In London, The Chimney Sweeper and The Sick Rose, Blake explores many aspects of English society in the Victorian era Essay Example For Students

In London, The Chimney Sweeper and The Sick Rose, Blake explores many aspects of English society in the Victorian era Essay In London, The Chimney Sweeper and The Sick Rose, Blake explores many aspects of English society in the Victorian era. In this essay, I will be analysing how Blake presents this by comparing and contrasting the context, literary devices and nature of these poems to uncover Blakes interpretation and message to 18th century England. To start with, I will be analysing Blakes views on the government. In these poems, Blakes statements offer deep insight into society and criticises whoever is at fault. In London, he heavily criticises the government for their injustice and division of society, as this leads to hate and violence between the classes in the general public. Blake presents the divisions when he says Charterd street and The charterd Thames. This idea of everything, even the river Thames, being organised and separated shows how the government has purposely split the city to create antagonism between the community. In The Chimney Sweeper Blake again criticises the government for their policy of child labour, except that in this poem, the subject of the poem, a child, narrates most of the poem. However, this has a strong affect on the reader as the criticism seems stronger and perhaps even more valid and moving, although the criticism is not as blatant as in London and the child is only slightly reproachful in his tone. The child simply states the regrettable facts of his life which makes the reader naturally blame the government and church, who we know to be responsible for this. As I mentioned before, the narration style between the three poems contrasts greatly. In London, Blake takes on the tone of an observer, noting what people do on a daily basis, their regular activity, I wander through each charterd street nd mark in every face I meet, marks of weaknessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I think this form of narration is effectual because Blake is watching these people who are unaware that they are under surveillance or being studied which means that they are probably behaving as they normally would, not putting on a show for an audience they know to be watching. Therefore, they are u nconsciously offering an honest and detailed insight into how in 18th century England life was domineering and oppressive. Blake also narrates in the form of first person, using I four times in the poem. This shows his attachment to the people of London and how his anger at their conditions involves him in their lives and makes him want to command other peoples attention, subtly using the vertical acrostic HEAR in the third paragraph, as if he is commanding people to pay attention and which is also onomatopoeic as we can Hear the working class pain. Blake cleverly does not give the people of London a voices, only collective Sighs and sounds of Woe. This echoes the fact that people in 18th century England were denied a voice. In comparison, in The Sick Rose, the poet takes on a troubled, insistent voice where he, unlike in London, opens with a first line that makes a statement in an undisputable tone. He is telling the Rose that it is Sick, which is a disturbing oxymoron because a rose is a tradition symbol of love, youth, passion and health, so it grips the readers attention. In fact, I think that this line is almost redolent of the bible O Rose, which gives the poem an understated religious connotation. By this I mean it reminds me of the lament and distress the prophet Jesus went through in trying to guide people towards God, in both its subject and delivery: O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts! In this poem, Blake is more an involuntary witness, rather than a conscious observer London or a concerned interviewer The Chimney Sweeper. He is warning the Rose and his lament for the state of society is at its most apparent in this poem and I think that this poem is the most emotionally charged of the three, although there are no obvious words of affection. In The Chimney Sweeper Blake doesnt allow himself to get too emotionally attached, although his rage is purposefully evident in certain places, as when the child explains his only fault as being Happy and judges societies method of parenting which was to put the child to arduous work while they spent their time Praising God and going Up to the church to pray. However, in The Sick Rose, Blakes voice is poignant and remorseful, which comes across in every line particularly the ending Does thy life Destroy which I think is rather an abrupt ending-the poem ends as the Rose is about to be destroyed. The fact that he has to explain to the Rose what is happening to it shows that the Rose is too young and innocent to realise that what is happening to it is wrong. Personally, this narrative style is my favourite, as I think that it has a direct effect on the reader and the point is made more urgently than the other two poems. To turn to the narration is the third poem, The Chimney Sweeper, differs largely between the others and is almost special in Blakes account of this psychologically, mentally and physical abuse of the child. Amphitryon By Plautus EssayBlake activates the words Black and Appal into present tense verbs, which gives them a larger implication because it shows it to be continuous and happening at that precise moment without a foreseeable end. This shows us that in 18th century England, the churchs disregard for society has left people in a state of religious decay. In the 3 poems, Blake examines people in an individual way. In London, Blake writes about a myriad of people, from old age to young, who make up the lower class of society. He shows their depression to have reached such acute levels that they are now victims of their own minds and lifestyle. Blake also remarks that they are all marked with Woe and are identified by this inner torture. He represents this life to be an eternal cycle of suffering, starting with the Blasted infant to the Youthful harlot ,forced into prostitution due to the lack of opportunity presented to woman in Victorian England, whose cry Plagues the marriage hearse suggesting that the sanctity of marriage has been devalued. Even the soldiers, who bled for their country, can only Sigh in the Hapless state they have been reduced to because their contribution to England has been ignored. So, in London Blake shows the universitality of this suffering that effect old and young alike, as opposed to The Sick Rose where the poem is specific to the Rose, which Blake personally addresses. This poem has the closest similarity to society today in the way that in society the powerful take advantage of and suppress the more defenceless. Infact this theme has been explored in many books including Of Mice and Men, An Inspector Calls and To Kill a Mockingbird to name a few. In this poem, as in most situations, it is the decisions of the government and church that make these people defenceless. Something that deeply affected me in all three poems was the complete show of apathy with which society treated children in Victorian England. In Chimney the child is so devalued that its only recognised as A little black thing showing how de-personalised and de-humanised children were. The fact that they are forced into such dangerous jobs at such young ages, such as being Chimney Sweepers, factory workers and servants to the wealthier classs, was totally acceptable in that century, just as it was acceptable to have these young children of two or three years roam the streets alone. As in The Sick Rose, the child in Chimney has been mentally and physically abused and irrevocably corrupted and forced into adulthood. But what sickens me in The Sick Rose is that Blake says that this infliction of abuse is to the abuser a Love showing that the abuser actually enjoyed tormenting children. It is only in London that Blake criticises the English monarchy which was the highest institution in Victorian England. His graphic metaphor of the Hapless soldiers distress running In blood down palace walls has two possible meanings: that it is the soldiers efforts, blood and sacrifices that have built the palace walls and kept them protected and that the monarchy have blood on their hands for their involvement in the recent Napoleonic wars. These are two very courageous statements which at the time could have seen Blake charged with treason or disloyalty but also serve to show the extent of Blakes fury. Last of all, I will be looking and the rhyme and rhythm in these poems. The most detectable rhythm is defiantly in London. In this poem there is a definite alternate rhythm: I wander thro each charterd Street Near where the charterd Thames does flowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This beat is like the sound of a war drum calling people to act on their indignation and is a call of insurrection. The rhythm is confident and determined, reflecting Blakes unwavering and resolute stand on the governments conduct. Blake also uses alternate rhyme for example Cry and Sigh , Hear and Tear. These are the words which will linger with the reader and so their placement is powerful and makes them unforgettable. They are also mainly words of despair and are onomatopoeic making the reader feel the agony of these people. In London the rhyme and rhythm is plentiful and immediately perceptible, whereas in The Chimney Sweeper the rhythm is irregular and harder to detect which perhaps shows the instability of the childs life although there is constant rhyme. In the first stanza the rhyme is in couplets meaning every line and in stanzas two and three the rhyme is alternate. This shows how the childs life was ordinary to that of anyone his age but then suddenly changed and became unacceptably abnormal. In conclusion, these three poems offer us a deep insight into all aspects of 18th century England in individual yet decisive ways. In each one Blake is attempting to warn England that this cycle of abuse and hatred can only end wretchedly and violently, unless the church and government make an effort to help their people.