London revision

• what themes are seen in London?

  • abuse of power
  • sense of duty
  • setting/location
  • moral & ethical conflict
  • powerlessness
• what are important features of the poem?

  • the poem is a dramatic monologue - written in first person by the speaker taking a walk through the streets of London and noticing the suffering around them
  • the poem consists of a repeated ABAB rhyme scheme representing the consistent struggle/suffering of the working class/ Blakes pace(footsteps walking)
  • the ABAB rhyme scheme also reflects the sounds of machinery
  • the structure can also reflect how frustrated Blake is that the general public won't stand up to the institutions of power which are controlling them
• what are important features of the poem?

  • cyclical structure to reflect the order & control imposed upon the city & the never-ending cycle of misery & suffering caused by the abuse of power
  • the pace is relaxed and comfortable(speaker is walking - chill & comfortable) -> personal/colloquial journey
  • it is written in Quatrains (stanza-made up of 4 lines) this creates a sense of entrapment/hoplessness - tight structure(could suggest people of London have to stand up to the institutions of power by breaking through the small inconsistencies in the tight structure)
• key points about the poem:

  • messages - the poem represents anti-capitalist/anti-establishment/anti-industrial revolution - focuses on people not wealth
  • the poem is a critique of human power(abuse)
  • authority: exploitation & abuse towards people/Thames >everyone treated appallingly - disease & poverty - never ending cycle of misery with victims ignored & rejected
• quote analysis + technique: repetition 1

  • repetition of "chartered" suggests; the Thames should flow freely/ownership/subtle criticism of capitalism & the government
  • repetition of "chartered" in "each chartered street" & "chartered Thames does flow" is juxtaposed as "flow" implies freedom whereas "chartered" is describing it as owned by someone
  • >Blake is also commenting on the oppression of nature by humans as nature should be free for all to access & enjoy but the greed of humanity is so strong it tries to control nature
• quote analysis + technique: juxtaposition 1

  • juxtaposition of "marriage hearse" contrast connotations of new beginnings, joy & happiness of weddings with the end of life & grief of a hearse
  • this is Blake making a societal criticism of how marriage for women was like death as they were being sent to a marriage where they would have all their property and rights lost
• quote analysis + technique: repetition 2

  • repetition of "in every" emphasises; the extreme extent of suffering, showing how it impacts everyone without discrimination. the device gets very repetitive representing how repetitive the cycles of suffering are in Londons society.
  • the anaphora "marks" highlights the suffering by emphasising the community's pain/focuses on the consequences of control
  • repetition of "marks" suggests; people of London are literally poor & dirty due to poverty/people look weak & fragile/metaphorically represents the working class
• quote analysis + technique: metaphor 1

  • metaphor of "the mind forged manacles" suggests; ruled by Tyranny/mentally + physically imprisoned/authorities are imposing on society/individual freedom removed
  • -> internal oppression & weakness/culmination of suffering experienced -> possibly the oppression of people in London had resulted in them forging their own restrictions
• quote analysis + technique: metaphor 2

  ->"manacles" are associated with slavery & lack of freedom/imprisonment - which shows people are enslaved by authorities but also their own mindset & fear/also enslaved by accepting injustice & not doing anything about it

  -> Blake is also implying it is their fears & aversions that prevent change within London's society, as they are physically free(manacles are metaphorical) but enslaved by concepts instead
• quote analysis + technique: metaphor 3

  • these conflicts include; class system, ownership, charters, & institutions(like the church/monarchy) which Blake actively stood against
  • the symbolisation of "manacles" in the mind suggests sending the message that society can be reformed by people having the strength of will to break free from their aversion to change & take action
• form + structure: 3rd stanza HEAR

  • Blake uses the acrostic HEAR (by each first letter of stanza 3 to spell out HEAR)
  • this suggests a subliminal message to his readers focusing on auditory signs of suffering throughout the poem including; "cry", "sigh", "curse", "I hear"
  • this reflects Blake wanting his readers to start listening to the signs of suffering around them, as well as listening to his message of calling for recognition os society's issues
  • hear - imperative verb commanding the reader to listen
• quote analysis + technique: juxtaposition 2

  • Blake was in favour of liberating women & felt marriage itself was an abuse of power, giving men the opportunity to opress/abuse power over their wives
  • "marriage hearse" - oxymoron further emphasising lack of hope and that London is condemned
• quote analysis: various suffering in society 1

  • Blake presents this through "infant's cry of fear" highlighting how babies & children suffer
  • this is significant as children are born innocent & shouldn't have to suffer, igniting sympathy in the reader & highlights pessimistically how every life is destined for misery
• quote analysis: various suffering ins society 2

  • children are victimised: "how the chimney-sweepers cry" referring to how children were used for child labour in the Georgian era forced to work by parents desperate for money
  • women: "youthful harlot" - conveying how many women were condemned to immorality & prostitution just to make a living as there were few jobs at the time >women were also systematically paid less than men/were only valued for appearance & sexual fulfilment
• suffering due to institutions of power: 1 (monarchy/government/church)

  • Blake uses the physical features of London as symbols for the different forms of suffering & corruption presented within the city
  • the "chartered streets" serve to demonstrate the lack of freedom & privatisation induced by the industrial revolution
  • whereas the "hapless solider's sigh" references the threat of military action that loomed in the aftermath of the French revolution - as a result of this governments were scared of being overthrown so they used their armies as a way to prevent rebellions & to opress citizens
• suffering due to institutions of power: 2 (monarchy/government/church)

  • organised religion also portrays a source of suffering for the citizens highlighted by "every black'ning church"
  • the adjective "black'ning" is represents the soot & smoke that polluted every part of London due to the industry in the 1700s
  • "black'ning" also suggests negative connotations of immorality & evil - which can be perceived as a criticism of organised religion & it's failure to provide for the disadvantaged members of society
  • suffering is a symptom of the church's failure to deliver on it's duty
• quote analysis + technique:

  • "blasts" -> plosive 'b' - aggressive/violent imagery - highlighting pain + suffering of the city
  • vocabulary -> is simple + repetitive - song-like quality as Blake persuades us to agree through adjectives being assigned before nouns - "hapless soldier"/"black'ning church"