london grade 9 essay

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What I love… Education based blog by @susansenglish

Why I love…Comparing Poems: AQA ‘Checking Out Me History’ with ‘The Emigree’

I’ve written comparison essays for a few of the poems in the Power and Conflict Anthology for AQA (see links at bottom) and undertook in my last post to think about how to compare “Checking Out Me History” with all the poems (not full essays – just brief thoughts on this.) See here: Why I love…Comparison Revision Thoughts. Checking Out Me History and…(All P&C poems)

However, in this I decided (rightfully or not) during this process that ‘The Emigree’ would be the easiest choice to compare and I’ve attempted this below. It may be interesting or useful. Do let me know.

I’ve linked the word document here: Comparing Checking Out with The Emigree

Comparing: Checking Out Me History with The Emigree

How is conflict over identity presented in Checking Out Me History and one other poem from The Anthology?

Both poems ‘The Emigree’ and ‘Checking Out Me History’ explore a feeling of conflict over the persona’s own individual identity as a result of displacement and historical inaccuracy. Rumens and Agard appear to reflect with melancholy on the past, long for something different and understand the disparity that they live with.

Rumens poem is relatively short with three even stanzas of eight lines long, while Agard’s poem is much longer and more fragmented, perhaps showing the relative fragmentation of the history he was told about or learnt about in school. Rumens poem meanwhile reflects the stability of her life and her history while allowing to show that she is in stanza one discussing leaving her homeland as a child and in stanza three reflecting on the fact that there is no way back to this place. The poems are dissimilar in this respect as Agard is not reflecting on something or somewhere that he left but instead discussing the historic leaving out of a large chunk of history that was never taught to him. In this way Rumens knows her own personal history and reflects on this and Agard questions why he did not know the wider societal history of a whole swathe of people. Agard’s questioning is further reinforced in the italicised, indentations in the poem as these sections of the poem show the other side of history, the side that Agard wants to know, but that was not taught in school. It seems as if Agard is longing for something different in his understanding of history and that he knows history taught in school is whitewashed and not truly reflective of the great Black people who are deserving of a place in the history books but that are omitted in favour of a more colonial reflection. Rumens too is longing for something else as she uses the first person “I have no passport, there’s no way back at all” to show that even though she feels a sense of cultural belonging and a desire to return to the place of her childhood there is a barrier there. In this way both poems have barriers: ‘Checking Out Me History’ could be what we are taught or not taught and ‘The Emigree’ may be the physical barrier of not being able to legally return to somewhere. This longing for something different is further reinforced through Rumens use of the verb “branded” which has connotations of something being burnt into your skin, something permanent and no-removable as when the poet uses this phrase it is an “impression of sunlight” which has sunk into her psyche and which she cannot get away from, or indeed doesn’t want to get away from. It is as if she pines for this feeling of belonging in a country where she no longer does belong, which is similar to Agard as he repeats the refrain “Dem tell me” at the beginning of the poem with a tone of cynicism as he wants to know not just what he is told but everything about his “own history” that he has not been told. The metaphorical “bandage up me eye” and the use of colloquial language reinforces the idea that Agard hasn’t been told something significant. It is almost as if his longing is for the truth about what happened to his people, as opposed to the nursery rhymes that he was fed. While appearing cynical about the history he was told, he doesn’t seem angry just accepts that this is how it was for him, which is similar in ‘The Emigree’ as she doesn’t seem angered that she is no longer welcome, just sad and reflective that this is the situation she is in. In this way both poems reflect in a calm and rational way on a longing for something different, although this seems to be tinged with melancholy.

Agard is a black British man and he reflected in an interview that he is pleased that his poems encourage people to think about and talk about inter-racial connections and this can be seen in the way he challenges what he was learnt about white history and black history. It is with a feeling of melancholy that Agard references the Battle of Hastings “Dem tell me about 1066 and all dat” as if it is something that every child will know about. The connotations of all dat” seem to be it needs no further explanation as every person who has been through the British education system will have knowledge of what happened in Medieval England. The melancholic tone increases in “But Toussaint L’Ouverture no dem never tell me bout dat” particularly as the enjambment carries on to Agard telling the story of “Toussaint” in italics, showing that he was missed out of the history books and that his story needs embellishment, unlike “1066” which is very little information but which tells a whole significant historic story. Interestingly, we never establish who “dem” is, they appear to be a collective pronoun for everyone who has written history, taught history or it could be the systemic failure to ensure black people are enriched with knowledge about their own past. In the same way in ‘The Emigree’ we have third party information about her homeland which she seems to dismiss “may be at war” and “may be sick with tyrants” to show that she still feels melancholic about having left it. Rumens stated that the poem is about the conflict between imagination and conventions which could mean that the power of the imagination is more potent in the poem than adhering to the rules of society. This seems likely as throughout the poem the persona is reflecting with extreme nostalgia on the relationship between where she is now and where she wants to be. Her memory of the place seems stronger than where she is now. Both Agard and Rumens reflect on the conflict humans have over their identity based on what they have been told, what they can imagine and what they want to know or be or do.

Disparity appears evident in both poems. This is reflected through the use of metaphorical distance and barriers in “as time rolls its tanks” and “close like waves” making it seem as if what she has left behind was precious, but that she can still see it, imagine it and enjoy it, even though ironically this is all in the imagination. While Agard disparity is clearer when he reflects on nursery rhymes such as ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ which seem nonsensical and childish in comparison to the tales of “Nanny de maroon” which are never told to him. This is also reinforced in further tales of famous women both white and black which juxtapose each other. “Florence Nightingale and she lamp” is the colloquial retelling of the famous nurse who revolutionised nursing and is lauded as being an agent of change and an angel of mercy. However, “Mary Seacole” who was equally worthy of praise for the same bravery and nursing accolades was ignored and her story never told. This disparity shows that historical black people’s tales have been overlooked, ignored and almost shunned, which shows that society still has a long way to go to change and become equal. The disparity is not as evident in ‘The Emigree’ but it still exists. However, Rumens third and final stanza shows a darker outlook on life and “They accuse me of being dark in their free city.” which seems to bring in the darker side of humanity. The impersonal pronoun “they” creates a sense that anyone could be accusing her and anyone could be accused. This seems similar to the re-writing of history in ‘Checking Out Me History’ where Agard also doesn’t explicitly mention colour or race but instead alludes throughout to the way race has shaped history, what he was told and the fact that he is “carving out me identity” implying that he has to seek out the stories and he is responsible for owning those in the same way that Rumens persona is responsible for allowing her imagination to run free.

Rumens and Agard both create narratives around the past and the use of the imagination to explore what was or what could have been, they both tell tales of being displaced (Agard from his own history, Rumens as an imaginative flight of fancy about what it is like to be displaced). However, they both have an important message about identity and the conflict that is inherent in owning your own identity. Rumens poems is melancholic and reflective and the message seems to be to embrace your imagination while Agard is more grounded and seems to portray a need to know concrete facts and ideas about yourself. In this way the poems explore a conflict over identity in complex and different ways, showing that identity is very individual.

Other Comparison Blogs and AQA Anthology blogs are linked below:

Why I love…Revising Power and Conflict: Comparing Bayonet Charge & Exposure with @FlipsCoCards

Why I love…Comparing Tissue and The Emigree

Why I love…Comparing in the AQA Anthology: Poppies and War Photographer

Why I love…Comparing Poems: AQA Charge of the Light Brigade and Bayonet Charge

Why I love…Comparing Poems: AQA Exposure by Owen with Storm on the Island by Heaney

Why I love…Comparing Poems: AQA Extract from the Prelude and Storm on the Island

Why I love…Comparing AQA poems a series: Ozymandias and My Last Duchess

Why I love… AQA Comparisons Series: An Introduction

Why I love…AQA Power & Conflict: Developing subject knowledge

What Would Iago Do?

Aqa power and conflict- ‘my last duchess’ and ‘london’.

This series of blogs is based around the incredible tweets posted by Macbeth Insights (@Gcse_macbeth) on poems to compare with ‘My Last Duchess’. I don’t intend to go into the minutiae of structure and language analysis but intend to focus on the higher order comparative ideas that I want my Year 11s to use to enhance their analysis. Any mistakes are my own (as are any brilliant sparks of analytical genius. Just saying.)

Both poems show how inequalities in power always seem to victimise women . It is women who suffer in the transaction of power with men who want ownership over their bodies — whether aristocracy or street prostitutes .

In ‘MLD’, the Duke portrays his misogynistic tendencies through his biased depiction of his hapless “last duchess”.
He tells us “[t]hat’s my last duchess”, immediately evoking his sense of ownership through the possessive pronoun “my”. He believes she belongs to him and his tone presents how his victimisation of her is a result of him being a product of a patriarchal society where his authority over his wife would have been absolute.
The pronoun “that” implies the Duke sees her as an object, which she now literally is, having been reduced to a piece of art that viewers can admire. Arguably, she has become subject to the male gaze, a feminist concept presenting the dehumanisation of the female as she no longer has agency and must be viewed through the lens of the male and admired for her beauty, physique, aesthetic or other narrative that allows the male to control the viewer’s perception of her. Here, the Duke presents her as unfaithful, even unmanageable to the viewer thereby justifying his “commands” that resulted in her “smiles” being “stopped altogether.”
The adjective “last” implies she’s one of a number: we notice that it makes a sham of his “as long as we both shall live” marriage vows and indicates the life and death power he has over the woman in his life.

Whilst the Duke exerts his power over a ristocratic women signifying that even the wealthy and well-born women are not exempt from the power and victimisation of the patriarchy , Blake depicts the plight of the more obvious victims of society.

In Blake’s ‘London’, his reference to the “youthful harlot” is almost grotesquely despairing as it implies her lack of a future before she has even had a chance for one. Her youth should represent her on the cusp of womanhood, making choices that lead to a socially acceptable future involving marriage and motherhood. Instead, Blake criticises the poverty, desperation and lack of opportunity due to the rising unemployment caused by the industrial revolution that have colluded to lead her into a life of early prostitution; a hard life and one usually foreshortened by disease, violence or childbirth.
The “harlot’s curse” reflects her anger at her fate. A “curse” could mean she is swearing- a rather ‘unladylike’ attribute indicating her outcast status: what need does she have of ladylike attributes when the doors to a lady’s future are closed to her? Alternatively, it could foreshadow a blight on future generations as she “[b]lasts the new-born infant’s ear” indicating Blake’s criticism of the vicious cycle of prostitution young women were forced into as what hope would a “new-born” have bred in such circumstances?
Both the “harlot” and the “Duchess” are victims of inequalities between men and women in terms of circumstance and society. In both cases, the patriarchy has the absolute power to manipulate perceptions of them so that viewed through the lens of the male gaze, they are simply receptacles of male desire to be outcast or even killed when they no longer conform to the ideals desired by society. Despite the Duke’s attempt to manipulate the audience, it becomes evident that the duchess is a victim of an abuse of power and a result of the inequality in society, just as the “harlot” is.
Their lack of names further dehumanises them, referencing only the roles they occupy from the highest in the land to the lowest. They should be world’s apart yet their fates unite them as victims.

Both poems show how power that is gained through title or heritage typically ends up in the hands of the wrong people — the monarchy behind their “palace walls” in ‘London’ and the Duke in his castle.

In ‘MLD’, the Duke mounts his “last Duchess”, she is “painted on the wall”, as a trophy and symbolic of the power he wields over his wife. By positioning her there, he directs and controls those who see her and controls the narrative his chosen audience is fed. Being “painted” could be the Duke’s belief that his wife was a harlot too- paint being a reference to make-up, worn more often by whores- not in the literal sense where she sold her body for money, but in his belief that she was unfaithful to him. Perhaps Browning is criticising the blatant abuses of power in the wrong hands as the Duke’s evidently are. His “nine-hundred-years-old name” is symbolic of the family’s long-standing wealth and status but being born into power clearly does not equate to being good with power and this lack of goodness results in the victimisation of women- those most vulnerable to the vicissitudes of patriarchal power.
In contrast, in ‘London’, Blake’s criticism of the monarchy is more pointed but equally symbolic of the power and responsibility it holds. He states that the monarchy’s responsibility “[r]uns in blood down palace walls”, suggesting its culpability, in his view, for the state of the city that he loves. However, whilst the Duke proudly displays his “painted” trophy, the monarchy hunkers down and hides behind its walls but its guilt is painted on those outer walls nonetheless. Whilst the Duke accepts and even flaunts his power over his dependent, the monarchy holds its silence but the “blood”, symbolic of its failings, represents its accountability regardless.
The walls of the buildings both the Duke and the monarchy occupy are symbols of their power, therefore, anything represented on each, becomes a symbol of the abuses of their power and the victimisation they enact upon those who depend upon them for their very lives.

That’s it for this time, let me know your thoughts. Next up will be ‘My Last Duchess’ with ‘Ozymandias’.

London/Tissue Essay

Both London and Tissue explore divisions. In the opening stanza, Blake describes the River Thames as ‘chartered’, which indicates that even the river, which is something natural and should be owned by everyone, is owned by the wealthiest people in London. Blake’s repetition of the word ‘chartered’ emphasises the anger he feels about the charter system, which resulted in large parts of the city, including the river, being owned and managed by the wealthy people, leaving nothing for the poor. Blake uses his poem to challenge inequality in London at the time. In Tissue, Dharker explores divisions through the use of ‘maps’. Dharker suggests that ‘maps’ are an example of the way that paper has been used to control people. Maps symbolise the power that people and countries have because not only do they allow people to choose who owns what land, but also who can move freely from one place to another. Dharker also uses maps as an example of the way that paper can divide people because maps often cause conflict when people fight over land or fight between countries.

Both poems explore misuse of power. In London, Blake criticises the church’s misuse of power by describing it as ‘blackening’. Blake’s use of the word ‘blackening’ associates churches with funerals because black is the colour many people wear when they attend funerals in churches. Perhaps Blake does this in order to criticise the church for not doing enough to help poor people, and poor children especially, who worked in terrible conditions in factories and up chimneys. Many of these people died as a result of the terrible and unsafe working conditions. The colour black could symbolise the church’s responsibility for their deaths. Although he was a religious man, Blake was angry with the church for not doing more to stop poor people from being exploited in this way. In Tissue, Dharker criticises the power money has over our lives by writing ‘credit card might fly our lives like paper kites’. Dharker’s imagery helps us to imagine that we are the kite, being tied down by money, which controls our lives. Dharker uses her poem to suggest that the world would be better if we were not controlled by money in this way.

Both poems explore a cry for change. In London, Blake demonstrates that the poor people suffer from the cruelty of their leaders by writing that they are in ‘mind-forged manacles’. This imagery helps the reader to imagine that the poor people are in chains and are trapped. The chains in this image symbolise how trapped the poor people feel as a result of having no money or opportunities. Blake uses his poem to criticise people in power for allowing this cruelty to continue. He wanted society to become fairer. In Tissue, Dharker explores a cry for change by writing ‘let the daylight break through the capitals and monoliths’. Dharker’s uses ‘capitals’ to represent capital cities, which is where most of the country’s money is. Dharker uses ‘monoliths’ to represent the statues that have been put up to remember powerful people. Dharker chooses for ‘daylight’ to shine through in this image in order to symbolise the change that she wanted to see in society, with money and power being shared more equally between people.

Both London and Tissue explore divisions. In ‘London’, Blake’s speaker walks through the streets of the capital city and notes that the streets and the Thames are ‘chartered’. In other words, it is evident to the speaker that the wealthiest people in London own the majority of the city’s streets and buildings as part of the ‘charter’ system, leaving little freedom for the poorest in society. Blake’s repetition of the word ‘chartered’, and his choice to describe the River Thames as ‘chartered’ - something that should be natural and not owned - emphasises the limitations imposed upon the poorest in society and the divisions between rich and poor. As a Romantic poet, Blake felt compelled to use his poetry to challenge inequality in society in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Dharker similarly explores divisions in ‘Tissue’. She does so through imagery of ‘maps’, which symbolise the power granted to countries and their leaders, who have throughout history created artificial borders that divide people. Maps can also cause conflict over land and limit free movement between countries. Divisions are evident within both poems, demonstrating that certain inequalities have remained unchanged in spite of the fact that the poets were writing in different time periods.

Both poems explore misuse of power. In London, Blake criticises the church’s misuse of power by describing it as ‘blackening’. Blake’s use of this metaphor creates imagery of funerals at which the colour black is often worn, implying that the churches are responsible for the deaths of the poorest people in society. Although Blake was a religious man, he was deeply critical of the institution of the church for not doing more to prevent exploitation of poverty-stricken factory workers and child chimney sweepers during the Industrial Revolution. Blake’s description of the church symbolises the shame and responsibility the church should feel. Similarly, in Tissue, Dharker criticises misuse of power by institutions. Dharker criticises the misuse of money by writing ‘credit card might fly our lives like paper kites’. Dharker’s imagery implies that, like the kite, people are held down and restricted by money - particularly the poorest in society. The implication of this image is that our society would be much freer if we were not controlled by money, and if the institutions in charge of money ensured greater equality meaning that, like the kite in the image, we could break free from the string.

Both poems explore a cry for change. In London, Blake plainly criticises the mistreatment of the poor and demands for them to be liberated from their inequality. Blake describes the poor people as being trapped within ‘mind-forged manacles’. His use of imagery implies that poverty-stricken people in London are unable to break free from the structures that control them. This is mirrored in the structure of the poem, which consists of regular quatrains and a pounding ABAB rhyme scheme. Blake’s choice of a tight, unrelenting structure could reflect the restrictions imposed upon the poorest in society as a result of inequality. In contrast, Dharker offers a more hopeful message in ‘Tissue’. Towards the end of the poem, Dharker creates imagery of freedom breaking through powerful structures by writing ‘let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths’. The ‘capitals’ and ‘monoliths’ within this image symbolise the structures of power that exist in our societies. The ‘daylight’ shining through represents freedom and kindness, which Dharker hopes will become more powerful and overcome the institutions that set out to divide us. It seems that Dharker wrote her poem to offer a beacon of hope for a fairer, kinder, more equal society. This is also reflected in the free verse structure, which perhaps mirrors the freedom she hopes can be achieved if we are kinder to one another.

London, William Blake Poem Analysis/Annotations

June 12, 2020
All Poems / GCSE AQA / GCSE Edexcel

London, William Blake

FULL POEM - SCROLL DOWN FOR LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS

I wander thro’ each charter’d street,

Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.

And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man,

In every Infants cry of fear,

In every voice: in every ban,

The mind-forg’d manacles I hear

How the Chimney-sweepers cry

Every blackning Church appalls,

And the hapless Soldiers sigh

Runs in blood down Palace walls

But most thro’ midnight streets I hear

How the youthful Harlots curse

Blasts the new-born Infants tear

And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse

LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS

Blake wrote the poem in the first person, creating a dramatic monologue from the perspective of the speaker, who narrates themselves wandering through the overcrowded, formidable and nefarious streets of 18 th century London. This context immediately creates an overwhelming tone, adding a sense of vulnerability to the speaker.

The use of the word ‘charter’d’ (chartered) in the opening two lines replaced the word dirty as originally used by Blake. The word means that London was established by means of a grant from wealthy companies and individuals. It implies that the population faces control and constraints from those that chartered the city, akin to an authoritarian regime.

These two lines create a melancholy, emotive tone which adds another dimension to the overwhelming, authoritarian city that Blake portrays London to be in this first stanza. The ‘marks’ in the faces of those the speaker sees could be physical or psychological scarring either from the effects of the disease and crime-ridden city streets or the apparent oppressive, authoritarian regime. The repetition of the clause in the first stanza’s final line is syntactic parallelism, employed by Blake to add emphasise the extent of the visible suffering evident on 18 th century London’s busy streets.

The second stanza focuses more closely on the population and its suffering – dramatically heightening the poem’s already personal, emotive tone. The repetition of ‘in every’ is anaphora which highlights the widespread nature of the suffering, afflicting everyone from infants to fully-grown men.

‘Manacles’ are basically old-fashioned handcuffs, used for fastening a prisoner’s hands or feet. The imagery of these being ‘mind-forg’d’ signifies the psychological imprisonment the population is subject to from the state, restricting their free-will.

The ‘Chimney-sweepers’ are a symbol of poverty and exploitation of working-class children (often orphans in the care of the church) by the upper classes during the Georgian and Victorian periods in Britain. Boys as young as four were trained to climb chimneys and begin work. Work which was extremely dangerous, with the potential to get stuck in the chimney or suffocate or burn to death. The suffering of children as young as this in conditions so terrible is a poignant reminder of the suffering endured at the time.

Churches are traditionally a symbol of religion, holiness and divinity in literature. However, Blake juxtaposes this symbolism with the imagery ‘blackning Church’ which suggests impurity and corruption. This is significant as, in Blake’s eyes; the church has failed in its duty to protect the orphans in its care that were picked out to become chimney sweepers. Consequently, the blood of such children is on the church’s hands, so to speak, and this appals Blake.

The ‘hapless [unfortunate] Soldiers’ are further members of society at the mercy of the control of their superiors who, like many chimney-sweepers, oftentimes pay the resulting price with their lives. Just like, Blake’s condemnation of the church for their failure to protect the young chimney sweeps, he condemns the royalty who live within the ‘Palace walls’ for the deaths of the Soldiers whom they send to slaughter.

‘Midnight’ acts as a pathetic fallacy for the human emotion of fear. It is a time of deepest darkness, when the sky is pitch black, which is a symbol of danger and vulnerability, even death. This, once again, intensifies the sense of menace of the surrounding London streets as well as the sinister nature of the poem’s tone.

Blasts the new-born Infants tear

A ‘Harlot’ is a prostitute. The adjective ‘youthful’ links to the ‘chimney sweeper’ in the third stanza, both sharing the theme of exploitation and injustice to the youth in society, who have, in particular, been failed by the environment of 18th century London that they grew up in. The image of her cursing illustrates her state of despair, which Blake goes on to describe as being directed at the tears of a new-born baby. It’s a deeply troublesome image – the torment of one of society’s most vulnerable and emotionally damaged members being channelled towards an innocent, defenceless newborn. These two lines powerfully encapsulate the anguish present in society and its failings to protect its more vulnerable members.

And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse

The ‘Harlots curse’ also damages the act of marriage – the religious commitment of which is totally at odds with the practice of prostitution (considered a sin by the bible). ‘Marriage hearse’ is evidently oxymoronic, with hearses being a symbol for death at funerals, completely at odds with the supposed love and happiness of a wedding. It is designed to criticise the institution of marriage, which Blake believes kills individual free-will – hence the inclusion of the word ‘hearse’ as a symbol of death.

Walking Away, C. Day-Lewis Poem Analysis/Annotations

Poppies, Jane Weir Poem Analysis/Annotations

Bayonet Charge, Ted Hughes Poem Analysis/Annotations

GCSE Edexcel

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Grade 9 power and conflict.

I often get emails like this:

I was wondering if you could possibly quickly mark this essay I wrote. It would be so helpful as I have important mocks coming up and my teacher has never said we are allowed to send them anything we write!

Also ,by the way, I find your videos so helpful, especially the Macbeth ones!

Thanks again,

Usually, I don’t have time to respond, or the essay has too many mistakes, and it would take even longer to explain them! But, now I’ve started a newsletter, so I can make a bit more time. Pay attention to what Lily does and doesn’t do, and you can get a grade 9.

Compare how poets presents the effects of war on people in Poppies and one other poem in the Power and Conflict anthology

Both poems, ‘Poppies’ by Jane Weir and ‘Remains’ by Simon Armitage, explore how war affects an individual. However this is done in different ways, with ‘Poppies’ describing a mother’s experience whilst ‘Remains’ shows the impacts of war on a soldier, who seemingly has no one to care for him.

This is a good thesis statement, laying out the structure for the essay. Even better if it includes what the author intends us to think about these characters or the issues. What are we supposed to think, feel or predict about the mother’s experience, or the impact on the soldier?

In Poppies, a mother is consumed by the overwhelming grief over the death of her son. She constantly replays her memories of him, stuck in the past, no longer having a life of her own without thoughts of war and violence.

After your thesis statement, get into analysing a quotation. Which one would you use to back up these arguments?

The entire poem is written without structure, and feels incredibly intimate.

How is the lack of structure intimate? This is a really interesting idea, but you have to explain it.

Weir also structures the poem around personal pronouns such as ‘I’ and ‘You’ throughout, which creates the sense that the poem is an eulogy and a collection of memories that the loving mother continuously replays in her head.

Brilliant – you have a convincing reason to mention this structure, as it is leading to really interesting interpretations of the mother. So this earns a high AO3 mark.

However, these memories may actually have taken over her brain, as they have become violent and each is tinted with threatening imagery. Embedded in the memories of her son leaving home is a semantic field of military language, with words such as ‘spasms’, ‘bandaged’, ‘blockade’ and ‘blackthorns’ being used. The word ‘spasms’ ,being used to describe an ordinary object such as paper, highlights how the mother sees the world as dangerous, and may even reflect the constant worry of her son- her fear of his horrifying death.

You link a huge range of references together, for a very high AO1 references mark. Examiners love a semantic field! They are also linked to an interpretation of the mother, for a high AO2 mark.

The nouns ‘blockade’ and ‘blackthorns’ again highlight how she is demonising her day-to-day life, as a ‘blockade’ being a military tactic and ‘blackthorns’ reflecting the barbed wire along trenches.

Demonising her own life is an interesting idea, but you need to explain it, for example ‘so that we imagine…’

The mother’s life seems to have been remade, as she no longer has any time frame other than from when her son left. This is shown as the poet uses vague time frames such as ‘before’ and ‘after’, which show the only focus in her life is the time her son leaves, and how nothing else is now important.

This gets a high AO2 mark, it’s a clever analysis of time. Even better if you tell us how we might react to it.

This overwhelming impact of war is also felt by the soldier in the poem ‘Remains’. Simon Armitage describes a soldier in Iraq who has shot someone (who was ‘possibly’ defenceless), and now cannot escape the memory of it. His mind forces him every day to see the ‘blood-shadow’ of the man he killed on his patrol. This is a metaphor for the stain left by the man's insides on the street, but the word ‘shadow’ reflects how the image is haunting the man like a shadow, as we can never get rid of them.

This is a good comparison of the topic of each poem. But you also need to compare the methods – were any of your quotations from Poppies metaphors too? Now would be the time to make the connection.

Similarly, you have also noticed that this is a memory he cannot leave, which is similar to what you argued about the mother – but again you should make the direct comparison.

Even when the soldier has returned home he is plagued by memories of the murder: ‘and he bursts again through the doors of the bank’. This is the memory the soldier keeps replaying of the looter leaving the bank, but also metaphorically bursting through his mind; he has tried to keep his mind locked and separated but the man violently ‘bursts’ through it each night.

This is a good AO2 analysis as you focus on the implications of a particular word.

Eventually, the soldier recognises his mind as the true enemy when he says that the man is ‘dug in behind enemy lines’. ‘Dug’ reflects the permanence of the man in his brain and by calling his brain ‘enemy lines’ he shows how memory and his consciousness have consumed and ruined him- much like what has happened to the mother in ‘Poppies’.

This is the same length as the previous paragraph, but an excellent example of how to link your analysis of individual words to interpreting the character. This is top notch AO2.

Armitage has written a poem, describing what it is like for soldiers away from the battlefield, which is untypical of war poems, to contrast with readers' ideas of soldiers' lives being glorified and highlight the support that they actually do need.

You’ve written about the poet’s purpose here, which you didn’t about Poppies. You skilfully link to it in the next paragraph, for a comparison. This will improve your AO3 mark.

In ‘Poppies’, the son seems to have fallen for this glorified propaganda that Armitage challenges. Weir describes him as ‘intoxicated’, viewing war ‘like a treasure chest’. This simile reflects how the government and the media glorify war, presenting it as something that can be easily won, like a child's game of pirates, and the honour or ‘treasure’ that can be gained from it.

This is top level AO2 for your interpretation of quotations, and the way you link them across the poem. All your references have been linked to interpretations, so the AO1 references mark is really high too.

However, the mother does not seem to hold these patriotic values. Despite this, she voluntarily put herself in place of a soldier. She describes herself as ‘without reinforcements’ and also as ‘reaching the top of the hill’. These terms both show how she is imagining herself with the soldiers, with her son; ‘‘Reaching the top’ is similar to soldiers going over the top ,leaving their trenches, in war.

This is a brilliant analysis of semantic field that I have never paid attention to. Top AO2. But tell us what we are supposed to think, feel or predict for the top AO3 mark.

Although the mother in ‘Poppies’ wishes to be able to support and aid her son, the soldier in ‘Remains’ feels no support from neither friends nor social services and is left alone to attempt to cure himself with ‘the drink and the drugs’.

If there is a weakness in the structure of your essay it is that you don’t deal with the endings of the poems. Writing about the ends of texts always allows you to write about the author’s ideas, so always gives you high AO3 marks.

But, it also shows you are dealing with the whole text, which gives you high AO1 Task marks, too. So, ALWAYS write about the ending!

In conclusion, both poems explore how war has consumed and destroyed the lives of two different individuals. These individuals remain unnamed throughout each poem, as both poets leave the reader to be able to relate to either protagonist, as they are universal experiences. One is a mother, whose life is plagued with thoughts of her son, who the reader questions may or may not be alive, whilst the other is a soldier experiencing war first hand.

My guide to Power and Conflict Poems includes 11 grade 9 essays, comparing every poem.

The Mark Scheme

Level 6: Convincing, critical analysis and exploration. (26-30 marks)

Level 5: Thoughtful, developed consideration (21–25 marks)

All examiners are likely to agree that the answer has all of Level 5.

Then they might argue about how much it is “convincing” in Level 6. It would probably score in the 28-30 mark range for most examiners. I would be stingier because of the weaknesses I’ve pointed out. Also, you haven’t shown much understanding of Remains (and clearly haven’t watched my video on it!).

Thanks for reading Mr Salles Teaches English! Subscribe for free to receive top grade resources.

Ready for more?

By William Blake

‘London’ by William Blake exposes the dreadful realities of the poor who call the city home, placing particular blame upon the religious and political institutions that have seemingly turned a blind eye to the horror.

William Blake

Nationality: English

Initially unrecognized, William Blake posthumously emerged as a key Romantic poet.

Key Poem Information

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Central Message: An anguished lament over the grim realities of urban life.

Themes: Death , Disappointment , Religion

Speaker: A resident of London.

Emotions Evoked: Compassion , Depression , Disgust

Poetic Form: Ballad

Time Period: 19th Century

William Blake's poem relies on a daunting wealth of bleak imagery and figurative language to illustrate the dismal state of the London citizenry.

Poem Analyzed by Allisa Corfman

Degree in Secondary Education/English and Teacher of World Literature and Composition

William Blake analyzed the horrors and sorrows of his city as he meandered through the streets. Surrounded by dejected Londoners, he saw evidence that the British government had too much power and little interest in helping those they were supposed to serve. To endure 19th-century England was to be thrust into a restrictive world. Citizens followed an oppressive societal protocol and those who broke the law suffered under penalty of death.

The speaker of Blake’s poem does not mince words when it comes to ascribing blame to the government. Through their eyes — aided by the poet’s use of vivid imagery — the reader is given a damningly hellish image of the streets of London. One that conveys that colossal sadness and indignation that the sight stirs within those who witnessed it.

A comprehensive understanding of the poem relies then on more than just the identification of literary devices and themes, but a familiarity with the oppressiveness that consumed London at the turn of the 18th century.

First published in 'Songs of Experience' (1794), the poem is crucially written from the perspective of a resident, not a visitor. Blake lived in London all his life and this bond is apparent in the speaker's deeply empathetic and sorrowful tone .
The French Revolution of 1789-1799 led to a reactionary restriction of civil liberties by the British government. Many of the miseries described by Blake are critiques of the consequences of that oppression: transforming his once beloved city into an industrial hellscape where poverty drives everything from prostitution to child labor.
Blake's vivid imagery is a focal point of the poem, providing poignant sketches of city life that sear themselves into your mind's eye. If you can, we highly recommend listening to the poem with your eyes closed, or better yet, while viewing contemporary illustrations of London.

Explore London

2 Context/Background
3 Structure and Form
4 Literary Devices
6 Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
7 Similar Poetry

‘London’ by William Blake is a dark and dreary poem in which the speaker describes the difficulties of life in London through the structure of a walk.

The speaker travels to the River Thames and looks around him. He takes note of the resigned faces of his fellow Londoners. The speaker also hears and feels the sorrow in the streets; this is the focus of the final three stanzas . There is a true pain in the hearts of men, women, and children. The most prominent of those suffering in London’s streets are the prostitutes. ‘London’ ends with a fantastical image of a carriage that shuttles love and death together around the city.

The Poem Analysis Take

Expert Insights by Steven Ward

B.A. Honors in English Literature

Blake paints a lucid portrait of a city gripped by social, political, and economic strife in his famous poem 'London.' Despite being written over two centuries ago it's lost none of its potency, immersing the reader and forcing them to walk its hopelessly depressing streets. Relying on both visual and auditory imagery, Blake leads you by the hand, pointing out with woeful pity all the dreadful sights and sounds that now reverberate throughout London. As far as laments for once grand and celebrated cities go — 'London' remains a devastating example of poetic social commentary.

Context/Background

One biographer said of Blake:

Blake was a nonconformist who associated with some of the leading radical thinkers of his day, such as Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft.

These people, like Blake, believed in free thinking and were not the kind to conform to society’s standards. This poem particularly condemns the stringent rules of society. Blake experienced some of this firsthand. At one point in his life, he was accused of speaking against the king. The penalty for this was severe and Blake was distraught over the issue until he was finally acquitted. It is not surprising that he should revile such a strict government. The words of this poem condemn every kind of organized religion and government while it reveals the human heart’s longing for freedom.

Structure and Form

‘London’ by William Blake 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 an acrostic , spelling 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.’

Literary Devices

In ‘London,’ William Blake makes use of several literary devices. These include but are not limited to examples of caesura , metaphor , and enjambment . The first of these, enjambment, is a common formal device that occurs when the poet cuts off a line before the conclusion of a sentence or phrase. For example, the transition between lines three and four of the first stanza as well as line four of the second stanza and line one of the third stanza.

Caesurae are pauses in the middle of lines, either due to a break in the meter or the use of punctuation. For example, line four of the first stanza. It reads: “ Marks of weakness, marks of woe.” Another good example is line three of the second stanza: “In every voice : in every ban.”

Metaphors are a kind of figurative language , one that is quite common in poetry and often helps to create great examples of imagery. There are numerous examples to be found, especially in stanzas two and three.

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.

Analysis, Stanza by Stanza

Stanza one .

I wander thro’ each charter’d street, Near where the charter’d Thames does flow. And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In the first stanza, the speaker provides the setting and tone. The setting can of course be derived from the title, but the first stanza also reveals that the speaker is walking down a street. He says that he “wander[s] down each chartered street”. The term “wander” gives some insight into the speaker as well. He appears to be not quite sure of himself, and a bit misguided, if not entirely lost. The use of the term “chartered” also suggests that the streets he walks are controlled and rigid. He is not walking in a free, open field, but a confined, rigid, mapped-out area. The speaker will expound upon this idea later on in ‘London’. As he walks, he notices something about the faces of the people walking by. There seem to be the marks of weariness in them all. He describes their faces as having “weakness” and “woe”. This sets up the tone as melancholy. The gloom and the sadness seem to seep from the speaker’s voice as he describes the passersby.

In every cry of every Man, In every Infants cry of fear, In every voice: in every ban, The mind-forg’d manacles I hear

While the first stanza sets up the tone of ‘London’ , the second stanza gives some insight into the speaker’s melancholy feelings toward the people he watches pass him by. The speaker reveals that from the cry of the newborn infant to the cry of the full-grown man, he hears the “mind forg’d manacles”. This gives insight into his despairing view of mankind. The “manacles” are shackles or some kind of chain that keeps a person imprisoned. The fact that these chains are “mind forg’d” reveals that they are metaphorical chains created by the people’s ideas. The use of the word “ban” reveals that these manacles are placed there by society. A ban, of course, is a restriction given by law. The speaker’s use of words such as “Charterd” “ban” and “manacles” reveal his belief that society metaphorically imprisons people. Suddenly, it becomes apparent that the thoughts, pressures, and ideals of society are under scrutiny here.

Stanza Three

How the Chimney-sweepers cry Every blackning Church appalls, And the hapless Soldiers sigh Runs in blood down Palace walls

In this stanza of ‘London’ , the speaker digs even deeper into the reasons for his feelings toward humanity. He implies that the shackles worn by the people and inflicted by society have some disastrous results. He begins with the Chimney sweeper. The Chimney sweeper was one of the poorest in society. His life expectancy was threatened because of his line of work. He was consistently dirty and sick. Those of the lowest class were forced into this kind of work to provide for their families. Then, the speaker criticizes the church, calling it “blackning” and claiming that even the church “appalls” at the Chimney sweeper. Often, the chimney sweepers were just children. They were small enough to fit down the chimneys. These children were often orphaned children, and the church was responsible for them. This explains why the poet ties the chimney sweepers with the “blackning church”.

The speaker then turns his attention to the “hapless soldier”. He has already criticized society, pointed out the misfortunes of the poor and the hypocrisy of the church, and now he will also criticize the government by suggesting that the soldiers are the poor victims of a corrupt government. He reveals his feelings toward war by describing the blood that runs down the palace walls. The palace, of course, is where royalty would have lived. Thus, the speaker accuses the higher-up people in his society of spilling the blood of the soldiers to keep their comfort of living in a palace.

Stanza Four

But most thro’ midnight streets I hear How the youthful Harlots curse Blasts the new-born Infants tear And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse

In the final stanza, the speaker reveals how the corruptness of society attacks innocence. He says that he hears the “youthful Harlot’s curse…”. The idea of a youthful harlot suggests the level of poverty and corruption, that a girl who was yet a youth would be involved in prostitution. Then, things become even more interesting, as the speaker reveals the object of the Harlot’s cursing. She curses at the tears of a newborn baby. This is the ultimate attack upon innocence. The speaker does not reveal whether the harlot is the mother of the baby or not, but he does imply that rather than comforting a crying infant, she curses it. This reveals the hardened heart of the harlot, which represents the hardened heart of society at large. While the innocent shed tears, the perverted attack them.

The last line of ‘London’ reveals the speaker’s thoughts on marriage as well. The Harlot has “blighted” the “marriage hearse”. She has deranged marriage by having sold her body before ever entering into the marriage union. Although the speaker believes that the Harlot has somehow damaged marriage, he also reveals his beliefs about marriage in the first place. The fact that he calls it a “marriage hearse” reveals that he views marriage as death. Overall, the poem has criticized society, the church, prostitution, and even marriage. The innocent baby shedding tears represents those who are innocent in the world. They are few and they are scoffed at. They are also infants and are not left to be innocent for long. Their innocence is “blasted” by the cry of the perverted.

Similar Poetry

Readers who enjoyed ‘London’ should also consider reading some other William Blake poems . These include ‘ The Tyger ,’ ‘ A Poison Tree ,’ and ‘ The Sick Rose .’ The latter contains an extended metaphor in which the speaker compares a rose to a woman’s innocence or virginity. If the rose is sick, then it has lost its virginity. ‘A Poison Tree’ was included along with ‘The Tyger’ in Songs of Experience. It considers two different ways of confronting and dealing with anger. ‘The Tyger’ describes the cruelty of some of God’s creatures and wonders why God made them as he did.

Poetry + Review Corner

19th century, disappointment.

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Could you tell the attitude of the poet or the shift if emotion or thought in poem analysis

The attitude of the poet that the people in charge of London were corrupt and that the poor people were almost brainwashed. yes, that’s a very basic interpretation.

Don’t mention it.

how can i divise rhythm format

Do you mean how do you work out what the rhythm is? If you do, you need to figure out the stressed and unstressed syllables. This might help: https://poemanalysis.com/poetic-meter/rhythm/

Actually, it’s 5 – ask Big Brother!

i don’t like this poem

Did school ruin it for you? 🙂

Such a long analysis for such a short poem, I was told this poem could possibly come up in my mock exams. Took a while to read and I cant remember most of it!

This poem may come up in your actual exams! It’s important to know it well.

This is the great poem about the materiel worlds

For sure. There is some very clever imagery in London.

Hi, thank you so much for this post, super helpful. Looking forward to seeing more analyses of other Romantic poetry too!

There is plenty on here! From Shelley through to Wordsworth!

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Corfman, Allisa. "London by William Blake". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/william-blake/london/ . Accessed 24 August 2024.

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London ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

Each poetry anthology in the GCSE contains 15 poems, and in the poetry question in the exam, you will be given one poem on the paper - printed in full - and asked to compare this given poem to one other from the anthology. As this is a “closed book” exam, you will not have access to the other poems, so you will have to know them very well from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to learn. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-mark response:

The meaning of the poem
The ideas and messages the poet wanted to convey
How the poet conveys these ideas and messages through their methods
How do these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas and themes of other poems in the anthology

Below is a guide to William Blake’s poem London, from the Power and Conflict anthology.

It includes:

Overview : a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
Writer’s methods : an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
Context : an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
What to compare it to : ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

Although the comparison is not a separate assessment objective, you are expected to be able to compare the key themes presented in London with one other poem from the Power and Conflict anthology. See the section on ‘What to compare it to’ for detailed comparisons of London with suggested other poems from the anthology.

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

“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

“And mark in every face I meet

Marks of weakness, marks of woe.”

As he walks, he sees (“marks”) something about the faces of people walking by
Each face has signs of misery and despair
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

“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:”

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
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

“How the chimney-sweeper’s cry

Every black’ning church appalls,

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
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.”

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
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.”

“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 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

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:

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.

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.


	The poem takes a simple, four stanza form	Blake wanted his poetry to feel accessible to all members of society
		He felt everyone should consider and discuss his messages and views
	The poem is written in the first person	The first-person speaker is passionate about what he sees and experiences, but the 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

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.


	structure - the first and second stanzas focus on the impact on people. The third explores the source of suffering, and the fourth goes back to the impact again	Blake is suggesting that suffering is never-ending
		It implies to the reader that people will keep suffering until they rebel against the authority oppressing them like the French did during the revolution
	Fairly consistent use of iambic tetrameter	Shows order and control, as the regularity of the rhythm implies a sense of relentless oppression
	use a regular ABAB rhyme scheme	The fixed structure emphasises the sense of complete control and oppression
	use a regular ABAB rhyme scheme	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 inconsistencies in the tight structure of the poem. For example, “marks of weakness, marks of woe” is only seven syllables, which breaks the iambic tetrameter	This may reflect Blake’s frustration that the general public won’t stand up to the institutions of power that control them. He is pointing out the missed opportunities the poorer members of Victorian society have to break free
	The first letters of each line in the third stanza spell out HEAR, which is interesting considering Blake has focused on auditory sounds of suffering in the poem	Maybe Blake wants the reader to start listening to the suffering all around them, as well as his message

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.


	Blake uses juxtaposing phrases such as “marriage hearse” which contrasts the joy of weddings with the end-of-life sadness of a hearse	Blake was making a social criticism of how, for women, marriage could be like death, as they would lose all of their rights and property to their husband
		Blake was in favour of liberating women, and felt that marriage itself was an abuse of power by men
	Blake also juxtaposes “charter’d” and “flow”. “Flow” implies freedom, whereas “charter’d” is describing something as owned or controlled by someone	Here, Blake is commenting on the oppression of nature by humans, which should be free for all to access and enjoy, but humanity’s greed is so great it tries to control nature
	Blake could also be commenting on oppression as a result of privatisation, through the repetition of “charter’d”	In the 1700s, legislation was passed giving common land to the wealthy for exclusive use and ownership. Therefore, land in the city suddenly became owned and controlled by the wealthy
	Blake uses negative language and imagery throughout. For example, the soldier’s sigh metaphorically “runs in blood down palace walls”	This reminds the reader of the French Revolution, when ordinary people rose up against an oppressive state and overthrew the monarchy. Blake could be suggesting that a similar event could happen in London
	Blake uses anaphora in the phrase “in every”, with “every” also repeated seven times in total throughout the poem	Blake is emphasising the extreme extent of the suffering, showing that it impacts everyone with no discrimination
		The device gets very repetitive, to demonstrate how repetitive the cycles of suffering are in London
	Blake uses physical features and places as symbols for the different forms of power that cause the suffering	According to Blake, the causes of the suffering and misery in London are the institutions of power, such as the church, the monarchy and the government
	The “black’ning church” has negative connotations as something that is morally tarnished	Although Blake respected the Bible, he had contempt for organised religion which he saw as betraying the Christian faith
		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 presents the suffering of various people within society, such as children and babies. When the harlot’s curse violently “blasts” the newborn baby’s cry, this conflicts with the innocence and fragility of the infant	Blake is criticising child poverty and child labour (by also referencing the “chimney sweeper’s cry”), as well as the suffering of the young women condemned to immorality and prostitution just to make a living
	Blake uses the metaphor of “mind-forg’d manacles” to suggest the suffering of the citizens of London has become internalised	Maybe their oppression has resulted in them forging their own restrictions. People are enslaved by the authorities, but also by their own fear, preventing them from rising up
	Use of the verb “mark” to show that the speaker has noticed suffering everywhere and recorded it	Blake recognises its importance and the need for things to change

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?”

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.

William Blake wrote during the Romantic era
He worked to bring about change both in the social order and in the minds of people
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
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
He viewed it as corrupt and hypocritical
They put money into new buildings while the poor starved
He felt strongly that the church, which was meant to be responsible for orphans and the poor, was not upholding their moral duty
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
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
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

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

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.

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:



	Blake uses regular four line stanzas to highlight the relentlessness of the dominance the institutions of power have over London and its people	Browning uses the form of dramatic monologue from a single perspective, showing only one person’s point of view (the Duke’s)
	The alternate ABAB rhyme scheme and use of iambic tetrameter demonstrate the control exerted over the city	The dramatic monologue is written in a single stanza, highlighting the Duke’s power as he is the only person who speaks in the poem
	The odd break in the structure, as well as the reference to “mind-forg’d manacles” suggest Blake’s possible frustration at the people’s reluctance to rise and break free from the tyranny	In addition, Browning uses rhyming couplets to reflect control. However, the use of enjambment and caesura suggests the possible undermining of that power



	Blake is concerned with the oppression and victimisation of women, referencing the “youthful harlot’s curse” to imply that some women have their futures and choices taken away from them as a circumstance of their birth	In My Last Duchess, the Duke betrays his misogyny through his biased depiction of “last duchess”
	The oxymoronic “marriage hearse” suggests that women lose any power they may possess ultimately to men	The Duke uses the pronoun “my” to imply ownership, and “that” to imply 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
	The fact that both are nameless further dehumanises them



	Blake criticises the monarchy behind their “palace walls”	Browning is commenting on the 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 monarchy responsible for the soldier’s blood that runs “down palace walls”, suggesting that they are responsible for inflicting suffering	The Duke’s “nine-hundred-years-old name” reflects the fact that the Duke’s power and status are inherited, rather than earned
		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:



	Blake is critical of the monarchy, the government and the church, as they represent to him the abuse of their authority in order to cause misery and suffering to all of the people in London	Through the fact that the Duke exerts his power over aristocratic women, Browning is suggesting that even wealthy and well-born women are not exempt from being victimised and oppressed
	The focus for Blake is on the institutions of the city of London, and the effects of the corruption of power by those institutions on the lowest sections of that society	Browning focuses his attention on the abuse of power by an individual in order to own, control and oppress

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.

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



	Blake’s London criticises attempts by authorities to control and own nature	Shelley uses the statue in Ozymandias as a physical symbol of the power of mankind, and the poem shows it being destroyed by nature
	Blake writes juxtaposes “chartered” and “flow” in the line “Near where the charter’d Thames does flow”, emphasising how impossible it is for humans to ultimately have power over nature	Shelley emphasises the ultimate power of the natural world, which links to the Romantic idea of the sublime
	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 power structures and their inherent unfairness

Differences:



	Blake is commenting on the corrupt nature of politicians, the church and the monarchy, as he believes they are the cause of suffering and misery	Ozymandias orders his people, via the inscription on the statue’s base, to “look on my work…and despair.”
	However, Blake also describes the people of London as living in “mind-forg’d manacles.” This suggests that the people are not physically restrained, but are restrained by the prisons in their own minds	The imperative “look on” shows the king’s arrogance and the verb “despair” suggests that, once someone has seen his power and influence, there is no other 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

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Power & Conflict Poetry grade 9 essay - London vs Ozymandias

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Other

Last updated

30 August 2023

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“Compare how poets present ideas about power in “London” and one other poem of your choice.” Grade 9 English Literature essay, written by a year 11 student in 2022 during revision who is happy to share her essays to inspire the work of others. Marked by her teacher who is also an AQA examiner. Smash your exams!

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