London Poetry - Notes on the Poems

William Blake – London

Blake is walking through London and comments on what he sees and hears. He sees nothing but despair and hears the sounds of repression. The Chimney sweepers cry chastises the Church which is black with both pollution and corruption and the blood of the soldier stains the palace walls (metaphorically). The night time is a terrible place with the cursing of prostitutes that corrupts the new-born baby and sullies (with stds) the marriage hearse.

• All natural features submit to being chartered (i.e. owned by others and mapped)
• Blake’s repetition of chartered and mark (first one meaning analyse and second one meaning indelible prints) emphasises the structure and rigidity of the city.
• The repetition is also restrictive and oppressive.
• Blake does not simply blame a set of institutions or a system of enslavement for the city's woes; rather, the victims help to make their own "mind-forg'd manacles," (heavy iron chains that are created by the mind) more powerful than material chains could ever be.
• The poem has more movement than the others – Blake is inviting us to travel with him.
• The dominant sense is sound – we hear all the people crying out.
• The oxymoron “marriage hearse” at the end tells us that even the next generation of Londoners are not surviving.
• All the speaker’s subjects are known through the traces they leave behind : the cries, the blood on the palace walls.
• The layout is simple and rhythmic, almost like a nursery rhyme. Makes the horrors described sound even worse.
• The cry of the chimney sweep and the sigh of solider become the soot on the church and the blood on the palace walls.
• Likewise, institutions of power--the clergy, the government--are rendered by synecdoche (i.e. the clergy are referred to as “Church” and the monarchy by “palace”)
• The city’s oppressors do not appear in the poem
• The language is blunt, not figurative (except for one metaphor)
• He is making a point about London being a prison.
• Blake’s poem is passionate and angered, full of emotion as opposed to Evans’ and Wilde’s that are dull or seek to mask the truth.
• It is about the people and Blake was a resident of London and in the streets – would he see the surroundings?


Wordsworth – On Westminster Bridge

Wordsworth is stood still on Westminster Bridge in London early in the morning. He is marvelling at how the city is ‘wearing’ the morning and is stunningly beautiful. He expresses surprise that the city is so still and quiet that it almost seems asleep.

• The poem is laid out in a sonnet with an octet and a sestet. It is an iambic pentatmeter with ten syllables a line.
• In lines 1 through 8, which together compose a single sentence, the speaker describes what he sees as he stands on Westminster Bridge looking out at the city.
• He begins by saying that there is nothing "more fair" on Earth than the sight he sees, and that anyone who could pass the spot without stopping to look has a "dull" soul.
• He is extremely emotive with words such as “touching”.
• He personifies the city by saying it wears the “beauty of the morning” and also having a “mighty heart” and everything within the scene is personified.
• It refers to visual imagery such as “bright and glittering” making it seem jewel-like.
• He was a Romantic which means his love for London contradicts his own love for nature, yet he still finds nature in London.
• Wordsworth is relaxed but passionate.
• He exclaims “Dear God” as if he doesn’t believe what he is seeing.
• It is extremely calm with words like glideth and silence.
• He is looking at London from the outside in.
• Wordsworth himself was returning home from France at the time (consider this)
• Likewise, institutions of power--the clergy, the government--are rendered by synecdoche (i.e. the clergy are referred to as “Church” and the monarchy by “palace”)
• “Mighty heart” could either be a personification of the city or the people within it – although he does refer to the people of London he says “the very houses seem asleep”.
• The octave presents the beauty of the city through Wordsworth's eye. The sestet presents the reflective mood which it evokes in Wordsworth as he admires the beauty described in the sestet.
• "The City now doth like a garment wear" The clothing imagery may be used to emphasise the temporary nature of the beauty of the city for he is admiring this beauty before the city has gotten busy and before smoke fills the air.
• Consider whether there is a contrast implied between the momentary hushed stillness of the city and its usual bustling activity implied, even though not actually stated.
• He even goes so far as to suggest that no "valley, rock, or hill" has been so beautifully lit by the early morning, which, considering Wordsworth's preference for rustic figures and nature, surprising.
• The penultimate line of the sonnet half-answers questions. The beauty of the city is that it is sleeping. There are no people just buildings.
• As opposed to the city, which is ‘lying still’, the natural parts of the landscape, the sunlight, the ‘valley, rock, or hill’ as well as the river are now active, they dominate over the sleeping city, as is emphasized by the rhyming words hill – at their will – lying still.


Wilde – Impression Du Matin

Wilde appears to be describing a scene by the Thames as it changes through the dawn. He is describing the end of the night, the rise of pollution, the waking of the people and finally the prostitute.

• It is a deceptive poem – whilst being extremely descriptive and evocative on the outset it has an ambiguous meaning continued within.
• The colourful imagery is descriptive and deceptive.
• The stanzas are simple but despite a fairly simplistic rhyme scheme, the poem makes heavy use of enjambement, altering the meanings depending on which parts are emphasised. Possibly representing London itself as it is not what it seems.
• Time passes in the poem, moving from night to day with “Thames nocturne” to the “daylight kissing”.
• The senses also change from sight to sound to sight.
• It refers to the pollution as a yellow fog which immediately puts the bridges and houses into shadow (at the time the Industrial Revolution has reached its peak and the pollution is remaining high) and only St Pauls stands out in the poem – referred to by a simile like a bubble.
• The St Pauls reference could refer to the religious building standing away from the pollution. Consider possible purity or else the use of the word ‘looming’ hinting at the power of the Church.
•
• Stanzas 1 and 3 are fairly positive but stanzas 2 and 4 are fairly negative highlighting the duality of London.
• The prostitute at the end is colourless and referred to as wan which contrasts the beginning colours. Her description is a striking contrast to the colourful imagery of her surroundings. This could be a subtle point about social commentary.
• Also in the fourth stanza is the questionable use of "loitered" as opposed to the grammatically correct "loitering," possibly implying she is not loitering of her own accord, it is something society has forced upon her.
• It becomes clear that "Impression" is not a plea to the reader to appreciate nature.
• The poem at the beginning is influenced by another work by a man called Whistler but the influence is only in the first stanza.
• "Impression du Matin" is a deceiving poem, sucking the reader in with a lovely description of a river, something that most of us are familiar with, and ending surprisingly with social commentary regarding prostitution.
• There are constrasting images throughout – especially at the end with “lips of flame and a heart of stone” which could be a metaphor for London itself.


Evans - In a London Drawing Room

Evans is writing her poem in a drawing room (so a fairly nice place in London). She is describing what she is seeing from the window or what goes past the window. She sees the pollution taking over the city and the sameness of the houses beyond. She sees the effect the pollution has on the city and that due to the surroundings the people do not wish to stop and look at their surroundings and appreciate beauty because there is none. The people themselves are hurrying around, all appearing the same and London itself seems to be a prison punishing people with nothing to look at, no colour or happiness.


• She is talking about the view she sees from her window.
• Sounds miserable and depressing. Like it’s describing at oppressive place (one reader called it a regime)
• Evans main issues with London are: the oppressive pollution with no chance of the sun cutting through it; the constant sameness of the surroundings where no one can see anything new; the people who have nothing to look at and do not wish to stop and people are simply hurrying around with nothing to please them
• The last line can be interpreted as wistful – hoping for colour, warmth and joy.
• Whilst there is imagery the similes and metaphors are negative such as the “prison-house and court” reference as well at the fog being referred to as hemp.
• There is movement in the poem but it is dull and slow.
• The entire poem is in blank verse and with constant ten syllable lines throughout, although enjambement is used to make the lines run on from each other.
• Evans doesn’t appear to blame anyone for the people’s punishments.
• She is actually not “in” the poem; she is looking at London as an outsider (inside the drawing room).
• The mood is bored and uninterested, which reflects the subject matter’s feelings. This is completely contrary to Wordsworth’s view.
• No bird can make a shadow as it flies refers to the sheer amount of pollution and fog and the sun unable to get through.
• The verbs such as “cutting” sound harsh and the houses are referred to as “like solid fog”.
• “Multiplied identity” is that the people in the carriage are all the same and of one identity – individuality appears to be squashed or leeched out (consider the effect the surroundings has on removing individuality).
• Remember what was happening to Evans that made her come to and leave London.

Othello Quotes Location

“Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away” To what extent is the outcome of the play down to Othello’s actions and to what extent does he fit Aristotle’s model of a tragic hero?

Introduction - Summarise Othello’s actions and the nature of tragedy

Othello did not choose Iago to be his officer
Act 1 Scene 1 11-13
End of Act 3 Scene 4

Othello murders Desdemona
Act 5 Scene 2 6-10

Othello being too old and black for Desdemona
Act 3 Scene 3 – 230-240
Act 1 Scene 3 95-100

Othello is too trusting
Any quote about honest Iago
Act 3 Scene 3 – 120-140

Sacking of Cassio
Act 2 Scene 3 – 230

Gullible
Act 4 Scene 1 – Beginning of – Iago’s graphic imagery
Act 3 Scene 3 – Any of it really

Anger
Act 3 Scene 3 – 475-480
Act 4 Scene 1 – 230

Too Trusting
Act 3 Scene 3 – 120-140


Iago plans it
Act 1 Scene 1 – 40-45
Act 1 Scene 3 – 365 – 385
Act 2 Scene 1 – End of

Desdemona and Cassio
Act 3 Scene 3 – 1-20
Act 3 Scene 3 – 60-73

Roderigo
Act 2 Scene 3 – 335-345
Act 4 Scene 2 – 171-235

Cassio’s Drinking
Act 2 Scene 3 11-45

Emelia and the handkerchief
Act 3 Scene 3 – 290 – 301
Act 5 Scene 2 221-228

Brainwashes
Act 3 Scene ¾ - Any of it

Desdemona’s naivety
Act 4 Scene 2 – 148-150
Act 4 Scene 2 - 40-46
Act 3 Scene 3 - 60-75

Conclusion
This is where you decide what you feel the biggest factor in the outcome of the play is.

Tragic Hero – You can either:
Integrate this throughout your essay with references to Othello’s character
Or devote a few paragraphs at the beginning or end of the essay concentrating on the subject.

London Poems

In a London Drawing Room

The sky is cloudy, yellowed by the smoke.
For view there are the houses opposite
Cutting the sky with one long line of wall
Like solid fog: far as the eye can stretch
Monotony of surface and of form
Without a break to hang a guess upon.
No bird can make a shadow as it flies,
For all is shadow, as in ways o'erhung
By thickest canvass, where the golden rays
Are clothed in hemp. No figure lingering
Pauses to feed the hunger of the eye
Or rest a little on the lap of life.
All hurry on and look upon the ground,
Or glance unmarking at the passers by
The wheels are hurrying too, cabs, carriages
All closed, in multiplied identity.
The world seems one huge prison-house and court
Where men are punished at the slightest cost,
With lowest rate of colour, warmth and joy.
Mary Ann Evans - 1869
Glossary
ways: streets
hemp: thick fabric
unmarking: without seeing
court: the courts of law


Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.

Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!

William Wordsworth

Glossary

Domes, Theatres and Temples
1. Domes, Theatres and Temples – Literally the Domes of St Paul, Theatres of Haymarket and Drury Lane, and Temples meaning Churches.
2. Domes, Theatres and Temples can also refer to the Classical Geek and Roman love of outdoor performance places.
Mighty Heart: People of London
Onto the fields: Fields that surrounded the city.
Smokeless Air: It is morning.
Ships, Towers: the ships on the river, the towers of Parliament .

1.
Dorothy Wordsworth in her Journal July 31, 1802, described the scene as she and her brother left London, early in the morning, for their month-long visit to Calais: "It was a beautiful morning. The city, St. Paul's, with the river, and a multitude of little boats, made a most beautiful sight as we crossed Westminster Bridge. The houses were not overhung by their cloud of smoke, and they were
spread out endlessly, yet the sun shone so brightly, with such a fierce light; that there was something like the purity of one of nature's own grand spectacles."

London

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

How the Chimney-sweeper's cry
Every blackning Church appalls,
And the hapless Soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.

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.

William Blake – 1794 (From Songs of Innocence)


Glossary
Blood on Palace Walls: Reference to wars with France and soldiers protesting about their conditions (there was also graffiti).
Chartered:
1. The first chartered involves the legal mapping of the streets, for a street to be mapped it must be chartered.
2. The second chartered refers to the ownership and the monopoly of companies on parts of the River Thames
Harlot: Prostitute
Mark
1. The first mark is a verb
2. The second mark is a noun
Plagues: STDs

William Blake


Impression du Matin

The Thames nocturne of blue and gold
Changed to a Harmony in grey:
A barge with ochre-coloured hay
Dropt from the wharf: and chill and cold.

The yellow fog came creeping down
The bridges, till the houses’ walls
Seemed changed to shadows, and St. Pauls
Loomed like a bubble o’er the town.

Then suddenly arose the clang
Of waking life; the streets were stirred
With country wagons: and a bird
Flew to the glistening roofs and sang.

But one pale woman all alone,
The daylight kissing her wan hair,
Loitered beneath the gas lamps’ flare,
With lips of flame and heart of stone.


Oscar Wilde - 1881


A Description of London

Houses, churches, mixed together,
Streets unpleasant in all weather;
Prisons, palaces contiguous,
Gates, a bridge, the Thames irriguous

Gaudy things enough to tempt ye,
Showy outsides, insides empty;
Bubbles, trades, mechani arts,
Coaches, wheelbarrows and carts.

Warrants, bailiffs, bills unpaid,
Lords of laundresses afraid;
Rogues that nightly rob and shoot men,
Hangman, aldermen and footmen.

Lawyers, poets, priests, physicians,
Noble, simple, all conditions:
Worth beneath a threadbare cover,
Villainy bedaubed all over.

Women black, red, fair and grey
Prudes and as such never pray,
Handsome, ugly, noisy, still,
Some that will not, some that will.

Many a beau without a shilling,
Many a widow not unwilling;
Many a bargain, if you strike it:
This is London! How’d ye like it?

John Bancks (Circa 1739)

Death of a Salesman - Techniques

Death of a Salesman - Miller's Techniques

• Contrasts (Willy's mood swings)
• Character contrasts
  
• Stage directions (reveal mood of characters)
• Lies
• Rejection
• Mythological Figures and Language
• 
  
• Ambiguous statements
• Things not mentionned (e.g. only talking about the positive side of things)
  
• Symbolism - Diamonds (financial security, wealth, prestige), Seeds (proving worth and providing an inheritance - last ditch attempt to be sucessful), Tape Recorder (only records truth - show Willy's failure to repress his past), Stockings (betrayal and guilt), Rubber Hose (suicide), Africa and Alaska (Willy's missed opportunities), The American West (which is Biff's wanting to work on a ranch symbolises his freedom and potential)
  

Empire of the Sun Techniques

Language Features of Empire

• Violent imagery and language
• Jim's naivety and innocence (can be contrasted with when he really does know what is going on)
  
• Food imagery and metaphors
• Maturation
• Repeated Ideas and Language
• Scientific Language around Doctor Ransome
• Positive language around Lunghua
• Biblical, religious language
  
• Moments of Clarity (where Ballard summarizes the reality of the situation)
• Jim as the observer
• Symbolism - flies, swimming pools, aircraft, bicycles, mango
• Hierarchy of the people in Shanghai (Chinese at the bottom)
• Who is in power?
  

Simplified Essay Criteria

Simplified Essay Marking Criteria

A*
Satisfies all of the requirements of the band below, but with impressive
• flair
• articulation
• originality

A
Answers the question with structured analysis, close attention to language in the explanation section of each paragraph, and: balanced examination of alternative examples or interpretations, sophisticated awareness of context, independent perception, insight and judgement.

B
Answers the question with structured analysis and close attention to language in the explanation section of each paragraph: focuses on style and language, paying attention to individual words and details from the evidence quoted, explains their effect clearly and fully, explains how this supports the overall line of response to the Q

C
Answers the question with structured essay technique: i.e. clear line of response to Q and brief statement of key points, deals with one key point per paragraph; uses PQC in every paragraph, concludes succinctly
D
Makes some sound observations in answer to the question but without effective structure, textual support and analysis

E
Shows some effort and understanding of the text, but does not really engage with the question or with the process of structured of essay writing.

Othello Essay Guide

“Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away” To what extent is the outcome of the play down to Othello's actions and to what extent does he fit Aristotle's model of a tragic hero?


Introduction
This should be a mini-discussion of the essay question itself – designed to be a summary. Possible points to BRIEFLY summarise –
- Othello’s actions
- Othello being destined to fail
- Other actions and factors (e.g. Iago and other characters)

Example:
“The quote “Like the base Indian” is Othello referring to himself after he has killed Desdemona, which is one of the outcomes of the play itself, along with Othello’s suicide. However, it is not only Othello’s actions that result in this outcome; there are other factors such as Iago and the nature of the play that lead to this.

Main Body of Paragraphs should answer the question with paragraphs about:
- Othello’s actions in killing Desdemona and ordering the death of Cassio
- Othello’s actions in trusting Iago’s views over his own wife
- Othello’s actions is marrying Desdemona, knowing that it would cause issues and friction
- Iago’s actions in setting up the plot
- Roderigo’s actions in attempting to kill Cassio
- Desdemona’s marrying Othello and refusal to let the Cassio issue drop.
- Emelia’s finding of the handkerchief and not questioning handing it to Othello

- Aristotle’s criteria for a tragic hero – Othello is destined to fail from the start.(How does he meet these criteria – and if he does, does this mean that his actions are meaningless as they are destined to happen anyway)


Highly Technical Example:
Whilst not being an action, it can be argued that Othello’s being black has a large impact on the play’s outcome (this relates the point to the question). Throughout the play he is referred to as the “Moor” and his skin colour is referred to even at the end of the play such as Emelia calling him “you the blacker devil!” after the death of Desdemona (Quotation evidence – yes you can use to, and there is a short snippet afterwards that tell you roughly where it came from). Elizabethan audiences would not expect a black character to succeed, and it could be said that the outcome of the play is inevitable. (An explanation of why this answers the question set and also includes a comment on audience reaction)

Another Example
It is actually Iago who causes the most action in the play, with the most notable action being Iago’s declaration to cause trouble from the start (your point which answers the question). He tells Roderigo that “I follow him [Othello] (square brackets add in references for the audience if it is unclear in your quote) to serve my turn upon him” (Your quotation that reinforces your claim in your point). This shows that even before Othello have come on stage, Iago is planning to take action to ruin him, which happens at the end of the play with Othello losing his wife, job and his life. (An explanation of how this impacts on the outcome of the play)
Basically, every paragraph in this should be a single argument towards the essay question – therefore you should have one point per paragraph. You can link your arguments to other points in your essay in your COMMENTS but your focus and structure in each paragraph should be:

- What actions (Othello’s or others) cause the outcome?
- Where is there evidence of this?
- How does this evidence show the outcome/action/features of Aristotle tragic hero?

Additional Points
- If you find other arguments for the question that aren’t in this list, do not hesitate to include them. This is YOUR argument and personal response counts for quite a lot (i.e. if you want to point out that Iago’s actions go beyond revenge then feel free)
- Plays are written about in the present.

Conclusion

- This is where you ‘look back’ over your essay and decide what you feel the most important action in deciding the outcome of the play, this maybe agreement with the natural nature of tragedy being Mad Death Scene™ or it maybe the agreement that Iago is just a nasty piece of work who is out to get Othello from day one.

Layout of the entire course

GCSE English
- Speaking and Listening Coursework
- Written Coursework: Shakespeare, London Poetry, Creative Writing
- Exams: Paper 1 in Media and Non-Fiction, Paper 2 in Short Stories and Writing Tasks

GCSE English Literature
- Written Coursework: Shakespeare, London Poetry, Novel (Either Wuthering Heights or Jekyll & Hyde)
- Exams: Drama Paper on Death of a Salesman, Poetry and Prose on War Poetry and Empire of the Sun.