London Flashcards
Who wrote London
William Blake
What is London about
the narrator is describing a walk round London, he says that everywhere he goes the people he meets are affected by misery and despair, the misery seems relentless and no one can escape it not even the young and innocent, people in power seem to be behind the problem but do nothing to help
What is the form in London
dramatic monologue, the first-person narrative speaks personally about the suffering he sees, the ABAB rhyme scheme is unbroken and seems to echo the relentless misery of the city
What is the structure in London
narrator presents relentless images of downtrodden, deprived people, the first 2 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 newborn babies are affected
What is the rhetoric in London
the narrator uses rhetorical language to persuade you of his point of view and 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 show how society needs to change, ‘chartered Thames’ - even powerful natural features are under human control and affect by the cities problem, ‘mind-forged manacles’ - people are trapped in every way, ‘runs in blood down palace walls’ - he thinks ordinary people suffer while people in power hide behind walls
What is the use of senses in London
poem included the depressing sights and sound of the city, the first stanza is about what he sees, the second what he hears, and the last 2 stanzas combine the visual and aural, ‘mark’ - everyone is affected, ‘infant’s cry of fear’ - the speaker hears various distressing noises making it seem like a vivid, hellish experience
What is the contrasts in London
these are used to show how everything is affected and nothing pure or innocent remains, ‘blasts the new-born infant’s tear’ - innocence of newborn is lost immediately as society damages its members, ‘marriage hearse’ - oxymoron links the happy image of marriage with death shows everything has been destroyed
What are the feelings and attitudes in London
anger - emotive language and repetition show the narrator’s anger at the situation, he mentions ‘every black’ning church’ and ‘palace walls’ suggesting he is especially angry at the people in power who could do something but don’t, hopelessness - the ‘mind forged manacles’ suggest people that the people themselves are also to blame, they are trapped by their own attitudes and they appear hopeless because they are not able to help themselves
What are the themes in London
power of humans, loss and absence, negative emotions - anger, individual experiences
What language/techniques does London have
rhetoric, use of senses, contrasts
