London Flashcards
(15 cards)
1
Q
Who wrote London?
A
William Blake
2
Q
What is the structure of London?(5)
A
- ABAB rhyme scheme
- Uniform quatrains
- Cyclical structure
- Iambic tetrameter(lines with 8 syllables with alternating stressed/unstressed)
- Repetition
3
Q
What does the ABAB rhyme scheme show?
A
- Repetitiveness reflects relentless and inescapable suffering in the city
- Sense of rhythm like steady walking
- Highlights how systematic suffering has become - it’s engraved in the rhythm of the city
4
Q
What does the cyclical structure show?
A
- Stanza four returns to focus on those who are suffering
- Shows the repetitive cycle of suffering, never ending
- Control
- Opression
- “marriage hearse” - oxymoronic
5
Q
What does the iambic tetrameter show? What occurs to it?
A
- Monotomy of suffering and lack of freedom, mechanical, controlled life
- Except line four - breaks rhythm (“marks of weakness, marks of woe”)
- Deliberate disruption to reflect emotional pain, suffering breaks structure
6
Q
What is the repetition shown?
A
- Repetition of phrases throughout the poem, such as “cry”, “hear”, “every”
- Reinforces speaker’s sense of despair and disillusionment
7
Q
What are the themes of London?
A
- Power of humans and its abuse
- Control
- Struggles of the poor
8
Q
How is the theme of power of humans explored?
A
- Blake attacks institutions like the church, monarchy and government
- Power is used to suppress and exploit rather than protect
9
Q
How is the theme of struggle of the poor explored?
A
- Infant’s cry, chimney sweeper, young prostitute
- Babies are born into inescapable pain
- “blood down palace walls” monarchy built on suffering of the poor
10
Q
How is the theme of control explored?
A
- “Mind-forged manacles” = psychological control
- People are physically trapped and taught to accept their oppression
11
Q
“Marks in every face I meet, marks of weakness, marks of woe”
A
- Repetition of “marks” = metaphor of permanent damage done by oppression
- Suffering is visible and inescapable
- “woe” marks tears leave, evokes deep sorrow
12
Q
“In every cry of every man, in every infant’s cry of fear”
A
- Anaphora - universality of pain
- Most innocent born into a world of fear
- “cry” repeated = auditory image
13
Q
“Mind-forg’d manacles”
A
- Metaphor for psychological imprisonment - peopel are brainwashed by those in power
- Oppression is internal - people don’t even realise they are trapped
14
Q
“Blights with plagues the marriage hearse”
A
- Oxymoron = marriage(life and love) + hearse(death)
- Ends with the death of hope - even love leads to disease and decay in this broken society
15
Q
What is the context for London?
A
- Romantic poet, believed in the revolution, freedom, challenging authority
- Response to the French revolution, industrialisation - believed was destroying nature and innocence, church’s failure to help the poor, child labour and corruption of innocence
