london

• structure and form

  Dramatic Monologue:

  • London is written with a first-person speaker, speaking passionately about what he sees and experiences, combined with simple language in an almost conversational, colloquial tone. 
• structure and form

  Cyclical Structure:

  • The 1st and 2nd stanzas focus on the impact on people, the 3rd explores suffering and the 4th goes back to impact.
  • The effect could be for Blake to suggest that suffering is never ending, and implies to the reader that they will keep suffering until they break the cycle and rebel against society. 

  → like the French did during the revolution. 
• structure and form

  Iambic Tetrameter:

  • Fairly consistent
  • Shows order and control, as the consistency of the rhythm provides a sense of relentless oppression.