London Flashcards
(11 cards)
“I _ thro’”
“I wander thro’”
Blake writes this poem using the 1st person, signifying a personal first-hand account of the problems in London.
“_ street”
“Charter’d street”
“Chartered” could suggest that everything in London is mapped out and is owned by the government.
“_ of weakness, _ of woe”
“Marks of weakness, marks of woe”
The repetition of the word ‘mark’ could symbolise the physical scarring of the people of London. It could also suggest the obvious suffering that was happening.
“In every cry of _ man”
“In every cry of every man”
The repetition of ‘every’ implies the size of the problem because it impacts on children and adults. No-one can escape the poverty.
“The _ _ Manacles”
“The mind-forg’d manacles”
‘Manacles’ are handcuffs. The imagery of this quote implies that the people of London are trapped in society emotionally, and also by their social class.
“Chimney-sweepers _”
“Chimney-sweepers cry”
Blake is criticising the exploitation of children in London. Children were expected to do dangerous jobs to survive.
“Every _ Church”
“Every black’ning Church”
Blake is angry that the church is not helping the poor people of London. By using the adjective ‘blackening’ this implies that the church is corrupt.
“youthful _ curse”
“Youthful Harlots curse”
‘Harlots’ are prostitutes. By using the adjective ‘youthful’, Blake is observing how young women/girls in London have to go to desperate lengths to survive. The word ‘curse’ could imply that they are punished because they are born into poverty and they are forever trapped.
“Runs in _ down _ _”
“Runs in blood down palace walls”
This could suggest that soldiers are dying in pointless wars. Blake is blaming the monarchy for the deaths of the soldiers, as the metaphor of ‘runs in blood’ implies that the Monarchy is murdering the soldiers.
“blights with _”
“blights with plagues”
The word ‘plague’ could suggest that there is no cure for the level of suffering, and the pain is like an infestation that is attacking London.
“the _ hearse”
“the marriage hearse”
A ‘hearse’ is a funeral carriage. Blake ends London with this oxymoron (two opposite words) to create an ominous tone. The poet seems to be implying that there are no happy endings for the poor, and that being born into a lower social class equals pain and death.
