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• London by William Blake was published in 1794.

• It tells the story of a speaker walking through the city of London and noticing suffering all around them.

• London was published in Blake's poetry collection called Songs of Innocence and Experience.

• Songs of Experience explores how the world, power and life in general can corrupt people.

• Songs of Innocence focuses mostly on the naivety of childhood.

The Poem

In the poem, the speaker walks through London and observes the suffering going on around them. For example, they hear the cries of men, babies and chimney sweeps; they see the dirty walls of the church; observe a soldier sighing, a young woman cursing and a sense of death all around them.

Blake wrote the poem to illustrate how London, the city he loved, was changing beyond recognition due to its industrialisation.

He also wanted to show how many people living in the city were being forgotten by those with wealth and power.

Much of Blake’s poetry sought to highlight the difference between social classes and improve the welfare of others.

Context

William Blake was a Romantic poet. This means that he wrote during the Romantic era in the late 18th and early 19th century.

The rapid industrialisation of towns and cities inspired many artists and poets to seek an escape into nature. They focused on topics like nature, creativity and individuality, whilst still hinting at the hardships of reality.

Concerns about rapid industrialisation are reflected in London. The poem criticises the greed and imbalance of the power that the Industrial Revolution created between wealthy factory owners and their workers.

The Romantics wanted people to prioritise creativity and individuality and these values were in direct contrast to those of the Industrial Revolution.

London draws attention to the contrast between those with power and those without power at the end of the 18th century. The everyday people that the speaker meets on his walk are all powerless, including himself: “every face” shows sadness.

Blake draws attention to the power imbalance when he uses the juxtaposition:

And the hapless Soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.

Blake paints an image of an unlucky (“hapless”), helpless soldier who has to give his life, his “blood”, in service to those in power. In contrast, the “Palace walls” protect the powerful, including the royal family, from danger or death.

When Blake refers to the streets and rivers of London as being “charter’ed”, he is commenting on how they are all owned by rich landowners. “Charter’ed” can also mean they are written on maps, or that they are someone’s property.

��� wander thro’ each char�ٱ��’d street,
Near where the char�ٱ��’d Thames does flow.”

There is the sense, enhanced by repetition, that London belongs to the rich – despite the fact that so many other people live there too.

“Charter’ed” can also suggest a sense of restriction and lack of freedom. Something that should flow freely, like the Thames river, is being controlled by a minority of privileged people.

Blake juxtaposes the appearance of London – its impression of grandeur and wealth – with the reality of life for the majority of its inhabitants.

In poetry, language is anything to do with words and the way in which they are used.

Metaphor

A metaphor symbolises or represents something else without using the words 'like' or 'as'.

One important metaphor that Blake uses is “mind-forg'd manacles”. “Manacles” are like handcuffs and “mind-forged” means that they have been imagined.

Blake is suggesting that, due to industrialisation and poverty, the people of London are trapped by their own lack of freedom and imagination. They feel constrained and are unable to even imagine happiness because of the current situation they live in.

First Person

London is written in first person, which means Blake uses the pronoun ���”. This creates a realistic and personal feel to the poem – as though Blake himself is walking through London and commenting first-hand on what he sees. This gives the poem more authority and urgency as his descriptions feel ‘real’.

Emotive Language

Emotive language refers to language that explores or evokes emotion.

Blake uses emotive language throughout this poem to highlight the widespread issues in London at the time. Some examples are:

In poetry, structure is anything to do with layout and organisation.

Repetition

Blake uses repetition to emphasise the pain and loss of power throughout London. He repeats the word “every”, highlighting how almost everyone is affected by the changes happening in the city.

As with the other structural choices he makes, repetition gives the poem a dull and automatic feeling. It also stresses that that poverty and pain is everywhere in London and should not be ignored.

In poetry, form refers to the type of poem that the poet choose to write.

Quatrains

A quatrain is a stanza made up of four lines.

London is written as four quatrains which gives it a predictable, repetitive feel.

One reason for this is to reflect the monotony and uniform nature of machines, which were taking over lots of jobs due to the Industrial Revolution, causing high levels of unemployment and poverty.

Blake also uses this repetitive structure to mirror the helplessness that he and the everyday people feel - the monotonous nature of poverty and the idea that nothing will ever change for the better.

ABAB rhyme scheme

An ABAB rhyme scheme means that alternating lines rhyme with each another. For example, in the last stanza:

“But most thro' midnight streets I hear (A)
How the youthful Harlots curse (B)
Blasts the new-born Infants tear (A)
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse (B)”

As with the quatrains, the rhyme scheme gives a robotic or monotonous effect.

When paired with the negative language throughout the poem, this monotonous inevitability links to the powerlessness that Blake feels about what is happening to the city he lives in.

Blake may also have wanted to create a nursery-rhyme or childlike feel to the poem to mock the idea that London was a utopia, as those in power often presented it to be. The nursery rhyme style also suited the theme of childhood from the collection the poem was a part of.

Iambic tetrameter

Iambic tetrameter refers to a line that contains four sets of two beats. In each pair, the first beat (or syllable) is unstressed, and the second beat (or syllable) is stressed. For example: “de dum de dum de dum de dum.”

London is written in iambic tetrameter. The words in bold are the stressed beats:

��� wander thro’ each char�ٱ��’d street,
Near wherethe char�ٱ��’d Thames doesflow*"

As with the quatrains and regular rhyme scheme, Blake wanted to reflect the monotony of machinery being used during the Industrial Revolution and also his feelings that nothing will change for the better. The iambic tetrameter creates a repetitive, plodding feel.

Remember

Read the question carefully. Highlight the key words and focus of the question.

Make a plan. Annotate the poem or create a short list of points you could make, supported by evidence. This will help you to stay focused and relevant.

Analyse features. When you identify a feature, always consider why it has been used and what effect it creates.

Reread your answer. Keep checking that you are on topic throughout the writing process.

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Making comparisons

You will need to write your response using comparative connectives, such as:

• Similarly

• Likewise

• However

• In contrast

In the exam

This poem could be assessed in the anthology poetry part of the exam.

You will be asked to compare a named poem with a poem of your choice. The choice must be from the cluster of poems you have studied.

The named poem will be provided.

This question assesses AO2 and AO3:

Test your understanding of the poem London by taking this quiz.