London Flashcards
(11 cards)
poem criticises
The greed and imbalance of power that the industrial revolution created between wealthy factory owners and their workers
awareness through poem
points out ways London was changing and the suffering that many people were living in London were facing as a result of greed in those in a powerful positions
“every”
Repetition show on his walk every person he sees including himself is powerless and shows the scale of suffering
“And the hapless soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down palace walls.”
Juxtaposition - paints an image of a helpless soldier who has to give his life and his “blood” in service to those in power. In contrast, the “palace walls” to protect the powerful from danger or death
“I wander thro’ each charter’d street,
Near where the charter’d Thames does flow”
That London belongs to the rich despite the fact that so many other people live there. “charter’d” can suggest a sense of restriction and lack of freedom
“youthful Harlot” & “new-born infant”
Drawing attention to the young age of people suffering
“mind-forged manacles”
Alliteration of mind/manacles help draw attention to the metaphor, Blake is showing that these people are not physically held back but their belief in their own weakness holds them back
“marks of weakness,
marks of woe”
Alliteration of weakness & woe draws attention to the negative feelings reflected all around
“in every cry”
Is an emotive word suggesting pain or unhappiness. repeated 3x, emphasising how prevalent the suffering is
“palace walls” & “runs in blood”
- Palace walls sound impressive and creates the idea of royalty and wealth
- Runs in blood, reminds the reader of pain and sacrifices being made
“church” “marriage” & “blackining” “appals”
- church & marriage are words which could have positive connotations of love and faith. Their presence suggests peace and prosperity
- The church is “blackning” and “appals”. This implies its corruption and that institution is designed to encourage health & prosperity is responsible for disease
