What does the title ‘London’ suggest?
urban, industrial, central life
What is the poem about overall?
narrator’s anger towards Establishment bc. witnessed suffering while walking through London
Why was poem written?
criticism of human power & protest agst. suffering
Why is when the poem was written significant?
after French Revolution, its rebellious agst. Monarchy & Church
What is the structure of the poem? What is capture?
has a repetitive structure reflecting repetitive suffering in the city.
breaks down in every stanza symbolising brokenness & pain for the lower classes of London
written in iambic tetrametre - mimics the pace of a person walking
Name the first theme of the poem. Explain.
One theme of the poem is POWER. The poem is overtly didactic & reflects on the pain caused by the corruption/POWER of the Establishment
Name the second theme of the poem. Explain.
The second of the poem is INNOCENCE. This poem is in praise of the innocence of childhood, in contrast to adults blinded by corruption
“charter’d Thames”
constrictive adjective
suggests that the Establishment is so powerful that they have power over things that cannot be restraint like nature
“marks of weakness, marks of woe”
repetition/breaks down to 7 suffering
elongates the continuous suffering/rhythm breaks down & becomes weak
“marks of weakness, marks of woe”
repetition/breaks down to 7 syllables
elongates the continuous suffering/rhythm breaks down & becomes weak
“mind-forg’d manacles”
alliteration
the lower class of trapped in their minds
“blackning Church appalls
irony/sombre tone
the poor wouldn’t be poor if the church helped
“marriage hearse”
oxymoron
reflecting is depressing & overwhelming
