Analysis of William Blake's Poem London London by William Blake is a poem characterised by its dark and overbearing tone. It is a glimpse at a period of England's history (particularly London) during war and poverty, experienced by the narrator as he walks through the streets. Using personification it draws a great human aspect to its representation of thoughts and beliefs of the narrator. The author uses a rhyme scheme that mirrors the pace of walking. The pace is moderate using an octameter
Oppression and Spiritual Deterioration in William Blake's Poem London London I wander thro' each charter'd street, 1 Near where the charter'd Thames does flow, 2 And mark in every face I meet, 3 Marks of weakness, marks of woe. 4 In every cry of every Man, 5 In every Infant's cry of fear, 6 In every voice, in every ban, 7 The mind-forg'd manacles I hear: 8 How the Chimney-sweeper's cry 9 Every blackning Church appalls, 10 And the hapless Soldier's sigh, 11
William Blakes Poem London William Blake’s poem “London” takes a complex look at life in London, England during the late seventeen hundreds into the early eighteen hundreds as he lived and experienced it. Blake’s use of ambiguous and double meaning words makes this poem both complex and interesting. Through the following explication I will unravel these complexities to show how this is an interesting poem. To better understand this poem some history about London during the time the poem was written
In the poem London, William blake explores the idea of tyranny attached to London, he suggests that London itself is full of social diffrence. The line "Chartered street" and "chartered Thames" suggests how everything is owned by the government, even something as natural as the river thames has been "chartered". The use of chartered suggests the privilege of those who can hire the river Thames itself for their use and whose lives contrast with the misery of the poor that were the majority. Another
In the poem Compose upon Westminster Bridge and London the poets present two very different. In the poem Compose upon Westminster Bridge and London the poets present two very different and contrasting views of the same city. William Wordsworth view of London is positive and optimistic. William Blake on the other hand presents a very negative dismal picture of the city. William Wordsworth was born in 1770 and has always had a love of nature. He studied at Cambridge University, which later
Comparing the Poems City Jungle by Pie Corbett, London by William Blake and Londinium by Catatonia "City Jungle" by Pie Corbett, "London" by William Blake and "Londinium" by Catatonia are poems that share the same theme: cities and city life. They each have negative opinions of cities and similar themes and messages, that cities are unpleasant. The poems are however, vastly different in their style; "City Jungle" has a fun atmosphere, whereas "Londinium" and "London" have depressing atmospheres
stanza of the poem “London” represents the typical Marxist view that in a capitalist system, the proletariats are unable to rise up against the bourgeoisies, as the bourgeoisies have convinced them that they are free and society cannot be changed. This is evident when the narrator of the poem details the helplessness of the proletariat through the use of the words “In every”. Blake’s use of syntactic parallelism and the repetition of the word “every” and the tight structure of the poem, portrays a
William Blake's The Tyger, London, and the Little Girl Lost William Blake's the Tyger is a reminiscent of when God questions Job rhetorically about his creations. The Tyger also uses a significant amount of imagery and symbolism, which contributes to its spiritual aspects. In the poem London, Blake is trying to dispel the myth of grandeur and glory. This associated with London and to show how 'real' people of London felt. London was seen and portrayed as a powerful city where the wealthy lived
In "London", William Blake brings to light a city overrun by poverty and hardship. Blake discards the common, glorifying view of London and replaces it with his idea of truth. London is nothing more but a city strapped by harsh economic times where Royalty and other venues of power have allowed morality and goodness to deteriorate so that suffering and poverty are all that exist. It is with the use of three distinct metaphors; "mind-forg'd manacles", "blackning Church", and "Marriage hearse", that
The London Bridge is Falling Down: The Use of Repetition, Symbols, and Connotation in William Blake’s Poem “London” People dream about getting married, having children, and working a successful job. These are among some of the most common goals and aspirations that humans hold close to them. However, it is not as easy as it seems because life throws everyone curve balls from time to time. Whether it is growing up in a city people look up to such as London only to have adulthood hit you in the face
London by William Blake and Upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth This essay aims to compare and contrast the differences and similarities between the two poems 'London' and 'Upon Westminster Bridge'. They both create powerful, contrasting images but are both similar in the use of language and exaggeration. The first poem to be commented upon is 'London' by William Blake, written a couple of decades before the second poem written by William Wordsworth. William Blake negatively
Comparison of London by William Blake and Composed Upon Westminster Bridge by Wordsworth The poems are written from two very different perspectives. William Blake's poem London is about a lifetime of London and is very negative he puts London out to be ugly depressing and very much in despair he tells us of prostitutes and very depressed people. Where as William Wordsworth's poem Composed upon Westminster Bridge is very positive. Wordsworth's poem gives out the impression of London as a beautiful
Self-Made Misery in Blake’s London The poet William Blake paints a picture of the dirty, miserable streets of London in his poem, "London". He describes the wretched people at the bottom of the society, the chimney-sweeps, soldiers, and harlots. These people cry out from their pain and the injustices done to them. The entire poem centers around the wails of these people and what they have become due to wrongs done to them by the rest of society, primarily institutions such as the church and
This essay will seek to explore how far literature of the time subscribes to the view in The Beggar’s Opera – ‘O London is a Fine Town’. In order to do this, the essay will examine ‘London’ by William Blake, ‘Tintern Abbey’ and ‘Composed upon Westmisnster bridge by Wordsworth and Oliver Twist by Dickens. The Beggar’s Opera was written in 1728 and is considered to be ‘the most complete statement of Gay’s attitude toward the town and its evils.’ The play begins with the introduction to the character
Blake and Swift 18th century London, it seems, was not a city of beauty or mirth; that is, at least, for the poets William Blake and Jonathan Swift. Blake’s “London” and Swift’s “A Description of a City Shower” are both poems in which the pervading theme is one of a dark, miserable city. London is portrayed as a cold and unredeemable city in both the 1710 poem of Swift, and the 1793 poem of Blake. These works, over eighty years apart, are so strikingly similar in their themes and focus that
Comparison of London by William Blake and Westminster Bridge. "I wander thro' each chartered street," this is William Blake, walking slowly, almost lost, taking notice of everything he sees around him. By 'chartered' William Blake can mean two different things, he can mean wealthy and prosperous or he can mean streets that are chartered / charted on a map, this is better explained in the next line where he speaks of the 'chartered' Thames, giving us the impression that he is in fact speaking
as you relax in your hardwood floored den and sip your English tea. Now picture London. What kind of an image comes to mind? Perhaps the sophisticated languages of its inhabitants or just the aura of properness that encompasses typical visions of the great city of London. I am not writing to deny the eloquence of London, I am instead writing to challenge the notion of sophistication that many of us hold true to London. Could a city of such brilliance and royalty ever fester with the day to day problems
different forms of poetry, composed in the latter half of the nineteenth century with the city of London at the heart of each piece. However in terms of style and perspective, they differ greatly from each other. The first piece, a sonnet composed by William Wordsworth, one of the most famous writers of the eighteenth century, conveys a sense of celebration for all the triumphs and beauty of London whereas the second piece by William Blake uses his writing to provoke the reader by telling of London’s
In London, William Blake portrays a very dark and abysmal picture of London. Throughout the whole poem, Blake never mentions a positive scene. The poem seems to deal with the lower class part of society, the part which lives in the poor neighborhoods. The first stanza begins with the speaker wandering around London. Throughout the poem, Blake repeats a word which he used in one line, in the next line. An example of this can be seen in the first two lines. He uses the word chartered in the first
ways the poets describe the city of London in their poems. Explore the different ways the poets describe the city of London in their poems. You should consider the poems equally and use the texts to support your ideas. The poems ‘London’ by William Blake and ‘composed upon Westminster Bridge’ by William Wordsworth are both a description of the same city, however they both take opposite viewpoints when describing their own perception. In the poem ‘London’, Blake takes a negative view of