person speaker, waking through London and sees suffering. Blake criticises the church, government and monarchy
What views did blake have which were unusual in the time?
Radical political views, anti-monarchy and wanted a revolution to remove or
What collection was “London” from and its importance?
Song of experience - exposed the corruption / harsh reality of late 18th early 19th century england
What is the structure of “London”
four stanzas, four lines (quatrain )
What is the rhythm/rhyme scheme of “London”
A regular ABCD, unifies the verse and also emphasises how the suffering is inescapable. Rhythm creates a regular, jogging / walking feel
What does the quote “I wander through each chartered street “ suggest?
oxymoron of freedom within “wander” - frees action of moving
“Chartered” - owned. The government owns everything
what does “chartered thames does flow” suggest
repetition of chartered from the line above suggest the extent the government owns of london
Suggestion that the government’s power is restricting the river thames which are associated being naturally flowing
what is the technique in “marks of weakness, marks of woe”?
metaphorical scars left by the controlling, oppressive system
Alliteration to link despair (woe) to futility (weakness) amplifying how damaged london was
semantic field of suffering
What’s the structural effect of “marks of weakness marks of woe”
breaks the iambic tetrameter which shows how civilians and of london are broken due to the government
could resemble how if people revolt, they can be free
What’s the anaphora in london and its effect?
“In every..” develops that london is tortoise and a agonising place to live, the suffering is collective
What does “In every infant’s cry of fear” suggest
“Infant” shows that london was so corrupted children were born in fear- destruction of innocence. Incites sympathy in reader
