"London" Poem Analysis Flashcards
(12 cards)
Translation–Lines 1-2
“I wander thro each charter’d street,Near where the charter’d Thames does flow,”
-The first-person narrator is strolling through the streets of London, near the River Thames.
-He does not seem to have a set destination, as he tells us “I wander”.
Blake’s Intention–Lines 1-2
“I wander thro each charter’d street,Near where the charter’d Thames does flow,”
-The word “charter’d” (chartered) is referring to the fact that the streets and the Thames are mapped out and legally defined.
-Maps are an attempt to impose order on nature.
-In this poem, the order is being placed on society.
-Chartered also means to impose legal restrictions and ownership upon something.
-This is ironic because the Thames is a natural body of water.
-The fact that the narrator is wandering suggests he has no sense of purpose, which sets the tone of melancholy and pointlessness in the poem.
Translation–Lines 3-4
“And mark in every face I meet,Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”
-As he walks, he sees (“marks”) something about the faces of people walking by.
-Each face has signs of misery and despair.
Blake’s Intention–Lines 3-4
“And mark in every face I meet,Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”
-To “mark” means to notice, but the repetition of the word suggests that everybody is marked and affected by the city’s problems.
-Blake may also be suggesting that there is no escape from the bleakness.
-The impact of this place’s power is both permanent and wide-reaching.
-The people have been “marked” by London, just like the branding of cattle.
Translation–Lines 5-8
“In every cry of every man,In every infant’s cry of fear,In every voice, in every ban,The mind-forg’d manacles I hear:”
-As the speaker continues his travels, he hears people’s voices everywhere.
-He hears the same pain and suffering in an infant as in a grown man.
-“In every ban” suggests the political and religious restrictions placed upon people; the things people are not allowed to do.
-The “mind-forg’d” (forged) manacles means that people are not physically restrained, but are restrained socially and emotionally.
Blake’s Intention–Lines 5-8
“In every cry of every man,In every infant’s cry of fear,In every voice, in every ban,The mind-forg’d manacles I hear:”
-The repetition of the word “every” suggests that all of humanity is affected.
-Blake elicits sympathy from the reader as children are supposedly born innocent and shouldn’t have to suffer.
-The phrase also indicates a negative view that every life is destined for this misery.
-The “mind-forg’d manacles” indicates the metaphorical shackles made by the mind.
-On paper people are free, but in reality they are not.
Translation–Lines 9-10
“How the chimney-sweeper’s cry,Every black’ning church appalls,
-Chimney sweeps were the poorest of society.
-They were usually children, employed to climb up chimneys to sweep out the soot.
-This could be a dangerous job, as it was not only bad for their health, but they could also suffocate and die.
-The soot from the chimneys would blacken the walls of the church, which was horrified by them (“appalls”).
-The “black’ning church” also references the pollution in London at the time, due to the Industrial Revolution.
-But it could also mean a tarnished or corrupted reputation.
Blake’s Intention–Lines 9-10
“How the chimney-sweeper’s cry,Every black’ning church appalls,
-Here, Blake is digging deeper into the effects of the “mind-forg’d manacles” on humanity.
-The children who worked as chimney sweepers were often orphans, whom the church was meant to be responsible for.
-However, the church is “appalled” by them and does not look after them as it should.
-During Blake’s time, a lot of money went into the church while children were dying from poverty.
-This emphasises what Blake considers to be the church’s hypocrisy.
-Blake is criticising the church and its “blackened” or tarnished reputation.
-He is reflecting on how the wealthy or elite take advantage of the poor.
Translation–Lines 11-12
“And the hapless soldier’s sigh,Runs in blood down palace walls.”
-The “hapless” or unfortunate soldier is dying.
-His blood runs down the walls of the homes of the elite.
-At the time of writing, the elite and the monarchy were considered responsible for the wars that broke out, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers and innocent people.
-Because of this, many women were widowed without support.
Blake’s Intention–Lines 11-12
“And the hapless soldier’s sigh,Runs in blood down palace walls.”
-Here, Blake is criticising the government and the monarchy.
-He is suggesting that soldiers and those who are left behind are the victims of war.
-The use of the word “palace” is significant, as this is where royalty would have lived.
-Blake is accusing the monarchy and the elite of spilling the blood of soldiers in order to keep the comfort of living in a palace.
-Blake supported the French Revolution, in which ordinary people overthrew the monarchy of France.
Translation–Lines 13-16
“But most through midnight streets I hear,How the youthful harlot’s curse,Blasts the new-born infant’s tear,And blights with plagues the marriage hearse.”
-Midnight streets” is a direct reference to prostitution.
-“Youthful harlots” suggests just how young many of these women were, who were likely forced into prostitution because they had no other choice.
-The speaker hears them cursing their new-born babies and the death of marriage via a “hearse”.
Blake’s Intention–Lines 13-16
“But most through midnight streets I hear,How the youthful harlot’s curse,Blasts the new-born infant’s tear,And blights with plagues the marriage hearse.”
-Blake contrasts the innocence of youth with the unpleasantness of prostitution.
-The speaker hears the harlots swearing, but this could also suggest a curse on the city.
-The fact that she curses a new-born baby is the ultimate attack upon innocence, as instead of comforting the baby, she curses it.
-This reveals the hardened heart of the harlot, representing the hardened heart of society at large.
-Blake juxtaposes “marriage” which means “to join” with “hearse”, which means “to depart” to suggest the destruction of marriage.
-Blake could be suggesting that men use prostitutes, get them pregnant and abandon them.
-They may also spread diseases, therefore killing them.
-This final stanza emphasises the theme of society’s moral decay.
