LONDON GCSE POETRY PDF

hello today's video looks at London as you know by William Blake uh it is a 0:08 deeply angry and political poem and so uh I think you're going to need to hear 0:14 it read out loud uh so that you will hear that tone of anger and that 0:19 enormous frustration at the um at the church at the...

hello today's video looks at London as you know by William Blake uh it is a 0:08 deeply angry and political poem and so uh I think you're going to need to hear 0:14 it read out loud uh so that you will hear that tone of anger and that 0:19 enormous frustration at the um at the church at the government and at the 0:27 monarchy so here we go I wandered through each chartered Street near where Mr Salles reads the poem 0:33 the chared temps does flow and Mark in every face I meet marks of weakness 0:40 marks of Woe in every Cry of every man in every infants Cry of Fear in every 0:48 voice in every ban the Mind forged manacles I hear how the chimney sweepers 0:56 cry every blackening Church appalls and the hapless solders sigh runs in blood 1:04 down palace walls but most through midnight streets I hear how the youthful 1:11 harlot's curse blasts the newborn infants tear and blights with plagues 1:17 the marriage hearse so hopefully you can hear just the violence of um language 1:25 reflecting the violence of his thought this is a revolution 1:31 poem I'm going to take you through the poem using this resource produced by a 1:37 teacher called Simon Cox uh the link is in the description below just pop down 1:42 there and download this because it is perfect for your revision so let's take Context 1:48 a look at a little bit of context here to see how political this poem is 1:53 William Blake was a poet in Victorian and Georg and England he wrote a selection of poems in his anthologies 2:00 uh one called Songs of Innocence and the other called songs of experience and you can see how they're gathered together um 2:07 in one collection here this artwork is blak's he earned his living as an 2:13 engraver um and so these uh paintings if you like were actually Engravings um  2:19 that's how he earned his living but his poetry uh was a passion um that he used 2:25 to try and change people's political point of view he wrote his poems for the 2:31 masses in other words uh in really simple language that everybody would understand no matter their level of 2:39 Education uh what we're told here is that most of the poems had a counterpart so he'd write about a subject let's say 2:45 chimney sweepers and he'd write a poem about um their innocence and then in the 2:52 experience Anthology he'd write another poem about chimney sweepers showing how 2:58 um they were victim of a cruel Society so he looked at things from two 3:03 perspectives well what's interesting here is that London is one of the few poems where there isn't a 3:10 counterpart uh so London is a holy critical um poem very very political uh 3:19 and uh that shows that Blake doesn't think there is another point of view 3:24 that he can look at he only thinks that London is corrupt and needs to be 3:29 changed the poem is set during a time in England where there was poverty child labor 3:36 which is symbolized by the chimney sweep and a horrific war with France which again is symbolized by the um solders 3:44 blood down Paris walls well what we need to know here is that uh the war with 3:51 France was with Napoleon and uh the French had overthrown their monarchy 3:57 they'd had a successful Revolution which overthrew all the Nobles the Lords the 4:02 ladies the Dukes the duchesses the whole um the whole royal family and executed 4:09 them and Blake was actually in favor of this he wanted um to get rid of the 4:15 monarchy in um in England women had no rights this is also really important to 4:23 Blake uh he actually um educ educated his wife when he married her she 4:28 couldn't even write but he educated her taught her to read and write and um in effect she became 4:35 his business partner um so he's passionate about women's rights which is very unusual for the day um and you'll 4:43 see that reflected in um the way he calls the marriage a hearse because his 4:50 attitude to marriage is completely different uh from the people of his 4:56 day uh death rates from disease and Mal nutrition are high and the industrial 5:02 revolution has resulted in many large oppressive factories and it's these that 5:07 are causing um the landscape of London to Blacken these factories are belching 5:14 out coal smoke and um therefore causing 5:19 um real pollution much greater pollution than we're used to now uh blak's poems 5:25 often railed against these so that means protested against them and how London 5:30 arguably the greatest city in the world at that time was dirty and corrupt not 5:36 just physically but also in terms of uh its politics and who controlled power 5:42 the monarchy the government and the church well let's see how we can make Make the context relevant - "chartered" 5:47 all that relevant to the actual poem uh so the first thing you'll notice is this 5:53 strange word chartered and it's a legal word uh drawn up by lawyers where um the 6:02 rich began to buy up whole sections of London but not just London also the 6:07 countryside so they began to own even the natural TS and what they do is buy 6:13 up the sides of the tens and then charge businesses uh for using them uh so Blake 6:20 is protesting against how nature which was free to every man is suddenly being 6:26 parceled up and sold off to the highest bill uh so the powerful become more powerful 6:33 and the lower classes become less powerful now having to pay for things they never had to pay for before um it's  6:42 also a symbol of control and uh we'll see how much um Blake detests the idea 6:51 that people have their minds and their lives controlled um so nature is being 6:57 controlled by powerful men men uh which is symbolized in the river um but so are 7:03 the streets in which we live so he's also arguing we londoners are also being 7:09 controlled we are also bought and sold chartered uh Blake is suggesting that 7:15 everyone is without power and that's done through the repetition of the word 7:21 uh every in this um line here and you'll see it carrying on elsewhere in the poem 7:27 and this repetition of that every this anaphora where it's repeated at the 7:32 beginning of lines um is a real clue that uh he thinks every ordinary man and 7:39 woman is a victim uh so they are without power and therefore miserable uh the term Mark can 7:47 be a metaphor for a brand so you need to understand what mark means here uh and 7:55 Mark means notice here and notice in every face I meet but a mark is also a 8:01 branding such as you might put on a piece of livestock like a cow so you've all seen that done in cowboy films no 8:07 doubt uh and this is how Farmers identified um their own livestock well 8:15 here uh the marks of weakness are what you can see in people's faces uh what Anaphora and Alliteration 8:21 Blake sees as he wanders around the streets not just uh images of weakness 8:27 but he's also suggesting that these are marks of ownership so the rich people of 8:32 London own the citizens of London by keeping them weak and by keeping them 8:38 miserable and the alliteration on weakness and woe emphasizes that Misery 8:44 the repetition which you remember I called anaphora of in every is also used 8:51 to show the scale of suffering you know it's here and it's here and it's here it  8:56 affects every man every infant every voice um the alliteration of Mind forged 9:03 manles mind and manles there helps draw our attention to the metaphor and don't 9:08 forget to um name the techniques when you talk about them Blake is showing 9:14 that these people are not physically held back but their belief in their own weakness holds them back so this is 9:21 quite an interesting um Point um if you um think about money uh 9:29 money is an illusion you know I give you A5 pound note which is just a piece of 9:36 paper but you think it's worth5 I give you a slightly bigger one and it's 9:41 [Music] worth2 and this is what I mean by this being a revolutionary poem If we all 9:48 Stop Believing in the value of paper money then um we would get real things 9:54 for what we offered we'd Trade Services with each other and it's the same same idea here um the law only allows the 10:03 rich to start owning this property because we all enter into this agreement we all um go 10:11 along with it and the same with the temps if everybody in London decided to 10:16 um use the temps as they wished Mo the boats where they wished and didn't pay the so-called owners of this land then mind forged manacles 10:23 we'd have a revolution against the rich and that's really what Blake is calling 10:30 for so the Mind Forge manacles are an attack on the thinking of londoners so 10:38 Blake is ACC um accusing londoners of giving in of being complicit with their 10:45 rulers and he's trying to get them to see that um what they're doing is only 10:50 bringing them mo woe misery it's a sign of weakness um they're all afraid and 10:57 actually what they should to do is change their lives next Blake uh ju deposes uh the Attack on the Church 11:06 chimney sweepers cry with the church and notice the alliteration there as well so  11:13 the church is condoning child labor here ch ch uh children go up chimneys they 11:20 obviously suffer tremendous respiratory problems breathing in um cold dust uh 11:26 and die very young if they're not relieved of those duties um and the 11:32 church should be stopping this exploitation and doesn't so the church is a real subject that um Blake wants to 11:40 attack here uh so let's see what the note says uh the church bells which ring 11:46 out is striking uh so their those bells are contrasted with the chimney sweepers 11:52 cry um Blake saw religion as a tool to keep the people down in other words to 11:58 oppress them um so the reason that religion will oppress you is Christianity allows you 12:05 to accept a terrible life now because it invites you to believe that there is an 12:11 afterlife a heaven in which you will be rewarded um whereas the Revolutionary 12:17 says no let's change life Here and Now Let's Make a Better World here and of 12:23 course Blake here is a revolutionary which is why he's he's attacking the church here as being complicit as being 12:31 um responsible um for lots of the evils in society like the exploitation of 12:38 children uh then we have blackening here a literal description of what's happening to the walls of the church 12:45 because um it's the cold dust around London that's doing it um appalls is um 12:54 a pun here so it means to shock it it shocks the church to see um what's 13:01 happening to the children even though they don't do anything about it but aul is also a covering that you put over a 13:09 coffin um it's a black um drape or um linen and Blake is suggesting that the 13:16 church is like this black drape that is causing the death of London the church 13:22 is literally spreading this over the dead body of London it's killing it so that again is a metaphor 13:29 now we look at the soldiers sigh this draws on the link to war at the time 13:35 which I mentioned with Napoleon the blood running down the palace walls signifies their sacrifice to protect the 13:41 power of those who live in the Palaces so he is um attacking the power of the 13:47 soldiers being used against the people so the soldiers are defending um the rulers uh which is the 13:55 opposite of what happened in France there the soldiers got rid of the monarchy uh haplas suggests that the Call for revolution and getting rid of the monarchy 14:03 soldiers are stupid um but another way of um interpreting that is also uh 14:10 suggesting that they're unfortunate uh so another way of looking at this line is to suggest that the soldiers will be 14:17 killed when the revolution comes um so it's also a rallying cry to get CH 14:23 soldiers to change their mind and side with the people um so they will avoid 14:30 their own blood running down the palace walls uh but of course this is also a 14:36 symbolic metaphor where Blake wants to see the blood of the uh aristocracy the 14:43 king the queen um the princes the whole lot also um shot and executed he wants 14:50 to get rid of the monarchy now we come to the final Final Stanza interpretation 14:56 stanza harlots is slang for prostitutes well it's not really slang it's quite um 15:03 it's quite a formal use of um uh language at the time um Blake is 15:09 corrupting the idea of childbirth with sexual exploitation um the newborn infant is 15:17 born into a broken World which is why he's um got a tear I think we can go a 15:23 little bit deeper than that though um the youthful Harlot is um no more than a 15:29 child that's why she's youthful so again this is a form of child The youthful harlot  15:34 exploitation the poor are kept poor and many young women unable to get jobs 15:41 because they're not as equal as men or getting jobs that pay anything like a living wage have to turn to prostitution 15:48 in order to earn a living um so they are cursed and in turn they curse the 15:56 society that has made them victim VI IMS Blake of course curses them because he's Attack on males and the patriarchy 16:02 actually attacking men here who are using um children for sex without any 16:09 conscience about it and again the church isn't doing anything about it the monarchy the palace isn't doing anything 16:15 about it and of course the government isn't doing anything about it uh the curse blasts the newborn 16:22 infants tier um and blights with plag plagues rather than marriage hearse this 16:30 is the hypocrisy of his Society um prostitution really only exists because 16:35 married men uh pay for sex outside marriage um and we've also got the 16:41 suggestion here that Blake is suggesting that marriage is a hearse um leading 16:48 people towards a spiritual death because men and women are not equal um men Why marriage is a curse, and STDs 16:54 simply exploit women uh now if we go in a little bit deeper again the curse and 17:01 the plagues could easily be a reference to um sexually transmitted diseases so 17:07 the husband contracts this disease through unprotected sex with a prostitute because of course um you know 17:14 the modern um condoms didn't exist in those times and then they would bring 17:19 that disease back into their own marriage uh which would then of course destroy the marriage turn it into a 17:26 hearse um but of course this would ALS so affect the um the infant who becomes 17:32 um infected uh and possibly disabled and if we just accept this as  17:40 being um any child born into a marriage um Blake is now arguing that the future 17:47 being created by um this political state in London where people are kept in 17:54 poverty and kept in oppression um is blighting the future um damaging the future so the future 18:01 Generations are all damaged by the behavior of the current generation carving up London for profit and 18:09 oppressing um everybody else who lives there so another way of 18:15 um talking about this is to describe the marriage hearse as an oxymoron which The marriage hearse 18:22 juxtaposes the joy of marriage with the misery of death Blake is suggesting that 18:27 Society has destroyed all the good things in life um which marriage should 18:33 be okay let's look at how else you should write about this poem uh note that its structure is written in four How to write about the poem's structure 18:39 stanzas with a regular alternate rhyme scheme um this is important it's quite 18:45 childlike um and that's to do with Blake's purpose he wants this to be memorable because he wants it to be 18:52 revolutionary wants people to be able to quote it in their bars or in their coffee houses or at home Po and uh to 19:00 memorize this poem he wants it to make a difference um this is an interesting 19:05 idea it may reflect the regular walking pace of the narrator as he walks around London um personally I don't think it 19:13 does but you can get a mark for saying it it's much better if you relate it instead though to his purpose uh as a 19:22 revolutionary as someone who's trying to change the world the last line in each stanza tends to deliver a powerful 19:29 statement which sums up the rest of the stanza again that's really important if you want people to be able to quote it  19:35 it's the last lines that are going to carry the meaning uh stanza one focuses on misery stanza two on people's 19:42 refusing refusal to stand tall in other words to throw off the oppressor stanza 19:48 three about the way people are sacrificed for the rich and powerful and stanza four how all the poverty is 19:53 corrupting everything good about family and life um we've covered that haven't 19:59 we this bit is particularly useful it shows you the kind of statement you can 20:04 write that will earn you marks so instead of the poem is about the misery of life in London you would say the poem 20:11 is an ironic look at misery in the greatest city in the world so Blake is ju opposing the magnificence of London Compare it to Ozymandias 20:19 with the poverty of its inhabitants the poet is upset at the loss of joy and 20:24 innocence well that's true but can we make it better Blake views are revolutionary for the time challenging 20:31 the idea that man is worth more than slavery um and therefore suggesting that 20:36 men are in fact enslaved by their beliefs and their willingness to allow 20:41 their rulers to oppress them uh people in power are living on the pain of others this becomes Blake challenges The 20:49 Establishment that means the monarchy and the government and the church everyone who holds um Power in their 20:56 palaces and churches which are marked by the blood and blackening of good people 21:02 um so hopefully you can see uh how that will work to help you write more 21:09 sophisticated answers students often ask uh well how 21:15 how can I compare this to another poem what's the what's the very best poem to compare it to um well I want to show you 21:22 that actually you can compare it to any poem so if we look at oim andus uh Shel  21:28 writes this poem in order to attack The Establishment to attack uh tyrannical 21:34 dictators to attack uh rulers who um oppress their people which you can see 21:41 in the description of oim andas and that's exactly the same intention as Blake he's attacking um 21:49 these rulers but the difference of course is that Blake is saying uh people 21:54 themselves have the power to change this they don't have to wait wait for time and history to do it for them if we 22:01 compare it to the Prelude we can show how Wordsworth in this poem is um Compare to the Prelude 22:08 attacking conventional Christianity and saying that actually pantheism this idea 22:14 that God is in everything particularly in nature is um a a more powerful truth 22:21 and we can easily look at um the attack on um this chared idea of how um rulers 22:30 are carving up nature and exploiting it for their own gain ruining children 22:35 through the chimney sweep uh young women through prostitution all this is an attack on nature and on God um so that 22:44 would link if you like to wordsworth's poem uh the significant difference here 22:49 perhaps being that um Wordsworth turns his back on London he's no longer fighting for it uh he's actually chosen 22:57 to uh right instead about more inspiring Landscapes like the Lake District 23:03 whereas Blake is desperate to reclaim London and make it once again that most important environment to compare it to Compare to My Last Duchess 23:10 my last Duchess we'd look at how this is also a political poem Browning is 23:16 attacking uh the abuse of power and also 23:21 showing how the powerful feel that they are um impervious to law they're 23:27 completely above the law he has in fact murdered and gotten away with it and that's exactly what's happening in um 23:35 London and the uh other obvious parallel here is the treatment of women um 23:41 exploited by a patriarchy which you hopefully know means a uh Society controlled by m by 23:50 males a comparison with Charge of the Light Brigade would look at uh the Compare to Charge of the Light Brigade 23:56 complete contrast in politics so Tennison is um very much in support of 24:01 the establishment um he's quite happy um to see blood run down palace walls um at 24:09 least English blood being shed on the battlefield he sees it as glorious and honorable and not something to be 24:15 disgusted at um but the similarities in the poem are the um significant use of 24:22 um anaphora and repetition which is exactly the same technique that Blake 24:28 relies on so heavily in London um and you also have a similar rhyming uh 24:34 pattern as well um so uh poets that use very much the same techniques but for 24:40 opposite purposes with um exposure you'd uh concentrate on the fates of the Compare to Exposure 24:47 characters within it um the marks of Woe that Blake mentions in londoners are 24:54 evident in all the men um who are fighting this battle uh the difference 25:00 of course is this is an entirely Male World um a Brotherhood uh protesting 25:07 here Wilfried Owen is again protesting it's it's also a political poem where he wants to change the course of the war by 25:14 persuading what he sees as an indifferent and ill-informed public um that the war is inhuman and 25:23 indeed the very conditions they're kept in never mind the battles themselves just the conditions they're kept in 25:29 inevitably result in uh hundreds or thousands of deaths a comparison with storm on the Compare to Storm on the Island 25:37 island might look at the sense of place uh so London is described in uh some 25:43 detail but the detail is metaphorical uh and similarly the detail of the storm of the island is also all 25:51 metaphorical so it exists to describe the island as a real place but also as a 25:56 metaphor for for um the political troubles in Ireland itself um so 26:03 hopefully you've studied Stormont um the uh uh political alliance 26:10 between Catholic and Protestant um Nationalist and unionist in Northern 26:15 Ireland and uh we're looking then at uh 26:20 again Revolution isn't it that was that was the job of the IRA to upset the 26:26 status quo uh to get rid of what they saw as uh 26:31 British imperialism um and it's that very thing that fight against Power that um Blake 26:39 wants to incite in his poem um so again really easy to compare as long as you 26:46 know the poems well enough bayonet charge might seem a harder poem to Compare to Bayonet Charge 26:51 compare because it's so clearly rooted in a single moment uh of the first first 26:57 world war but actually this also is a political poem it's very much an 27:03 anti-war poem and uh it takes the view that war destroys uh not just human 27:10 dignity but any sense of Civility and civilization uh King honor human dignity 27:17 Etc are dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm um and interestingly we 27:24 might argue that uh London is a warning about um a general public turning on its 27:33 Masters like this um but it's a warning that Blake expects um 27:41 those in charge um the church the government uh the nobility to ignore and 27:50 uh he therefore imagines uh a populace rising up um in  27:56 opposition and I gu guess the similarity here is that that opposition never comes 28:01 that Revolution never happens and so the workingclass man is still being 28:08 exploited by those in power and sent to their inevitable deaths remains is perhaps a much easier Compare to Remains 28:16 War poem to um uh to link to London because this is the very definition of 28:23 the Mind forged manacles uh although in this case it's the act of barbarity 28:29 carried out by the um protagonist and narrator who is now haunted um by what 28:36 they've done um the manacles here are conscience and uh what's interesting is 28:44 the contrast here had that conscience been um much much stronger uh then he 28:52 would not have assassinated this lutter um and therefore the Mind Forge manles 28:59 there would have been a protection um against uh misery marks of misery and 29:05 marks of Woe um so that's an inversion of the way that uh mind forged manles 29:11 are used in the Blake poem here Armitage is perhaps more optimistic suggesting 29:17 that um human nature will always um find a way to look for um good um restore 29:26 Justice whereas uh that's the thing that Blake is complaining human nature is accepting 29:33 it accepts um Authority and refuses to rebel against it or at least the English 29:39 human nature does and it's the uh The Londoner the Englishman who he wants to 29:44 be uh start rebelling against the monarchy now to compare it with poppies Compare to Poppies 29:50 we'd need to focus on the theme of loss uh so in London we've got this contrast 29:56 between what London uh should be like and perhaps used to be like um the free 30:03 temps compared to what it's like now um the youth which has been corrupted by um 30:10 uh prostitution uh the church which was once um holy and Christian which has now  30:16 become corrupt and uh in League with um Authority and power and so on uh whereas 30:23 here the sense of loss is much more personal um it's about uh obviously a 30:29 son uh we could argue it's about all sons and this represents all mothers 30:34 losing their son uh we can see the whole poem as an extended metaphor it may be 30:41 that this um woman's son never actually went to war it's just a metaphor for uh 30:47 losing your children your sons really um whereas in Blake's poem it's the loss of 30:54 what London represents um a much wider 30:59 subject in some ways but less wide in others because you know every mother in 31:05 the world who has a son um has to um say goodbye and let them free out into the 31:11 world um whatever that future may bring however this is clearly a deeply 31:19 personal response to that loss uh whereas London is a political response Compare to War Photographer 31:25 and a call to action War photographer is a very close parallel to London again it is a 31:33 political poem this time it is anti-war but like Blake uh Duffy is upset with a 31:42 population our own population she attacks the readers of the Sunday supplements who uh bring a 31:49 kind of fake emotion to the coverage of war and don't bring a proper response 31:55 and try to stop it she too is after revolutionary thought revolutionary acts 32:00 where people go out on marches and campaign um to stop wars being fought in 32:06 their name um or indeed the name of other countries um and that's exactly 32:12 the same passion and urge for political Revolt that uh William Blake is using in 32:20 London uh tissue is uh the problematic poem in the Anthology and I've yet to Ignore Tissue! 32:26 make a video about this one uh before I um start comparing it to anything I  32:31 think we'll just skip over it and my advice at the minute is whatever you do 32:37 don't write about tissue until you fully understand it it is actually a very um 32:42 challenging poem because it's not altogether clear what it's about uh look out for that video when I make it uh 32:49 hopefully it'll be really useful uh emigra uh the igra is a very natural Compare to Emigree 32:55 comparison uh again it's about someone who has been um ostracized from the city 33:02 they love here through the result of um of Revolution the very thing that Blake 33:09 is campaigning for um Blake has lost his London because um the ruling classes 33:16 have uh basically been able to exploit it monopolize it um and the same has 33:23 happened to the uh country of the igr's birth it's a city that exists only in 33:29 her mind now um and can never be recovered even if she went back to it 33:34 it's irrevocably changed from what he was before uh so again you've got this 33:39 um terrible sense of loss uh if this is a political poem then 33:45 it's uh asking for acceptance really uh for the new country Britain presumably 33:52 um to accept her um and recognize the trauma of what she's lost what she's 33:57 been through um a different political point from Blakes and uh you would 34:04 contrast the overwhelming tone of this which is probably um sorrow Nostalgia 34:10 regret uh with Blakes which is impassioned anger and uh political 34:17 rhetoric checking out my history is also a deeply political poem it's uh Compare to Checking Out Me History 34:23 campaigning for a wider White Society uh to change its view of black 34:31 society within the same country um it's also a call to Arms uh from John AAR to 34:39 other black people to recognize their own history and if you like have a revolution of thought um in the way that 34:47 they view themselves and this is really similar isn't it to the way that uh 34:52 Blake wants londoners to see themselves in a particular way to to recognize 34:57 their own Misfortune and rise up against it um stylistically also makes great use 35:04 of repetition and anaphora as Blake does uh this poem is about uh The 35:12 Outsider uh kamakazi pilot who refuses to kill himself and therefore acts Compare to Kamikaze 35:20 outside of the um rules of his own culture and in many ways we can see 35:25 Blake as that same rebellious figure um a voice which is not popular um 35:33 campaigning against the monarchy against government against the church you know very much an outside political voice um 35:41 many of Blake's political views were inflammatory and Publishers often 35:47 wouldn't publish his work he had to end up publishing it himself uh because it 35:52 was considered politically dangerous so here we would make a comparon compon between Blake himself 35:58 poet with the protagonists of this poem so in this part of the video I've Tred 36:04 to convince you of three things one download this excellent revision 36:09 resource from Mr Simon Cox uh two that any of the poems can be compared to each 36:16 other and three that the way to compare them is to look at the poet's purpose 36:23 that always gives you a way in in my next video I'll focus on this section uh 36:30 theme structure and revision uh and how to use the structure of the poems and 36:35 the themes of the poems again to make comparisons well good luck in your 36:41 revision if you'd like more don't forget to subscribe see you soon hello and welcome to another video 0:02 looking at the five key quotations today 0:06 I'm really excited because we're looking 0:08 at London and I think this is your 0:11 banker poem I think this one will fit 0:13 almost any question and it is the 0:17 easiest one in the anthology to remember 0:19 so before we see the five quotations 0:22 remember I'm going to take you through 0:24 this method the phosphate the way you 0:27 look at the form the opening the 0:28 language features which we'll call soap 0:30 aims here to structure and the ending 0:33 and those five things will propel you to 0:36 at least a grade seven it's a fab poem 0:39 there's so much in it I could pick out 0:41 but that just gives you too much to 0:44 revise so these are the five quotations 0:47 that we're going to focus on and 0:49 focusing on these I promise you we'll 0:52 get you into grade seven territory and 0:54 beyond right the first point we want to 0:59 make is about the form because writing 1:02 about form starts at grade seven in the 1:05 mark scheme so we need to know that this 1:07 is written in four line stanzas the name 1:10 for a four line stanza is a quatrain so Form 1:14 it's written in quatrains and it has a 1:17 very regular rhine scheme which will be 1:19 a be a be so street and meat flow and 1:23 whoa now this is a really simplistic 1:26 form its childlike in its simplicity so 1:30 the form says that it is like a ballad 1:34 or like a poem written for children well 1:38 I have to get marks by relating that to 1:40 the meaning so blake is writing this as 1:43 a protest poem it is a political poem 1:47 and in order to get that political 1:49 message across and that protest across 1:52 he writes it in a way that is so 1:54 memorable even children can remember it 1:57 and that's why he chooses this 2:00 particular form and I've already told 2:03 the examiner she or he needs to consider 2:07 my answer as grade 7 or above now let's 2:10 get into the first quotation 2:13 I wonder through each Chartered Street 2:16 I'm going to zoom in on the language 2:18 choice here of chartered so it's got the 2:21 word chart in it so one meaning of 2:24 chartered is that the streets have been 2:26 mapped which we consider to be a really 2:29 helpful thing but Blake is arguing the 2:32 opposite he's complaining about the 2:35 expansion of cities the word you want 2:37 for that is urbanization so he's 2:40 complaining about urbanization 2:42 destroying what was once natural which 2:45 is why you get the thames an image of 2:47 nature in the next line but the other 2:50 meaning of chartered is that this means 2:53 that everything in the city is owned the 2:56 king has charted out the areas so what 3:01 was once free common parkland has now 3:04 had a street built on it and that 3:06 streets owned by other people not by you 3:09 the people you have to rent your 3:12 accommodation so what he's now saying is 3:15 that streets make people poorer they can 3:18 no longer enjoy the freedoms that they 3:20 once had now in contrast however he 3:25 begins with i-wander contrast remember 3:30 is a structural technique which also 3:32 puts you in the high grades he's showing 3:35 us that we can still be free and wander 3:38 like him as long as we start looking at 3:42 London in a different way okay now we go 3:46 to our second quotation now there's some 3:49 brilliant stuff here which I've had to 3:51 ignore you can find that in my other 3:52 videos because I'm trying to be 3:54 efficient for the exam so my subject 3:57 terminology here is going to be metaphor 4:01 this is where he zooms in with a 4:03 brilliant metaphor here the mind forged 4:07 manacles I hear I can also refer to the 4:10 alliteration alliteration I can link to 4:12 the idea of being memorable which links 4:15 to what we already said about form 4:19 manacles is another image of oppression 4:23 imprisonment so just like chartered 4:26 he's saying that we are owned by 4:30 something else what is it 4:32 well it's something mind forged so this 4:35 is much more interesting he is 4:37 suggesting that we have done this to 4:40 ourselves 4:41 it is our own minds that have put us in 4:44 this kind of jail 4:46 what's he arguing here well this idea Social Hierarchy 4:50 that we have a social hierarchy with the 4:53 king at the top and then the nobility 4:55 and then the rich and then the poor 4:58 underneath is actually not necessarily 5:03 real it only works because the people at 5:06 the bottom respect the people further up 5:08 who respect the people further up and 5:10 everyone respects the king but what he's 5:13 saying is that this is just a construct 5:15 this is just the way society is 5:17 organized in our minds but if we stop 5:21 believing in those powers then we can 5:23 live truly free lives and he's going to 5:26 illustrate that to us in the rest of the 5:28 poem then there is the two meanings to Forge 5:33 the word forged so the Forge is the mini 5:37 factory if you like that the blacksmith 5:39 owns filled with his furnace where he 5:42 manipulates the metal into shapes but 5:45 Forge also has the other meaning that we 5:49 understand which is to fake things and 5:51 Blake does that deliberately what he's 5:53 saying here is that our belief in social 5:57 hierarchy in the class system is a fake 6:00 way of looking at the world and he's 6:03 going to show us a better one so that we 6:05 can take off the manacles that are 6:08 preventing us being free in our own 6:11 minds right let's have a look at the two 6:15 parts of society he's attacking one is 6:19 the church and one is the palace the 6:21 church represents Christianity and the 6:25 established Church of England and the 6:27 palace represents the king and the 6:30 institution of the monarchy let's get 6:32 into this image here so here we also 6:37 have a metaphor 6:40 but it's quite a complicated one so Church is turning black 6:43 every Church is turning black well 6:46 that's a description it's actually a 6:48 literal description because it is coal 6:50 smoke that's turning the buildings black 6:53 this literally happened and that works 6:56 because he's pointing out that the 6:58 chimney sweepers are also getting 7:01 covered in soot and dying from inhaling 7:03 it when they clean out the chimneys his The church has lost its way 7:07 political point is that the church 7:09 should do something about this the 7:12 church through Jesus is there to side 7:15 with the meek and the helpless that's 7:17 part of Jesus's message in fact a major 7:20 part and Blake is arguing that the 7:22 church has lost its way it's no longer 7:25 following Christ's teaching and it's now 7:27 part of the establishment the church 7:30 owns an enormous amount of property 7:32 that's why there are so many churches  7:34 and it's just like the childhood streets 7:37 which are owned by the rich the church 7:39 is no different then he focuses on this 7:42 really useful word here which has got 7:45 two meanings just like Forge did so 7:47 appalls means shox and he's suggesting 7:50 that the church should be shocked at 7:53 what's happening to all these chimney 7:56 sweepers these children being exploited 7:58 and dying young but he's saying actually The church is no different 8:01 the church doesn't do that it doesn't 8:05 complain it doesn't try to change 8:08 society for the better therefore he's 8:11 attacking the church for its complacency 8:14 now the second meaning of Paul is the 8:18 black material cover that is put over a 8:21 coffin that is called a pall now he's 8:25 suggesting that every church is wearing 8:28 a pall that's why every Church is 8:30 becoming black this symbolizes that the 8:34 church is dead so effectively the The church is dead 8:38 metaphor now suggests that the church 8:41 has turned away from Christ's teaching 8:43 and therefore is no longer the church it 8:47 is dead it has no more religious 8:49 authority because it's turned away from 8:52 Christian Pratt 8:54 some belief so real damaging attack 8:57 there against the church now he follows 8:59 this up with an attack against the king 9:01 the palace so we have another metaphor 9:06 where the soldiers sigh runs in blood 9:09 down palace walls and he's asking us to 9:12 imagine this huge political event that 9:15 happened at the same time or just before 9:17 this poem in France it's the French 9:20 Revolution and in the French Revolution The French Revolution 9:23 all of the nobles you know starting with 9:26 the king all the way down to the Dukes 9:28 and the counts and the Earl's they were 9:30 all executed and what he's suggesting 9:34 here is that this kind of revolution 9:37 that happened in France is very likely 9:40 to happen in our own country and what 9:45 he's there for suggesting is that these 9:47 soldiers will die at home defending the 9:50 King against the people so he's 9:53 preaching the idea that society is now 9:56 so corrupt with the rich having so much 9:59 power and wealth that the poor will rise 10:01 up and kill them and set up a new 10:05 republic just like in France so there's 10:10 our context however that's where the 10:14 poem should end if that was his main 10:16 point but we've got a vaulter here which 10:20 means a change in the poem where he's 10:24 going to get rid of his attack on 10:26 political power and now start attacking 10:31 male power you should remember that this 10:35 is the patriarchy or the patriarchal 10:38 society let's see how he does it his Marriage 10:41 final line and blights with plays the 10:44 marriage verse focuses on the 10:47 institution of marriage now he doesn't 10:50 seem to be arguing that marriage is 10:53 another form of mind forged manacle he's 10:56 not suggesting that marriage is wrong in 10:58 fact he married an illiterate wife 11:02 through love taught her to read and then 11:06 taught her to work as an 11:07 equal partner in his engraving business 11:10 now why that particular context is 11:13 important is it shows that for his time 11:16 William Blake was a feminist he believes William Blake 11:19 in equality for women you know as far as 11:23 anyone can in this society and he lives 11:26 that out in his own marriage no so he's 11:29 not complaining against marriage here 11:31 what he's complaining about is men a men 11:33 are killing off their marriages that's 11:35 why there's a hearse involved in this 11:38 metaphor and the means of killing off 11:40 are plagues and this is a reference to 11:43 sexually transmitted diseases well a Plagues 11:46 sexually transmitted disease was 11:49 incurable there were no antibiotics at 11:51 that time and therefore this would  11:52 literally kill their wives over time it 11:56 wasn't an instant death it would happen 11:58 over decades but if you gave birth while 12:02 you had a venereal disease the chances 12:06 are that your infants your child would 12:08 also be born with a disability and so Prostitutes 12:12 he's also got in mind lots of children 12:16 being born in these corrupt cities and 12:19 they're disabled and that's not like a 12:23 disabled person today is able to live a 12:25 complete and fulfilled life there'd be 12:28 totally stigmatized back in Blake's time 12:31 and this is because the men of the 12:34 marriage are going out and having sex 12:36 with prostitutes that's where the 12:38 harlots curse comes in and this is again 12:42 a symbol of the abuse of women so 12:44 prostitutes are young he's attacking the 12:47 society that creates an economy in young 12:51 women being forced out to earn money 12:53 through sex and men who don't worry that 12:57 they're young and don't worry that  12:58 they're getting exploited and obviously 13:02 having sexually transmitted diseases so 13:06 now his political attacked against 13:08 social hierarchy in the class system now 13:12 comes back to the real big problem in 13:14 society that's much worse than anything 13:17 else he's mentioned and that is the 13:19 behavior of men that treats women as 13:21 less important than themselves and 13:23 treats the marriage vows is less 13:25 important so men are corrupt pretending 13:29 that visiting prostitutes is okay as 13:33 long as their partners don't find out 13:36 about it 13:36 and he's looking at the real damage that 13:40 that does physically through the 13:41 transmission of disease so by focusing 13:45 on the ending here I've able I've been 13:47 able to show a change in interpretation 13:50 and hopefully you've got used to me 13:52 banging on about the ending of every 13:54 text you ever read because writing about 13:58 the ending will always get you top  14:00 grades as it forces you to write about 14:02 more than one interpretation now we 14:06 talked about the ending and the vaulter 14:08 and that gives us an insight into 14:10 structure and we've scored marks thereby 14:13 saying how this affects our 14:16 interpretation of the poem we've talked 14:19 about the language features because I've 14:21 given you contrast and metaphor it's not 14:25 your fault that metaphor keeps popping 14:27 up you know you don't have to find 14:30 different language features we've also 14:33 looked at alliteration in there we've 14:36 analyzed the opening because that's 14:38 where we saw his first point of view and 14:41 that means that our essay has shown a 14:43 change in point of view which is a 14:45 sophisticated way of analyzing the text 14:48 and because we've written about the form 14:51 the examiner has to consider putting us 14:54 in the top mark band so I hope I've Summary 14:57 convinced you that even if you're  14:58 currently writing a grade five that 15:02 actually grade seven is entirely 15:04 possible for you now and I hope you're 15:08 looking at your anthology which is 15:09 probably absolutely chock-full of notes 15:12 and think it gosh do you know what I can 15:14 really simplify this I can definitely 15:16 get five quotations in my head for the 15:18 exam I think I can do it I'm gonna make 15:20 it well let me know in your comments 15:23 below if you do make it in the Mocs if 15:26 you do get really much better grades 15:28 than you thought you could and if you're 15:30 watching this just before the actual 15:33 real exams let me 15:34 in August how you've done it's always 15:36 great to hear and if you'd like to 15:38 continue getting great advice of course 15:40 don't forget to subscribe over here 15:42 somewhere 15:43 thank you very much see you soon on my 15:45 channel English (auto-generated) --------------------London 1)"I wander through each chartered street, Near where the chartered Thames does flow." Annotation: This quote highlights the pervasive control and regulation of public spaces, symbolizing the oppression of the urban environment. Compare this with "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley, which also discusses the theme of power and its eventual decline, and "Checking Out Me History" by John Agard, which addresses how authority controls and distorts historical narratives. 2)"And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe." Annotation: This quote emphasizes the visible suffering and despair in the population caused by the socio-political conditions. Contrast this with "War Photographer" by Carol Ann Duffy, which also deals with the impact of suffering, captured in the faces of war victims, and "Remains" by Simon Armitage, which depicts the psychological scars left on soldiers by war. 3)"How the Chimney-sweeper's cry Every black'ning Church appalls, And the hapless Soldier's sigh Runs in blood down Palace walls." Annotation: This quote critiques the institutions of religion and state, highlighting their complicity in the suffering of the vulnerable. The imagery of the blackened church and the blood-stained palace walls suggests corruption and violence. Compare this with "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning, where the Duke's authority and control have dark implications, and "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Lord Tennyson, which comments on the sacrifices made by soldiers due to the decisions of those in power. LONDON Overview In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is essential that you understand what it is about. This section includes: The poem in a nutshell A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Blake’s intention and message London in a nutshell London was written by the Romantic poet William Blake in the 1790s. It comments on the negative aspects of London at the time, including child labour, prostitution and the corruption of power and authority. It is a short but obvious criticism of the authorities of the time, including the church, the army and the monarchy, that have allowed the city to fall into such a downtrodden and dangerous state. The choice of title and topic, London (the financial and political centre of Britain), also instantly sets up the theme of power in the poem. London breakdown Lines 1-2 “I wander thro each charter’d street, Near where the charter’d Thames does flow,” Translation The first-person narrator is strolling through the streets of London, near the River Thames He does not seem to have a set destination, as he tells us “I wander Blake’s intention The word “charter’d” (chartered) is referring to the fact that the streets and the Thames are mapped out and legally defined Maps are an attempt to impose order on nature In this poem, the order is being placed on society Chartered also means to impose legal restrictions and ownership upon something This is ironic because the Thames is a natural body of water The fact that the narrator is wandering suggests he has no sense of purpose, which sets the tone of melancholy and pointlessness in the poem Lines 3-4 “And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe.” Translation As he walks, he sees (“marks”) something about the faces of people walking by Each face has signs of misery and despair Blake’s intention To “mark” means to notice, but the repetition of the word suggests that everybody is marked and affected by the city’s problems Blake may also be suggesting that there is no escape from the bleakness The impact of this place’s power is both permanent and wide-reaching The people have been “marked” by London, just like the branding of cattle Lines 5-8 “In every cry of every man, In every infant’s cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban, The mind-forg’d manacles I hear:” Translation As the speaker continues his travels, he hears people’s voices everywhere He hears the same pain and suffering in an infant as in a grown man “In every ban” suggests the political and religious restrictions placed upon people; the things people are not allowed to do The “mind-forg’d” (forged) manacles means that people are not physically restrained, but are restrained socially and emotionally Blake’s intention The repetition of the word “every” suggests that all of humanity is affected Blake elicits sympathy from the reader as children are supposedly born innocent and shouldn’t have to suffer The phrase also indicates a negative view that every life is destined for this misery The “mind-forg’d manacles” indicates the metaphorical shackles made by the mind On paper people are free, but in reality they are not Lines 9-10 “How the chimney-sweeper’s cry Every black’ning church appalls, Translation Chimney sweeps were the poorest of society They were usually children, employed to climb up chimneys to sweep out the soot This could be a dangerous job, as it was not only bad for their health, but they could also suffocate and die  The soot from the chimneys would blacken the walls of the church, which was horrified by them (“appalls”) The “black’ning church” also references the pollution in London at the time, due to the Industrial Revolution But it could also mean a tarnished or corrupted reputation Blake’s intention Here, Blake is digging deeper into the effects of the “mind-forg’d manacles” on humanity The children who worked as chimney sweepers were often orphans, whom the church was meant to be responsible for However, the church is “appalled” by them and does not look after them as it should During Blake’s time, a lot of money went into the church while children were dying from poverty This emphasises what Blake considers to be the church’s hypocrisy Blake is criticising the church and its “blackened” or tarnished reputation He is reflecting on how the wealthy or elite take advantage of the poor Lines 11-12 “And the hapless soldier’s sigh Runs in blood down palace walls.” Translation The “hapless” or unfortunate soldier is dying His blood runs down the walls of the homes of the elite At the time of writing, the elite and the monarchy were considered responsible for the wars that broke out, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers and innocent people Because of this, many women were widowed without support Blake’s intention Here, Blake is criticising the government and the monarchy He is suggesting that soldiers and those who are left behind are the victims of war The use of the word “palace” is significant, as this is where royalty would have lived.  Blake is accusing the monarchy and the elite of spilling the blood of soldiers in order to keep the comfort of living in a palace Blake supported the French Revolution, in which ordinary people overthrew the monarchy of France Lines 13-16 “But most through midnight streets I hear How the youthful harlot’s curse Blasts the new-born infant’s tear, And blights with plagues the marriage hearse.” Translation “Midnight streets” is a direct reference to prostitution “Youthful harlots” suggests just how young many of these women were, who were likely forced into prostitution because they had no other choice The speaker hears them cursing their new-born babies and the death of marriage via a “hearse” Blake’s intention Blake contrasts the innocence of youth with the unpleasantness of prostitution The speaker hears the harlots swearing, but this could also suggest a curse on the city The fact that she curses a new-born baby is the ultimate attack upon innocence, as instead of comforting the baby, she curses it This reveals the hardened heart of the harlot, representing the hardened heart of society at large Blake juxtaposes “marriage” which means “to join” with “hearse”, which means “to depart” to suggest the destruction of marriage Blake could be suggesting that men use prostitutes, get them pregnant and abandon them They may also spread diseases, therefore killing them This final stanza emphasises the theme of society’s moral decay Exam Tip The exam question will ask you to compare how the given poem presents ideas about power and/or conflict in this poem and one other from the anthology. It is always worth starting your answer using the wording of the question, summarising the key themes of the poem. This demonstrates to the examiner that you have understood what the question is asking of you, but also that you have a good understanding of the poems themselves. For example, “Blake’s poem is a criticism of the institutions of power that ran the city of London at the time, as well as a commentary on the conflict between rich and poor. Similar themes can be found in…” Writer’s Methods Although this section is organised into three separate sections - form, structure and language - it is important to take an integrated approach to AO2, focusing on the main themes of the poem and then evaluating how Blake’s choices of language, structure and form contribute to these ideas. In essence, how and why the poet has made the choices they have, in relation to their intentions and message. Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Blake’s intentions behind his choices in terms of: Form Structure Language Exam Tip To gain the highest marks in this question, your use of subject terminology should be judicious. This means well-judged and used only when directly relevant to your analysis of the themes of the poem. The last thing examiners want to see is what they call “technique spotting”, where a student just highlights the use of a metaphor or juxtaposition without any commentary on how the poet’s choice to use such a thing contributes to their overall message. Form The poem is written in the form of a simple, four stanza dramatic monologue to contrast with the complicated or difficult ideas in the poem. Theme Evidence Poet’s intention Social The poem takes a Blake wanted his poetry to feel accessible to criticism simple, four stanza all members of society form He felt everyone should consider and discuss his messages and views  The poem is The first-person speaker is passionate about written in the first what he sees and experiences, but the person language is almost conversational in tone The poem is also written in the first person to demonstrate that this is the speaker’s own experience of London Structure Blake uses the structure of London to reflect the order and control imposed upon the city, and the never-ending cycle of misery and suffering caused by the abuse of power. Theme Evidence Poet’s intention Never-ending Cyclical structure - the first Blake is suggesting that suffering and and second stanzas focus suffering is never-ending misery on the impact on people. The third explores the It implies to the reader that source of suffering, and people will keep suffering until the fourth goes back to the they rebel against the authority impact again oppressing them like the French did during the revolution Control and power Fairly consistent use of Shows order and control, as the iambic tetrameter regularity of the rhythm implies a sense of relentless oppression Quatrains use a regular The fixed structure emphasises ABAB rhyme scheme the sense of complete control and oppression The rhythm could also represent the sound of the speaker walking, and the unbroken rhyme scheme reflects the relentlessness and repetitiveness of the situation  Some small This may reflect Blake’s inconsistencies in the tight frustration that the general structure of the poem. For public won’t stand up to the example, “marks of institutions of power that control weakness, marks of woe” them. He is pointing out the is only seven syllables, missed opportunities the poorer which breaks the iambic members of Victorian society tetrameter have to break free The first letters of each Maybe Blake wants the reader line in the third stanza to start listening to the suffering spell out HEAR, which is all around them, as well as his interesting considering message Blake has focused on auditory sounds of suffering in the poem Language Blake uses his choice of techniques and language to emphasise the oppression and suffering of the people at the hands of those in power and control. Theme Evidence Poet’s intention Power and Blake uses Blake was making a social criticism of oppression juxtaposing phrases how, for women, marriage could be such as “marriage like death, as they would lose all of hearse” which their rights and property to their contrasts the joy of husband weddings with the end-of-life sadness of Blake was in favour of liberating a hearse women, and felt that marriage itself was an abuse of power by men Blake also juxtaposes Here, Blake is commenting on the “charter’d” and “flow”. oppression of nature by humans, “Flow” implies which should be free for all to access freedom, whereas and enjoy, but humanity’s greed is so “charter’d” is great it tries to control nature describing something as owned or controlled by someone  Blake could also be In the 1700s, legislation was passed commenting on giving common land to the wealthy oppression as a result for exclusive use and ownership. of privatisation, Therefore, land in the city suddenly through the repetition became owned and controlled by the of “charter’d” wealthy Suffering at the Blake uses negative This reminds the reader of the French hands of power language and imagery Revolution, when ordinary people throughout. For rose up against an oppressive state example, the soldier’s and overthrew the monarchy. Blake sigh metaphorically could be suggesting that a similar “runs in blood down event could happen in London palace walls” Blake uses anaphora Blake is emphasising the extreme in the phrase “in extent of the suffering, showing that it every”, with “every” impacts everyone with no also repeated seven discrimination times in total throughout the poem The device gets very repetitive, to demonstrate how repetitive the cycles of suffering are in London Blake uses physical According to Blake, the causes of the features and places as suffering and misery in London are symbols for the the institutions of power, such as the different forms of church, the monarchy and the power that cause the government suffering The “black’ning Although Blake respected the Bible, church” has negative he had contempt for organised connotations as religion which he saw as betraying something that is the Christian faith morally tarnished Therefore, this is a criticism of the church and its failure to provide for the disadvantaged members of society. The suffering is a symptom of the church’s failure to deliver on its duty  The poet also Blake is criticising child poverty and presents the suffering child labour (by also referencing the of various people “chimney sweeper’s cry”), as well as within society, such as the suffering of the young women children and babies. condemned to immorality and When the harlot’s prostitution just to make a living curse violently “blasts” the newborn baby’s cry, this conflicts with the innocence and fragility of the infant Blake uses the Maybe their oppression has resulted metaphor of in them forging their own restrictions. “mind-forg’d People are enslaved by the manacles” to suggest authorities, but also by their own fear, the suffering of the preventing them from rising up citizens of London has become internalised Use of the verb “mark” Blake recognises its importance and to show that the the need for things to change speaker has noticed suffering everywhere and recorded it Exam Tip This poem has themes of both power and conflict. Ensure you have read the exam question carefully and stay focused on the question in your analysis. Integrate your exploration of Blake’s language, form and structural elements into the key themes as directly related to the focus of the exam question. Ask yourself: “How relevant to the theme is Blake’s choice here? And why?” Context Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be written about separately. Therefore, you should not include random biographical information about William Blake, or unrelated historical facts about 18th Century London. The best way to understand context is as the ideas and perspectives explored by Blake in London which relate to power or conflict. This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Blake explores:  Social injustice Power and nature Social injustice William Blake wrote during the Romantic era He worked to bring about change both in the social order and in the minds of people Blake lived in London for most of his life ○ He thought the city was dirty and corrupt, both literally and metaphorically ○ He believed institutions of power, such as the government, the church and the monarchy, to be to blame for this Blake wrote using mostly straightforward language so that his message was accessible to all Blake’s poem centres on London, arguably the capital of the world at that time ○ This is ironic as such a powerful and influential place, in Blake’s opinion, inflicts suffering and misery on many of its citizens ○ There was a huge gap between rich and poor at the time, so a huge disparity between those who had power, and those who did not Blake was a Christian, but he rejected organised religion and the established church ○ He viewed it as corrupt and hypocritical ○ They put money into new buildings while the poor starved Blake was also concerned with the oppression of the poor, child poverty and child labour ○ He felt strongly that the church, which was meant to be responsible for orphans and the poor, was not upholding their moral duty London was part of a collection of poetry, called Songs of Experience, which exposed the corruption and suffering of the new, changed world following the Industrial Revolution ○ Including the social issues that were attached to it, such as poverty, child labour and prostitution Blake empathises most with those who have been the most badly affected by the authoritarian structures which caused the inequalities in his society, focusing on their misery London at the time was full of poverty and disease, and full of lower-class citizens, prostitutes and former soldiers ○ He stood against the oppression of women and supported equality ○ This was considered a radical view at the time ○ He highlights how these people feel trapped in their situations through the abuse of power by authority Power and nature  Romantics were interested in the power of nature, humanity and emotion ○ They were generally opposed to the industrialisation and scientific progress sweeping through Europe at the time ○ He uses the irony of the Thames, a natural body of water, which has been made official and subject to laws (“charter’d”) ○ He considered nature to be powerful and that it should not be tamed ○ Despite being “charter’d”, the Thames continues to “flow” (and always will) ○ Romantic poets disliked attempts to impose power on people or things against their will, such as humanity’s pride in attempting to impose order on to nature Exam Tip Remember, AO3 is only worth up to 6 marks in this question. You will be expected to demonstrate your understanding of the relationship between the poem and the context in which it was written in an integrated way, throughout your answer. It is therefore important to focus on the key themes, and have a thorough knowledge of all of the main themes in the cluster of poems. Context comes from the keyword in the task, so your answer should emphasise the key themes of the poem. Writing a whole paragraph about the French Revolution or Romantic poets without linking to one of the key themes will not get you marks. What to Compare it to The essay you are required to write in your exam is an integrated comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems (the one given on the exam paper and one other). It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about power, or conflict, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that London explores ideas of the corruption of power and authority, its effect on people and the power of nature, the following comparisons would be a good place to start: London and My Last Duchess London and Ozymandias For each pair of poems, you will find: The comparison in a nutshell Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem Differences between the ideas presented in each poem Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences Exam Tip You will be expected not only to explore this poem in depth, but make perceptive comparisons to themes, language, form and structure used in other poems in the anthology that also comment on power and/or conflict and their nature. It is therefore important not to just memorise a series of quotations, but to have a thorough knowledge of all of the poems and their themes. It is also essential that you not only write about the named poem, but compare it to one other in the anthology. Only writing about the poem given on the paper will get you a low mark. London and My Last Duchess Comparison in a nutshell: This comparison provides the opportunity to insightfully compare power, control and the corruption of power at a state and an individual level. Blake is concerned with how human power can be used to dominate and oppress others, whereas Browning in My Last Duchess presents power through the individual character of the Duke Similarities: Topic Both Blake and Browning use the structure of their poems to comment sentenc on the idea that human power can be used to dominate, oppress and e cause suffering Evidenc London My Last Duchess e and analysis Blake uses regular four line stanzas Browning uses the form of to highlight the relentlessness of the dramatic monologue from a dominance the institutions of power single perspective, showing only have over London and its people one person’s point of view (the Duke’s) The alternate ABAB rhyme scheme The dramatic monologue is and use of iambic tetrameter written in a single stanza, demonstrate the control exerted over highlighting the Duke’s power as the city he is the only person who speaks in the poem The odd break in the structure, as In addition, Browning uses well as the reference to “mind-forg’d rhyming couplets to reflect manacles” suggest Blake’s possible control. However, the use of frustration at the people’s reluctance enjambment and caesura  to rise and break free from the suggests the possible tyranny undermining of that power Topi Both Blake and Browning are also concerned with c the inequalities between women and men, and how sent men can exert power over women ence Evid London My Last Duchess ence and anal Blake is concerned with the In My Last Duchess, ysis oppression and victimisation the Duke betrays his of women, referencing the misogyny through “youthful harlot’s curse” to his biased depiction imply that some women of his “last duchess” have their futures and choices taken away from them as a circumstance of their birth The oxymoronic “marriage The Duke uses the hearse” suggests that pronoun “my” to women lose any power they imply ownership, may possess ultimately to and “that” to imply men that he views her as an object. The adjective “last” suggests that she is one of a number Both the harlot and the Duchess are victims of the inequality between men and women in terms of circumstance and society Topic sentence Both poems show how power that is inherited, but not necessarily deserved, can be abused and used to oppress Evidence and analysis London My Last Duchess Blake criticises the Browning is monarchy behind commenting on the their “palace walls” Duke in his castle mounting his “last Duchess” on the wall as a trophy - a symbol of the power he holds over his wife Blake holds the The Duke’s monarchy “nine-hundred-years- responsible for the old name” reflects soldier’s blood that the fact that the runs “down palace Duke’s power and walls”, suggesting status are inherited, that they are rather than earned responsible for inflicting suffering However, being born into power does not equate with being a good leader, and this lack of goodness results in oppression and victimisation The walls of the buildings in both poems are symbols of their power. Therefore, anything represented on them becomes a symbol of the abuses of their power Differences: Topic While the focus of Browning’s criticism of power centres on one sentenc individual, the Duke, and the effect on his “last Duchess”, Blake e comments on how the abuse of power by institutions hits the poorest members of society the hardest Evidenc London My Last Duchess e and analysis Blake is critical of the monarchy, Through the fact that the Duke the government and the church, exerts his power over aristocratic as they represent to him the abuse women, Browning is suggesting of their authority in order to cause that even wealthy and well-born misery and suffering to all of the women are not exempt from being people in London victimised and oppressed The focus for Blake is on the Browning focuses his attention on institutions of the city of London, the abuse of power by an individual and the effects of the corruption of in order to own, control and power by those institutions on the oppress lowest sections of that society Exam Tip It is a good idea to outline your choice of second poem in your introduction to your response, with a clear overview of the overarching themes within both poems. You can then use the theme to move between both poems to provide the substance to illustrate your arguments. However, this does not mean that you cannot focus on one poem first, and then the other, linking ideas back to the main poem. You should choose whichever structure suits you best, as long as comparison is embedded and ideas for both texts are well-developed. London and Ozymandias Comparison in a nutshell: This is an effective comparative choice to explore the nature of political power and its effects on humanity. Both Blake’s London and Shelley’s Ozymandias use settings and physical objects or locations to represent power and comment on humanity’s pride in attempting to control nature Similarities: Topic Both poems show the power of nature over humanity’s sentence achievements and progress, and attempts to control nature are ultimately unsuccessful Evidence London Ozymandias and analysis Blake’s London criticises attempts Shelley uses the statue in by authorities to control and own Ozymandias as a physical nature symbol of the power of mankind, and the poem shows it being destroyed by nature Blake writes juxtaposes Shelley emphasises the “chartered” and “flow” in the line ultimate power of the natural “Near where the charter’d Thames world, which links to the does flow”, emphasising how Romantic idea of the impossible it is for humans to sublime ultimately have power over nature Despite being mapped and owned (“chartered”), the Thames continues to “flow” naturally. It cannot be controlled Both poets explore the idea of the imbalance of power, and power as something that creates a sense of entitlement or arrogance, as a way to make those lacking in power suffer  Both poets appear to want to show, via their use of people in their poems, how power in the wrong hands can be used for evil or to inflict suffering Therefore, both create a social commentary relating to hierarchical power structures and their inherent unfairness Differences: Topic Whereas Blake is commenting on the state of all people who live sentence in London, and the systems that create suffering and oppression for most of the people, Shelley warns against individual arrogance and pride Evidence London Ozymandias and analysis Blake is commenting on the Ozymandias orders his corrupt nature of politicians, the people, via the inscription on church and the monarchy, as he the statue’s base, to “look on believes they are the cause of my work…and despair.” suffering and misery However, Blake also describes The imperative “look on” the people of London as living in shows the king’s arrogance “mind-forg’d manacles.” This and the verb “despair” suggests that the people are not suggests that, once someone physically restrained, but are has seen his power and restrained by the prisons in their influence, there is no other own minds option for them other than to feel defeated “Manacles” and restraints have connotations of slavery and oppression, suggesting that Blake feels that London is oppressing its residents, but they have also given up and are not taking the opportunity to rise up against the authorities  Blake uses repetition to reinforce the great suffering of all mankind in “In every cry of every man…”. “Man” is used as a collective noun to encompass all humanity POEM QUOTES ANALYSIS London I wander through each chartered street,/ Near where the charter'd Thames does flow Marks of weakness, marks of woe The mind-forged manacles I hear -something that is chartered is listed and regulated. The repetition conveys everything is fixed and how the speaker resents being confined -repetition of ‘chartered’ highlights the extent of government authority: they even have control over rivers which is usually associated with nature and freedom. -The rigid ABAB rhyme scheme and quatrains show how rigid London is. No space to break out and for freedom -emotive language is used to express not only the extent of suffering but also Blake’s anger at the institutions that fail to help -repetition of ‘marks’ is significant as it shows the inescapable, repetitive suffering of those in the poem. He is noticing the suffering on people’s faces. Their anguish is visible. A mark is hard to remove, just like it’s hard for people to remove their problems. The government, monarchy and church have ruined London -’w’ alliteration connects the people’s poverty and sadness. It creates an image of sobbing and weakening. It could also be a subtle confusion as to what has happened to the city as all the question words start with ‘w’. -repetition of ‘every’ heightens the sense that the problem is widespread. -alliteration draws attention to where Blake shows that these people are not physically held back but their belief in their weakness holds them back. It also conveys the greed of those in power and the hunger and poverty of the people -it is a metaphor to symbolise they have no free thinking or ability to fight against the government and allows the reinforcement of control of government and abuse of their power. They have no control over their lives. Even their minds are imprisoned. Context Blake disliked institutions, believing that the corruption of the city was due to bad rulers Wrote London while being influenced by the French Revolution and wanted to raise awareness of poverty in the city He suggests there is a huge issue with the divide between those in power and those completely void of it relating to the huge wealth disparity affecting Victorian England Structure Effect Cyclical Conveys never-ending suffering and implies to the reader that they will keep suffering until they break the cycle and rebel against society as the French did Dramatic monologue Blake wanted to feel accessible to all members of society and also made poem personal of his experience and his home and views Consistent rhyme scheme and stanza length This fixed structure enhances the sense of complete control and oppression which could mimic the way he feels about the lower class trapped in London Poem name and author name London - William Blake (1757-1827) Story of the poem (50 words In this poem, the speaker (presumably Blake) travels to the River Thames max.) and looks around him. he takes note of the resigned faces of the people there, hearing and feeling the sorrow in the streets. He comments on the filth and corruption he sees here. Messages/wider implications In ‘London,’ Blake engages with themes of urban life, childhood, and corruption. The latter relates to both childhood and the broader nature of life in the city. It’s clear from the first lines of the poem that Blake has a widely negative view of what it’s like to live and work in London. He is surrounded by misery, mostly due to the way the adult world destroys the innocence of childhood. These children are in distress throughout their lives, forced to deal with the sins of their family members and the darkness of the urban streets. The speaker hears pain everywhere he goes in the city, something that he knows isn’t necessary. The world could be happier and freer but humanity’s darker side has made that impossible in the city. Context Blake was a poet, painter, and printer. He was a Christian but was against What was the poet inspired by organised religion such as that of the Church of England. He was a (precise details) and/or what first-generation romantic poet, and a Revolutionary (rebelling against the wider social messages might misuse of power and class). This inspired him to write this poem as a they be exploring? representation of the filth that was rife in London at the time, resulting from corruption in the city. Figurative language in the ➔ “In every cry of every man, In every infant’s cry of fear, In every poem + identify method + two voice, in every ban,” (Lines 5-7) brief interpretations ◆ Anaphoric repetition/tricolon emphasises how widespread these sights are, and how overwhelmed Blake is at seeing so many horrible sights. ◆ The phrase incites sympathy in the reader and also shows pessimistically how every life here is destined for misery. ➔ “The mind-forged manacles I hear:” (Line 8) ◆ The oppression prevalent in London is caused by man’s own thinning, and has a powerful hold on society and its development; humanity restricts itself. ◆ Image of slavery. ◆ Echoes Jean-Jacques Rosseau’s words Structure of the poem (first and Rhythm: Iambic tetrameter final line? Any significant Type: Narrative repetition, refrain or patterns?) This is a four stanza poem that is separated into sets of four lines, known as quatrains. These quatrains follow a rhyme scheme of ABAB throughout. The first stanza explores the sights around the city of London while the following three focus more on the sounds the speaker can hear. Close readers might notice that the third stanza of the poem is actually an acrostic, it spells out the word “HEAR” with each first letter of the first word in every line. Some of the lines of “London” make use of a metrical pattern known as iambic tetrameter. this can be seen perfectly in the first three lines of the poem. But, that changes in line four when the speaker is confronted with the people. The normal walking rhythm of the first lines is interrupted, a way of referring back to the content in “London”. The poem ends with a fantastical image of a carriage that shuttles love and death together around the city. Significant lines in the poem + ➔ “How the chimney-sweeper’s cry / Every black’ning church methods + meanings appalls,” ◆ Adjective “black’ning” is an acknowledgement of the soot and smoke that (produced by industrial factories) polluted every part of London during the 1700s. ◆ A figurative interpretation can be found through the negative connotations of immorality and evil derived from “black’ning” It is the moral blackening of the church he is referring to. This can be perceived as a criticism of organised religion, and its failure to provide for the disadvantaged members of society. ➔ “And mark in every face I meet / Marks of weakness, marks of woe” ◆ The repetition of “marks” demonstrates that this is a permanent impact of the place’s power, with a wide-reaching and exception-free extent. ◆ Also suggests they cannot remove the impact of the suffering they have experienced (weakness), and like the branding of cattle, the citizens are branded too by their experiences. Comparisons to other poems Ozymandias Name poems + thematic ○ Power of nature comparisons ○ Power of humans Storm on the Island ○ Power of nature ○ Power of humans Checking Out Me History ○ Anger ○ Power of humans