London by William Blake Lesson Objective To analyse

‘London’ by William Blake

Lesson Objective To analyse ‘London’ by William Blake in detail. Success Criteria • To analyse the language, structure and form of the poem. • To understand the context of the poem. • To apply the context to develop a deeper understanding of the poem. • To consider ways the poem could be compared and contrasted with others in the anthology.

Come to London! You have been asked to create a new advertising campaign for London. Part of your campaign will be a poster, advertising the city’s main attractions. • Sketch out a design for your poster. Which attractions will you include? • What is the key information you will include on your poster? • Can you think of a slogan to attract tourists? Photo courtesy of Dillif, Alvesgaspar, Colin, Beata May, PRA and Bob Collowan (via Wikimedia commons) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution

‘London’ by William Blake 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 Infant’s cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban, The mind-forg’d manacles I hear:

‘London’ by William Blake How the Chimney-sweeper’s cry Every black’ning Church appalls, And the hapless Soldier’s sigh Runs in blood down Palace walls; What did William Blake think of London? But most thro’ midnight streets I hear How the youthful Harlot’s curse Blasts the new-born Infant’s tear, And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.

‘London’: Language Firstly, are at there don’t understand? Highlight words which Now look theany tonewords of theyou language. With a yellow pen, highlight any need a definition and then look them up in a dictionary. Now let’s start looking at techniques theto language ina. Blake’s poem infind detail. Remember Next, look atyour the literary Blake uses. Can you any examples Now, use definitions write a modern English of each words which have a. Now positive tone. With blue pen, highlight those which fill in the Language section of summary to annotate your findings on your poem as you go. ofmay language to create effect? stanza of the poem. seem negative. Which colour ishave the. Amore most prevalent? What does that one tell you Remember, some words than one definition: which fits your At Glance sheet. about Blake’sthe attitude best? to London?

‘London’: Form and Structure What institutions ofstructure power does Blake name in the quatrain, Next look at of the and form of Structure Blake’s poem. Remember to How iswe’ll poem at its stanzas and its rhyming scheme. Now fill in. Look the Form and What isthe focus each Does Blake have athird different point to How does the finalorganised? word ofquatrain? the poem reflect Blake’s thoughts on London? and why? annotate your findings on poem as you go. Whysection has Blake used. At such a simple form? of your Ayour Glance sheet. make with each stanza?

‘London’: Context William Blake was born in London in 1757. He was a poet and painter, and is considered to be a major contributor to the Romantic movement. Romantics were interested in the power of nature, humanity and emotion; they were opposed to the industrialisation and scientific progress which was sweeping through Europe at the time. They were also concerned about the rights of the poor, feeling that they were often exploited by the Establishment. Blake wrote and illustrated many poems, including ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’, a collection which explored the ‘two contrary states of the human soul’. ’London’ belongs to ‘Songs of Experience’.

‘London’: Context Look at Blake’s original illustration of his poem. What does it tell you?

‘London’: Context ‘London’ is found view in the ‘Time and Place’ collection of inform your poetry anthology. How does Blake’s of. Blake the political climate convey itself in Using your research on and the Romantics to your ideas, let’s Now fillcontemporary in the Context section of What does this poem tell us about London in the late 1700 s? How does the poet create a. Atthe sense of time and place in this poem? now think about context of ‘London’. your Athe Glance sheet.

‘London’: Comparison What are the central idea or themes in Blake’s poem? Could these be contrasted with other poems from the ‘Time and Place’ collection in your poetry anthology?

Come to London Again! Revisit the poster you drafted at the beginning of this lesson. What would William Blake think of your ideas? Now draft a new poster, this time from William Blake’s perspective, showing London as it might appear to a visitor. What images does Blake create for you to use? What wording does he use?