Summary
Summary London
- Course
- Institution
English Edexcel GCSE Poetry Time and Place Notes
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
aleenaislam
Reviews received
Content preview
Aleena IslamLONDON – William Blake
Themes
Melancholy, corruption, imprisonment, pollution,
torment
Contextual overview
This poem illustrates the realistic and poverty-stricken aspect
of London by describing how the population is trapped and
depressed. William Blake reflects the unjust society in which he
lived in by taking a pessimistic and hopeless tone throughout
the entirety of the poem. This poem was written in the late
1700s which is known to be one of England’s most restrictive
time periods where people followed a specific societal protocol.
This was also the same time of the industrial revolution which
is what is represented by the amount of corruption that is
depicted in the poem. While William Blake does vividly portray
London as miserable and bleak, he also uses the city as an
embodiment of everything that is wrong and corrupted with all
human beings.
Key features of language, form and structure
- The repetition of ‘charter’d’ highlights the fact that the
people of London have no freedom and are imprisoned
within the city.
- With a parallel structure, Blake suggests that the
population is consumed with misery and melancholy, since
they are struck with sorrow to such an extent that their
emotions become physically evident on their faces: ‘marks
of weakness, marks of woe.’
- Moreover, the harsh repetition and alliteration of
‘marks of weakness, marks of woe’ reinforces how
depressed the people of London are.
- The poet also uses an anaphora to imply that every
single person in London is feeling such anguish and
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller aleenaislam. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.22. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
64438 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now