London - Context Flashcards
1
Q
who wrote the poem?
A
william blake
2
Q
when was the poem published?
A
- 1794 in the collection ‘songs of experience’
- written at the time of the industrial revolution
3
Q
william blake
A
- 1757-1827
- english poet, painter and printmaker
- born, grew up in and spent most of his life in london
4
Q
what was blake’s education?
A
- was only formally educated until he was 10
- only long enough to learn reading and writing
5
Q
what was blakes’ religion?
A
- he and his family were English dissenters - a type of Protestantism that had separated from the church of england because they disagreed with “state interference”
6
Q
what two collections did blake publish?
A
- songs of innocence - 1794 - in which blake criticised and attacked the church, other elements of contemporary society and the ‘city’
- songs of experience
7
Q
what were blake’s views on the french revolution?
A
- french revolution = people overthrowing the monarchy
- supported it at first but later criticised it for turning into chaos and violence
8
Q
industrial revolution
A
- a time of mass change in london
- factories opened up across the city, providing the lower classes with difficult, dangerous, poorly-paid jobs
- factories = pollution
- london was covered in black smog and nature was ruined
- class divisions increased- there were those who ruled ( a few people) and those who were ruled (most people)
9
Q
what is the poem about?
A
- the narrator is describing a walk around the city of London
- he says that everywhere he goes, the people he meets are affected by misery and despair
- the misery seems relentless. no one can escape it - not even the young and innocent
- people in power (like the church, the monarchy and wealthy landowners) seem to be behind the problems and do nothing to help the people in need
10
Q
what themes are present in the poem?
A
- pain and suffering
- negative emotions
- sense of place
