Comparison of 'London' and 'Living Space'

Created by: TessBlyth
Created on: 23-04-19 18:53


	Comparison of 'London' and 'Living Space'
	Similarities Both of the poems explore the suffering within a certain place due to severe poverty which is prominent in each of the different areas. Blake discusses the suffering of the poor people of London during a time of grave poverty that is imposed by the powers in control. Dharker talks about the suffering of the people who have made a 'living space' within the slums of Mumbai, and the dangers they pose to humanity due to their disjointed infrastructure. The poems both comment on the wealth distribution being unfair. 'London' suggests that the uneven wealth forces poor families to send their children to complete dangerous jobs such as chimney sweeping in order to provide themselves with a means to survive. The wealthy live separate lives, imposing 'mind-forg'd manacles' that further add to the burden of the poor. In the poem 'Living Space', Dharker comments on a 'slanted universe'. The adjective 'slanted' may highlight the unjust division between the rich and the poor. The people in the slums do not have merely enough 'straight lines' (materials to survive) while the wealthy overindulge in luxury. Tall, rich buildings in Mumbai overlook the slums which represents the power and control they possess over the destitute, with little sympathy. Dharker uses the contrast of dark and light to clearly show the difference in the quality of life between the social classes. Both poems have similar messages and morals that the poets were trying to evoke. Dharker tries to underline the obvious divide between the rich and poor in Mumbai; how the rich disregards the poor in society, showing little interest / intention to improve their situation despite its inequity. Similarly, Blake strongly calls out powerful institutions such as the monarchy and the church for not doing anything to help the lower class. He accuses them of being responsible for their situation, as they exploit their authority in order to control everything that takes place within the city - giving them little power over their own lives.	Differences 'Living Space' is set among the slums of Mumbai whereas 'London' focuses on England's capital in its entirety. Although poverty is prominent in both cities, the situations/circumstances are very different. 'London' was written in the 19th century within the Victorian era during a time of industrial revolution whilst 'Living Space' is a modern poem, written in the 21st century. This major time difference makes the poems contrasting - a lot has been developed since the 1800s and poor people face different issues in today's modern society. 'London' has a controlled, repetitive structure that consists of four quatrains. This could be used to suggest that the suffering within the city itself is never ending and inescapable, reinforced by the poem's regular ABAB rhyme scheme. The poem has a cyclical structure, which infers that the city is a cycle of suffering that Blake disapproves of. In comparison, the poem 'Living Space' has an unconventional structure that consists of only one fragmented stanza. The varying line lengths may resemble the crooked slum structures and is accompanied by an irregular rhyme scheme to further highlight its instability. Blake uses full stops at the end of the quatrains to reflect the controls within the city. This suggests that everything within the city has limitations and is guarded by someone or something. This links to the 'charter'd Thames', which shows how the government are trying to impose restrictions on something natural. Almost implying that the people within the city's lives are predetermined by people with authority; they have no power over their lives. On the other hand, Dharker uses enjambment to highlight the extent of the overpopulation in the slums. The words spilling over the lines may reflect how compact people are in the slums. They are gradually spilling over the area that they have been contained in because although over 71% of Asia's population live in slums, the land isn't evenly distributed. The poems possess contrasting tones throughout. In 'London', Blake is very critical and angry; he condemns the 'black'ning Church' to show his disapproval towards it. This juxtaposition highlights the hypocrisy and corrupt nature of the church - as they preached about the morals of God but did not pursue them in their own lives by allowing children to suffer. He also blames the monarchy for the unnecessary deaths of soldiers at war. However, in 'Living Space', Dharker presents a much more positive tone. Instead of being indifferent towards the poverty they face, she admires the acceptance and faith of the people living in the slums. They make the most of the little resource available to them without complaint. The poem ends positively 'the bright thin walls of faith' as she idolises their hope for a better future.
	Overall comparison 'London' and 'Living Space' both explore the suffering faced by the poor within a certain place. While Blake focuses on the injustice of the poverty faced by the inhabitants of London's capital, Dharker sets her poem among the slums of Mumbai, where migrants have managed to create a 'living space' within a fragmented and disjointed infrastructure. Dharker is a modern poet that was born in Pakistan but raised in Glasgow and her mixed heritage and itinerant lifestyle is at the heart of her writing. Within her poetry, she has an interest in representing different cultures, themes of identity, the roles of women and a search for meaning. Dharker also raises cultural issues aborad (which is relevant in 'Living Space' including ideals that categorise different groups of people within society. Blake has a very contrasting background as a Victorian poet, alive during a time of industrial revolution and grave poverty. Although each poem deals with poverty and place, their very different contexts give each poem conflicting circumstances, as poor people today are faced with evolved issues in modern society that differ from that within the 1800s.

Comparison of 'London' and 'Living Space'

Similarities

Both of the poems explore the suffering within a certain place due to severe poverty which is prominent in each of the different areas. Blake discusses the suffering of the poor people of London during a time of grave poverty that is imposed by the powers in control. Dharker talks about the suffering of the people who have made a 'living space' within the slums of Mumbai, and the dangers they pose to humanity due to their disjointed infrastructure.
The poems both comment on the wealth distribution being unfair. 'London' suggests that the uneven wealth forces poor families to send their children to complete dangerous jobs such as chimney sweeping in order to provide themselves with a means to survive. The wealthy live separate lives, imposing 'mind-forg'd manacles' that further add to the burden of the poor. In the poem 'Living Space', Dharker comments on a 'slanted universe'. The adjective 'slanted' may highlight the unjust division between the rich and the poor. The people in the slums do not have merely enough 'straight lines' (materials to survive) while the wealthy overindulge in luxury. Tall, rich buildings in Mumbai overlook the slums which represents the power and control they possess over the destitute, with little sympathy. Dharker uses the contrast of dark and light to clearly show the difference in the quality of life between the social classes.
Both poems have similar messages and morals that the poets were trying to evoke. Dharker tries to underline the obvious divide between the rich and poor in Mumbai; how the rich disregards the poor in society, showing little interest / intention to improve their situation despite its inequity. Similarly, Blake strongly calls out powerful institutions such as the monarchy and the church for not doing anything to help the lower class. He accuses them of being responsible for their situation, as they exploit their authority in order to control everything that takes place within the city - giving them little power over their own lives.

Differences

'Living Space' is set among the slums of Mumbai whereas 'London' focuses on England's capital in its entirety. Although poverty is prominent in both cities, the situations/circumstances are very different.
'London' was written in the 19th century within the Victorian era during a time of industrial revolution whilst 'Living Space' is a modern poem, written in the 21st century. This major time difference makes the poems contrasting - a lot has been developed since the 1800s and poor people face different issues in today's modern society.
'London' has a controlled, repetitive structure that consists of four quatrains. This could be used to suggest that the suffering within the city itself is never ending and inescapable, reinforced by the poem's regular ABAB rhyme scheme. The poem has a cyclical structure, which infers that the city is a cycle of suffering that Blake disapproves of. In comparison, the poem 'Living Space' has an unconventional structure that consists of only one fragmented stanza. The varying line lengths may resemble the crooked slum structures and is accompanied by an irregular rhyme scheme to further highlight its instability.
Blake uses full stops at the end of the quatrains to reflect the controls within the city. This suggests that everything within the city has limitations and is guarded by someone or something. This links to the 'charter'd Thames', which shows how the government are trying to impose restrictions on something natural. Almost implying that the people within the city's lives are predetermined by people with authority; they have no power over their lives. On the other hand, Dharker uses enjambment to highlight the extent of the overpopulation in the slums. The words spilling over the lines may reflect how compact people are in the slums. They are gradually spilling over the area that they have been contained in because although over 71% of Asia's population live in slums, the land isn't evenly distributed.
The poems possess contrasting tones throughout. In 'London', Blake is very critical and angry; he condemns the 'black'ning Church' to show his disapproval towards it. This juxtaposition highlights the hypocrisy and corrupt nature of the church - as they preached about the morals of God but did not pursue them in their own lives by allowing children to suffer. He also blames the monarchy for the unnecessary deaths of soldiers at war. However, in 'Living Space', Dharker presents a much more positive tone. Instead of being indifferent towards the poverty they face, she admires the acceptance and faith of the people living in the slums. They make the most of the little resource available to them without complaint. The poem ends positively 'the bright thin walls of faith' as she idolises their hope for a better future.

Overall comparison

'London' and 'Living Space' both explore the suffering faced by the poor within a certain place. While Blake focuses on the injustice of the poverty faced by the inhabitants of London's capital, Dharker sets her poem among the slums of Mumbai, where migrants have managed to create a 'living space' within a fragmented and disjointed infrastructure. Dharker is a modern poet that was born in Pakistan but raised in Glasgow and her mixed heritage and itinerant lifestyle is at the heart of her writing. Within her poetry, she has an interest in representing different cultures, themes of identity, the roles of women and a search for meaning. Dharker also raises cultural issues aborad (which is relevant in 'Living Space' including ideals that categorise different groups of people within society. Blake has a very contrasting background as a Victorian poet, alive during a time of industrial revolution and grave poverty. Although each poem deals with poverty and place, their very different contexts give each poem conflicting circumstances, as poor people today are faced with evolved issues in modern society that differ from that within the 1800s.

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Comparison of 'London' and 'Living Space'