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Literature Review - London and Tyger

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William Blake’s “London” (61) written in 1974 presents a portrait of the fallen world which is moulded and suppressed by human’s hand. The poem is set in a suppressed atmosphere with its underlying theme about industrialization, materialism, corruption and capitalism. Therefore, Blake pointed out that man must wake up from the slumber of the British government which is lack of freedom and democracy because keep following this corrupt government will lead to death. In another poem, “The Tyger” written by William Blake in the same year suggests that such act cannot be achieved without breaking the limits. In other words, “The Tyger” is in fact providing a solution to British people, this redemption can be only achieved by breaking limits. This is the key for British people to rescue themselves. In “London”, Blake uses several end rhymes such as “flow” (London, 2) and “woe” (London, 4), “man” (London, 5) and “ban” (London, 7), “fear” (London, 6) and “hear” (London, 8), “cry” (London, 9) and “sigh” (London, 11), “hear” (London, 13) and “tear” (London, 15) and “curse” (London, 14) and “hearse” (16) to create a dark and fearful atmosphere. The intense usage of negative verbs for example “fear” (London, 6) and “sigh” (London, 11) matches narrator’s negative attitude when he walks through different street in London. This helps to develop a negative sense throughout the poem. London is constrained by the government. In the first stanza of “London”, when narrator goes through every street and wanders along the river, he mentions that the street and “Thames” are being “charter’d” (London, 1). It means that the street and river are being owned, they are properties of the government. It is not just the street being “charter’d” (London, 2), the river is also being “charter’d” (London, 2). The street and the river are supposed to be highway, they are supposed to be free especially for the water. Water should flow in the river freely but now it is trapped and controlled. The “Thames” (London, 2) is constrained. As the narrator goes through in the first stanza, he is marking. The word “Mark” (London, 4) is a blot or stain as well as the idea or seeing something. He “mark in every face I meet” (London, 3). The word “every” (London, 3) will crop up again in the second stanza and repeated with four times. So, such

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