英美文学London-William Blake

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London
The poem describes a journey around London, offering a glimpse of what the speaker sees as the terrible conditions faced by the inhabitants of the city. Child labour, restrictive laws of property and prostitution are all explored in the poem.
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The reason of writing this poem
William Blake rejected established religion for various reasons. One of the main ones was the failure of the established Church to help children in London who were forced to work. Blake lived and worked in the capital, so was arguably well placed to write clearly about the conditions people who lived there faced.
1 thro’s: through; 2 charter’d street: a street which is pre-empted as private property. 3 mark: here the first one is a verb, which means notice; the second one is a noun, which means a sign. 4 woe: great sorrow;
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London
Blake's poem also criticises religion and its failures. The speaker draws attention to the cry of the chimney sweeper and the blackening of church walls, implying that the church as an institution is inactive, unwilling to help those in need. It ends with a vision of the terrible consequences to be faced as a result of sexually transmitted disease.
But most14 thro’ midnight streets I hear How the youthful Harlot’s curse15 Blasts16 the new born Infant’s tear, And blights17 with plagues18 the Marriage hearse19.
14 most: most of all; 15 curse: word or words to express anger, hate, etc.; 16 blast: (used to express annoyance) ruins, destroys; 17 blight: causes growth to cease in ruins; 18 plague: any deadly infectious disease that spreads quickly and kills many people or animals; 19 hearse: a large car that carries the coffin at a funeral.
In every cry of every Man, In every Infant’s5 cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban6, The mind-forg’d manacles7 I hear.
5 infant: new born baby; 6 ban: an order that officially forbids something; 7 The mind-forg’d manacles : The chains that were painstakingly devised and made by the ruling class.
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Attitudes and ideas
Blake's speaker has a very negative view of the city. For Blake, the conditions faced by people caused them to decay physically, morally and spiritually. For Blake, buildings, especially church buildings, often symbolised confinement, restriction and failure. To Blake, this makes a mockery of the love and care that should characterise the Christian religion. The poem as a whole suggests Blake sees the rapid urbanisation in Britain at the time as a dangerous force. The poem is pessimistic. It is without hope for the future. ( BBC, English literature)
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Structure
As the title of the collection suggests, London is presented in a very regular way, much like a song. There is a strict abab rhyme scheme in each of the four stanzas. The four stanzas offer a glimpse of different aspects of the city, almost like snapshots seen by the speaker during his "wander thro'" the streets.
—William Blake
Group members：Kiwi Eudora Lesley Maia Jackie
I wander thro’1 each charter’d street2, Near where the charter’d Thames does flow, And mark3 in every face I meet Marks3 of weakness, marks of woe4.
Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is
now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.
His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language".
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The French Revolution
In 1789, the French people revolted against the monarchy and aristocracy, using violence and murder to overthrow those in power. Many saw the French Revolution as inspirational - a model for how ordinary, disadvantaged people could seize power. Blake alludes to the revolution in London, arguably suggesting that the experience of living there could encourage a revolution on the streets of the capital.
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Contents
An Introduction to William Blake Background Information of London
An Appreciation of London
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William Blake
(28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) He was an English poet, painter and printmaker.
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London
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The poem starts with a criticism of laws relating to ownership. The 'charter'd Thames' is a bitter reference to the way in which every aspect of life in London is owned, even the river, so often in other poems a symbol of life, freedom and the power of nature.
How the Chimney-sweeper’s8 cry9 Every black’ning10 Church appalls11; And the hapless12 Soldier’s sigh13 Runs in blood down Palace walls.
8 chimney-sweeper: a person whose job is to sweep the chimney; 9 cry: (old use) announce (goods etc.) for sale by calling out; Hapless: 10 black’ning: blackening; 11 appall: deep shock; 12 hapless: unhappy, unfortunate; 13 Soldier’s sigh: referring to the tragic lives of disarmed solders, one visualizes blood running down on the walls of the palace.
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Songs of Innocence and of Experience
In 1794, London published in Songs of Experience. It is one of the few poems in Songs of Experience which does not have a corresponding poem in Songs of Innocence. In 1826, London print from Copy AA of Songs of Innocence and Experience which now is in the Collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum.