London by William Blake

The second stanza reflects on the past days which were not as bad as once thought to be. I especially relate to the lines of “How I wish we

Without even needing explanation, these lines burn with the fact that if given the choice of dying or to continue living in enslavement, the outcome would be death. This has no happy tune. It in no way should be misunderstood as gratitude for the life which

To some people, poetry may not seem to be very applicable or entertaining. Poetry is a way to express one’s feelings and ideas and to inspire its readers. To understand poetry and to get a sense of what the poet is trying to convey, one must analyze the poem to see why and how it is compelling to the reader. In her poem “Eagle Poem,” Joy Harjo appealingly writes about the spiritual connection to the circle of life and prayer. The poem “The Street” by Octavio Paz is about life and the choices one makes. In this poem, there is a deeper meaning presented through the theme of isolation, identity, and the choices one makes in life. The last poem to be analyzed is “Remember” by Joy Harjo which accentuates the importance of nature and where

One way that helps make London’s poem relatable, is due to the imagery. For example, one of the many lines that contain good imagery is, “Oceans of adolescents come here to receive lessons, but never learn to swim. Part like the Red Sea when the bell rings.” This makes you picture a large group of high school kids that are sitting in class, then suddenly, they all get up and disperse like the unexpected waves of

In the first stanza, the writer uses many techniques to convey the feeling of loss, when he says,

In the poem “William Street” Slessor explores the poverty within the streets of Kings Cross that demonstrates the everyday struggles that people within the community go through searching for employment. This is shown through, “the dips and molls with flip and shiny glaze (death at their elbows, hunger at their heels)” uses imagery and slang to depict the criminal activity due to poverty. This creates a visual representation of the pickpockets, drunks and

The tone of the poem is both satirical and sincere as it mocks the inadequacies of the oppressed, just as it says “Have luncheon there this afternoon, all you jobless… What’s the matter? You haven't seen the ads in the papers? Didn't you get a card?” The sarcastic tone and statements invokes a sense of bitterness in the readers as it calls upon the devastating reality whilst provoking an urgency for change, which is a prominent characteristic of protest poetry as this form of poetry tends to stimulate a reader’s interest and empathy to spur him or her into action. The poem’s main message is the idea for change and equality. This revolutionary poem plays as a scathing social commentary of the products of capitalism for investing in Waldorf- Astoria despite the Great Depression where millions are suffering and living on the streets. This in itself is another feature of protest poetry as protest poetry’s main objective is finding fault within some existing current event and focuses on dissatisfactions and objections towards the

The desperation and destruction continues to escalate throughout part I of the poem until it reaches a close at,

The text proceeds from analyzing each poem individually, and later draws parallels between the two. It tries to answer the questions whether the poems are a call to social irresponsibility, and if the object of the poem, the common man should be scorned or pitied. That the common man who is busy conforming to the norms of the state and the society has lost connection with his natural surroundings evokes sympathy for him. Materialism has subsumed his capacity to think to an extent that he cannot even decide whether he is free to do as he wishes – can he say no to enlisting for war? Or can he hold an opinion that did not coincide with the larger public?

Blake’s poem, “London” represent how the city life has taken away the freedom of the people. Blake uses skills of alliteration, imagery, and word choice to create his poem. In the first two stanzas, Blake uses repetition to

London by William Blake is a poem characterised by its dark and overbearing tone. It is a glimpse at a period of England's history (particularly London) during war and poverty, experienced by the narrator as he walks through the streets. Using personification it draws a great human aspect to its representation of thoughts and beliefs of the narrator.

The poem "London" by William Blake paints a frightening, dark picture of the eighteenth century London, a picture of war, poverty and pain. Written in the historical context of the English crusade against France in 1793, William Blake cries out with vivid analogies and images against the repressive and hypocritical English society. He accuses the government, the clergy and the crown of failing their mandate to serve people. Blake confronts the reader in an apocalyptic picture with the devastating consequences of diseasing the creative capabilities of a society.

The second stanza addresses the helplessness of Reuben in his personal life and the inevitability of his wife’s passing.

William Blake was a painter, engraver and poet of the Romantic era, who lived and worked in London. Many of Blake’s famous poems reside in his published collection of poems titled Songs of Innocence and of Experience. This collection portrays the two different states of the human soul, good and evil. Many poems in the Songs of Innocence have a counterpart poem in the Songs of Experience. The poem “A Poison Tree” is found in the Songs of Experience and it delves into the mind of man tainted with sin and corruption that comes with experience. In a simple and creative style, the religious theology of the Fall of Man is brought to life. The poem tells the story of how man fell from a state of innocence to impurity, focusing on the harmful repercussions of suppressed anger. Blake utilities many literary devices to successfully characterizes anger as an antagonist with taunting power.

William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. He was not recognized during his lifetime and now is considered as a seminal figure and criticised over the twentieth and even this century. Blake’s strong philosophical and religious beliefs in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. Although he was from London he spent his entire life in Felpham.