Poems - London

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Who wrote London?
William Blake
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poem is written in 4 quatrains, meaning....
4 lined stanzas
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Blake was born in 1700s. he lived in the 1800’s. Why was this significant in writing this poem?
he lived in London in victorian era (1800s) - time of poverty and industrial change
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Blake believed in free thinking and was not the kind to follow rules of society’s standards. true?
yes
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what was the purpose of this poem?
Express Blake's disapproval to the strict rules of society in London at the time - he experienced some of this first hand - poem disapproves every kind of organized religion + government while it reveals the human heart’s longing for freedom
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What does title suggest?
London - what poem is about - setting
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what does first line illustrate?
speaker is walking down streets of London
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term “wander” gives some insight into the speaker. what does it suggest about Blake at time?
appears to be not quite sure of himself, a bit misguided, if not entirely lost
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the poem is written in an iambic pentameter. how does this further represent Blake is walking?
iambic pentameter reflects walking pace
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William had strong views on social/political issues at the time (18th century). He believed in social ___
equality
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What was his views towards the church?
he questioned church teaching, saying they don't do enough to look after people
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how does 'black'ning church' convey this?
black'ning suggest church is corrupted/tarnished from failing to look after people
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what else can this quote say regarding what was happening in London at the time?
grim visual image for the results of industrial revolution
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what tense is poem written in? give evidence and effect (note: poem based on first hand experience)
present - 'I wander' - 'I' = personal pronoun. effect = personalizes his first hand experience, making it seem more real - more impactive on readers
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what form is this poem in? (first person narrator speaks passionately [DRAMATICALLY] + personally about suffering he sees)
dramatic monologue
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What can be said about the rhyme scheme?
ABAB rhyme scheme is unbroken - echoes constant misery of city - or reflects sound of walking
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how does he Blake suggest how even natural features are under human control?
'charter'd Thames' - River Thames - Charter'd means kept within city - controlled - even river is controlled by humans and effected by ity's problems
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what does 'charter'd' suggest about the street itself? (way London is laid out)
Blake's not walking in a free, open field, but a confined, mapped out area
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first stanza sets up tone of poem. As Blake's walking through streets, he sees faces of people passing by and describes them as having 'marks of weakness' and 'woe'. what tone does this set?
sets up the tone as melancholy - gloom and sadness seem to seep from speaker’s voice as he describes the passersby
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what's effect of repetition of 'marks of weakness, marks of woe'?
symbolizes physical marks - emphasises unhappy state of society
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what part of 'mark in every face I meet' emphasis the size of problem?
'every' - everyone's effected by problem ('every' is repeated in second stanza - despar effects everyone + no relief from it)). also 'mark' - suggests everyone is marked by experience
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second stanza gives insight into Blake’s melancholy feelings toward people passing by. what's effect of 'every infants cry of fear'? (tells us what speaker is hearing)
Blake hears cry of newborn infant, to cry of full grown man - hearing various distressing noises - more vivid to readers - emphasizes how hellish experience was
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effect of 'chimney-sweeper's cry'? (sweepers were usually young boys)
chimney- sweepers usually young boys - exploiting how dangerous children's jobs were - emotive image of child labour
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what quote suggests people were trapped in society + social class? (second stanza)
'mind-for'd manacles' - manacles = shackles/chains that keeps a person imprisoned - these chains are “mind forg’d” suggest they're metaphorical chains created by people’s own ideas - trapped in every way, even by thoughts
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how is it suggested it's society trapping them in these 'manacles' (chains)?
“ban” reveals manacles are placed there by society (ban = restriction given by law) -
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speaker’s use of words such as _______ (give three examples) reveal his belief that society metaphorically imprisons people
“Charterd” “ban” and “manacles” - becomes apparent that the thoughts, pressures, and ideals of society are under scrutiny (carefully judged) here, in second stanza
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what quote suggest how does Blake criticises the government by suggesting that the soldiers are the poor victims of a corrupt government
'hapless soldier's sigh'
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what does 'runs in blood down palace walls' refer to?
French Revolution -ordinary people suffer while those in palace are protected behind walls
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Blake reveals feelings toward war by describing the blood that runs down the palace walls. what does this say about his feelings of war and people in higher social class?
palace = where royalty had lived. Thus, the speaker accuses higher class of society of spilling soldiers blood in pointless wars to keep their comfort of living in a palace.
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what else does this metaphor suggest? (refer to social class)
higher classes, inside, are safe unlike lower classes, outside who suffer. higher class can see blood on wall but choose to do ntoing. wall symbolises what separates classes
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what quote implies there's no cure for the level of London's suffering? (last stanza)
'blights with plagues' - blights (harm/destroy) - implies destruction. Plagues - uncontrollable, effects many, no cure.
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In final stanza, speaker reveals how the corruptness of society attacks innocence. how does 'youthful harlot's curse' convey this?
contrasts between innocence/youth and immoral of prostitution. suggests level of poverty and corruption, that a young girl would be involved in prostitution
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Blake tells us the girl is cursing at a new born baby. how does this represent society?
ultimate attack upon innocence. imply that rather than comforting crying infant, she curses it - reveals the heartlessness of the harlot, which represents the heartlessness of society
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what does 'curse' imply?
Harlot is swearing at baby - but also could imply they're punished, born into poverty + forever trapped
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last line of poem reveals speaker’s thoughts on marriage (The Harlot, apparently, has “blighted” (damaged) the “marriage hearse” (marriage in general))
Blake believes harlot has damaged marriage because she's sold her body before marriage - but 'marriage hearse' reveals he views marriage as death
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Overall, what does the poem criticise? (three main things)
the church, prostitution, and even marriage
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what could the innocent baby shedding tears represent?
those who are innocent in the world - are few + are mocked + are also infants - are not left to be innocent for long. Their innocence is “blasted” by the cry of the perverted
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what is the significance of all the repetition in the poem [cyclical structure]? (e.g repetition of words, quatrains, iambic pentameter, ending/starting with same theme of suffering)
implies cycle of poverty never ends + no escape for lower class because cycle is created by those in power who are doing nothing to change it
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not all lines are written as an iambic pentameter. 'marks of weakness, marks of woe' only has 7 symbols, not 8. what effect does this have?
emphasises quote. line itself is weaker than the rest, reflecting the weakness of tho who are suffering
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what quote tells us that everywhere Blake goes, the people he meets are effected by misery and despair?
'every face I meet marks of weakness, marks of woe'
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what quote conveys this misery seems constant, no one can escape it - not even the young and innocent?
'chimney sweepers cry'
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what quote suggests people in power (church) seems to be behind the problem, and do nothing to help the people in need?
'blackening church'
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describe how the structure shifts to what he sees around him and what thoughts he has
Blake resents constant images of people suffering. first stanzas - focus on people he sees/hears. third stanza - shifts to people he holds responsible. final stanza - returns to look at people, showing how even newborns are affected
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how does Blake use rhetorical language to persuade you to his view point? (emotive words/images, repetition.)
uses powerful emotive words + images to reinforce horror of situation (e.,g chimney sweepers cry) repetition is used to emphasis number of people affected and how society needs to change
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how does Blake use senses in poem?
depressing sights and sound of city - first stanza: what he sees. second stanza: what he hears. last two stanza: combine both (e.g hears prostitutes)
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what are the effects of contrasts in this poem? (e.g marriage hearse)
contrats show how everything is affected and nothing pure/innocent remains
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how are feelings of anger conveyed through poem?
shown through emotive language (chimney sweepers cry) and repetition ('every' 'marks'), 'every black'ning church' and 'palace walls' suggests he's angry at people in power who could do something to change things, but don't
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how are feelings of hopelessness conveyed from quote 'mind-forg'd manacles'
'mind-forg'd manacles' suggests poem themselves are to blame - they're trapped by their own attitudes. they appear hopeless because they don't try to help themselves
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what is the effect of the overwhelming list of native language? (e.g marks of weakness, marks of woe, cry of every man, mind-forg'd manacles, chimney sweepers cry, hapless soldier's sigh, youthful harlots curse)
negative language is overwhelming and reflects how overwhelming the suffering is
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Card 2

Front

poem is written in 4 quatrains, meaning....

Back

4 lined stanzas

Card 3

Front

Blake was born in 1700s. he lived in the 1800’s. Why was this significant in writing this poem?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Blake believed in free thinking and was not the kind to follow rules of society’s standards. true?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

what was the purpose of this poem?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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