The speaker begins ‘His Return to London’ by stating that he is on a journey from the west to the east. This is a trip that he is relishing. It is taking him from somewhere dark and dreary, to somewhere bright and pregnant with possibility. In fact, London is so special to him, that he sees it as a place of nativity.
What is the first line of Robert Herrick’s poem his return to London?
To thee, blest place of my nativity! Thus, thus with hallow’d foot I touch the ground, With thousand blessings by thy fortune crown’d.
How does William Blake feel about London?
Blake uses “London” to argue that this urban environment is inherently oppressive and denies people the freedom to live happy, joyful lives. The poem opens with the speaker’s experience of walking through the city. Through the speaker’s eyes and ears, the reader gets a strong sense of the dismal lives of the Londoners.
What is the message in London 1802?
In this sonnet, he urges morality and selflessness to his readers, criticising the English for being stagnant and selfish, for lacking “manners, virtue, [and] freedom.” But he also refers to “inward happiness” as a natural English right, or “dower,” and asks Milton to bestow “power” as well as virtue on the English.
Why is Thales leaving London in the poem London?
In the poem ‘London,’ the narrator’s friend, Thales, describes why he does not want to live in London and wants to leave the city. He states that he is leaving this place because he can not stand to live with hypocrites. Thales also satirizes the government in power at that time.
What does the last stanza of London mean?
The last stanza of “London” shows this tendency well. The speaker is walking the streets of London, listening; but he is also a kind of prophet, the midnight also a moral and political darkness, and he hears the facts and conditions of his city and passes judgment on them.
What was the inspiration for the poem London?
This poem is taken from “songs of experience”. It reveals the poet’s feelings towards the society in which he lived. England in the 1800s became very oppressive, influenced by fears over the French Revolution. Laws began to be imposed which restricted the freedom of individuals.
What is the writer’s message about London?
Blake describes the troublesome socioeconomic and moral decay in London and residents’ overwhelming sense of hopelessness. “London” offers little inspiration for those who must endure the oppressive and stifling environment.
What is Blake’s view of London in the poem?
In the first version of the poem, Blake described the streets of London as ‘dirty’. ‘Dirty’ was quite an accurate description as the late 18th-century London streets that he knew so well were piled with filth of all kinds. It also suggests the fallen state of contemporary society.
What type of poem is London?
What is the London Poem Structure? London is divided into four stanzas (known as quatrains) with an ABAB rhyming scheme. This gives it a very simple rhythm, which reflects its place as a song in Blake’s collection.
Why does the poet want Milton to return?
The speaker says that Milton could give England “manners, virtue, freedom, power,” for his soul was like a star, his voice had a sound as pure as the sea, and he moved through the world with “cheerful godliness,” laying upon himself the “lowest duties.”
How does Wordsworth describe London?
Explanation: The lovely poem “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802” by William Wordsworth describes London as it was before the ravages of the Industrial Revolution filled it with pollution and colored the buildings pallid shades of gray. In Wordsworth’s vision, the air is clear and smokeless.
What is Wordsworth’s opinion of London in 1802?
In London, 1802, he desperately addresses the giant of English poetry, John Milton. Wordsworth calls England a “fen of stagnant waters” because he fears that she is in a state of moral and intellectual decline. He sees Milton as a “star,” and a possible guide towards a better nation.
Why poem London is called a satire?
London, published in 1738, represents Johnson’s attempt to satirize the grubby world of London and also to rise above it. The poem is an “imitation” of the third Satire of the Roman poet Juvenal, which probably dates to the first century.
What is the main theme of London?
The overall theme of “London” is that the city is a dark and miserable place. Words like “hapless,” “weakness,” “woe” and “manacles” contribute to that sense of gloom. Even descriptions like “Every blackning Church” and “thro’ midnight streets” quite clearly depict a darkness.
What is the conflict in the poem London?
Themes: The poem looks at the conflict between nature and man and peoples fear of the weather. However the poet also points out that the fears are really rather small in the grand scheme. There is also a hint of war and conflict in the way the weather described with “bombardment” and “salvo”.
What emotions are shown in the poem London?
I feel that the poem ‘London’ effectively convyed William Blakes anger towards the society and his feelings about it. This is as Blake is awear of everything that goes on in the society, and the poem clearly expresses his repulsiveness towards the political opression imposed by the monarchy.
What power and conflict is shown in London?
Blake wrote London as a pessimistic poem reflecting his horror at the living conditions of ordinary people in the capital. He reflects on how the powerful institutions – the monarchy, aristocracy and church – have done nothing to alleviate the poverty and poor conditions.
What is the form of London?
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.
What is the imagery of London?
Death and Despair
The London of Blake’s poem is a dark and bleak place. The descriptions create an image of a dreary city that is marked by death. The narrator hears cries at every corner, and words like “curse,” “plagues” and “hearse” conjure images of death.
What poems can London be compared to?
Ozymandias by Blake and London by Shelley are both poems which reveal the corrupting influence of power.