London - William Blake
- Created by: eleanorjones01
- Created on: 11-04-17 13:00
CONTEXT
Published in 1794
Blake was an English romantic poet and artist who held quite radical social and political views.
Believed in social and racial equality
Questioned the churches teachings
STORY OF THE POEM
The narrator is describing a walk around the city of London
Everywhere he goes, the people he meets are affected by misery and despair
The misery seems relentless - no one can escape, even the young and innocent
People in power (e.g. The Church, The Monarchy or wealthy landowners) seem to be behind the v problems, doing nothing to help the people in need
KEY THEMES IN THE POEM
Power of Humans
Loss and Absence
Anger/Hopelessness
Individual experience
FORM
A dramatic monologue - 1st person speaker, he speaks personally and passionately
A strict ABAB rhyme scheme is unbroken through the whole poem - echoes the relentless misery of the city and that no one wants to break out of this routine (repressed society) /also could reflect the sound of his feet walking
STRUCTURE
Stanza 1&2 - focuses on the people he sees and hears
Stanza 3 - shifts to focus on the institutions he holds responsible for this misery
Stanza 4 - shifts…
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