REVISE – London

Choose the correct alternative to paraphrase the poem.

Stanza 1
I ________ through every ________ street,
Near where the River Thames flows ________.
And I ________ in every face I see,
Signs of weakness and signs of ________.

Stanza 2
In every ________ of every man,
In every baby's ________ of fear,
In every ________ and every ban
I hear the ________ chains created by the ________.

Stanza 3
The cry of the chimney sweeper,
________ the ________ church.
And the ________ soldier's sigh
Is like blood running down the Palace walls.

Stanza 4
But most of all through the streets at night I hear,
How the young prostitute's curse,
________ the newborn baby's life,
And ________ with disease the ________ marriage.

Write the sound devices from STEP 3 next to the possible effect they create.

1 It suggests that the suffering isn't just there to be seen, but also to be heard.       ________
2 It underlines a key concept: the conditions affect everyone.       ________
3 It points to the monotony that is typical of life in industrial cities.       ________
4 It creates a sort of rigidity in the structure to emphasise the entrapment of the lower classes and the control they are subjected to.       ________
5 It intensifies the concepts expressed, with certain sounds highlighting the sense of oppression, or in others the suffering.       ________
6 It creates a lullaby effect, which suits the style of The Songs but contrasts dramatically with the themes of the poem.       ________

Look at the poem in your textbook and complete the table.

1 Title: ________
2 Number of stanzas: ________
3 Type of stanzas: ________
4 Narrative voice: ________

William Blake's London is a poem about what the speaker 'sees' and, most importantly, what he 'hears'. Interestingly, the first letter of each line in the third stanza spells out the verb 'hear'. Match the examples taken from the poem to the corresponding sound device.

1 weakness … woe / soldier's … sigh ________
2 man … fear … ban … hear ________
3 each … street … near ________
4 cry / sigh / curse ________
5 every … every / marks … marks ________
6 In every … In every ________

Focus on the most relevant rhetorical devices in the poem and complete the texts with the words given to explain how they provide the poem with a deeper meaning.

1 mind-forg'd manacles
The phrase 'mind-forg'd manacles' is a metaphor that describes how the people of London are ________ by their own thoughts and beliefs. These 'manacles' are not real, but are a form of mental ________ created by reason. This metaphor suggests that they are held captive by their own ________ to change their situation.

2 Runs in blood down Palace walls
Blake's statement is a hyperbole, an exaggeration not to be taken literally. It suggests that the soldier's suffering is a ________ of the monarchy and the government. The 'blood' symbolises the ________ of the soldiers in wars, and the image is an accusation against the ________ who live in the Palace, holding them morally responsible.

3 Marriage hearse
This is a juxtaposition, which involves two contrasting ideas or concepts placed side-by-side to create a surprising effect. In this case, the word 'marriage,' which represents ________ and a new beginning, is paired with a 'hearse,' which symbolises death. It implies that marriage, instead of leading to a happy life, often leads to one of ________ and disease. The marriage itself becomes a kind of ________ for the future.

Read the text and decide if the statements are true or false. Then look at the prompts in brackets and write some extra reflections in your exercise book. You can use the final text as revision material for your test.

William Blake's London presents a gloomy portrait of a city where suffering is inescapable. The pervasiveness of this suffering is emphasised through a powerful use of sound devices. (Refer to STEPS 3 and 4 to give examples that show how sound makes the suffering feel more immediate and universal.) This suffering is not presented as an accident, but as a consequence of a corrupt society. Blake uses shocking hyperbole in the third stanza, suggesting that the soldier's blood runs down the walls of the Palace. (Refer to STEP 5 to explain the possible meaning of this hyperbole.) The greatest oppression, however, is presented through a metaphor: the 'mind-forg'd manacles', which speaks of imprisonment. (Refer to STEP 5 to explain how the metaphor works. You may want to use the terms tenor, vehicle and common ground.) Finally, Blake delivers his harshest critique of institutions through the shocking juxtaposition of the phrase 'Marriage hearse.' (Refer to STEP 5 to state what two contrasting ideas are combined in this final image, and what it may suggest about the fate of the people in this society.)
Through this combination of sound and rhetoric, Blake paints a picture of a city where the powerful are corrupt and the people are left to suffer in silence, trapped by both economic circumstances and their own minds.