Exploring Blake and Wordsworth: English Romanticism in 'London', Appunti di Inglese

Scarica Exploring Blake and Wordsworth: English Romanticism in 'London' e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! English Romanticism The Full Text of “London” 211 wander thro' each charter'd street, (Imagery: he uses images that can be perceived by the five senses) (1: refers to the poet) 2 Near where the charter'd Thames does flow. 3And mark in every face I meet 4Marks of weakness, marks of woe. (Repetition) 5In every cry of every Man, (Anaphora: in every he emphasizes the sensation of sight and hearing) 6h every Infants cry of fear, 7În every voice: in every ban, (Assonance: repetition of vowel sound e) 8The mind-forg'd manacles | hear (Metaphor of the hardship of people working in a factory compared to prison) 9How the Chimney-sWeepers cfy__—(Imagery) ( Symbolism of death) 10Every blackning Church appalls, 11And the hapless Soldiers sigh (Alliteration ofthe consonant “s") ( Symbolism of frustration) 12Runs in blood down Palace walls 13But most thro' midnight streets | hear (Enjambement) 14How the youthful Harlots curse (Symbolism of pathetic life experience of the prostitutes) 15Blasts the new-born Infants tear 16And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse (ABAB rhymes scheme) “London” Summary The speaker takes a walk through the designated streets of London. This walk brings the speaker near the River Thames, which seems to have its course dictated for it as it flows throughout the city. The speaker sees signs of resignation and sadness in the faces of every person the speaker passes by. The speaker hears this pain too, in the cries of men as well as those of fearful newborn babies. In fact, in every voice in the city, in every law or restriction London places on its population, the speaker can sense people's feelings of being oppressed by city life. The speaker hears the cry of young chimney-sweeps, whose misery brings shame on the Church authorities. Thinking of unfortunate British soldiers dying in vain, the speaker imagines their blood running down the walls of a palace. Most of all, the speaker hears the midnight cries of young prostitutes, who swear and curse at their situation. In turn, this miserable sound brings misery to their tearful new-born children. The speaker also imagines this sound plaguing what the speaker calls “the Marriage hearse"—a surreal imagined vehicle that carries love and death together. The poem was published in 1794 during the industrial revolution and is part of the collection of poems “Song of Experience”. He describes the city of London during midnight as he talks about wandering its streets and walks around the Thames. He also talks about the situation of poverty and despair that is spread around the city caused by child labor and young men being sent to war. Blake William Blake was born in 1757 in London. Works and believes “songs of experience” describes how adulthood can destroy the innocence of humans. He was critical towards the State and Church. He proposed a new revolutionary social and ethical order. He bitterly criticized the Industrial Revolution which led to poverty, child labour and prostitution. He was also a very religious man but accused the Church for the corruption. Wordsworth William Wordsworth was born in 1770 in the Lake District National Park, He studied at Cambridge University. He was an enthusiast of republican ideals of the revolution. He met Samuel Taylor Coleridge and they became good friends influencing the development of English Romantic Poetry. He was a very prolific author: along with Coleridge he wrote Lyrical Ballads and in the second edition he added a Preface which is considered to be the Manifesto of English Romantic Poetry during this period he wrote as | Wandered Lonely as a Cloud one of his most famous works. In his production Wordsworth emphasizes the importance of feelings and pleasure that derives from nature and recollection. He saw nature as an uncontrollable force that dominated the life of man. As We can understand from the title of his works, Wordsworth considers Childhood an important element. It's the age of hope and illusion and therefore when he uses recollection as an inspiration for his poems childhood is often described. © Style: Belief that poetry should be written in the natural language of common speech as he also described scenes of common everyday life. He also concentrated on country people and natural scenes as he believed that men find himself when he's in true communion with nature. e The role of Imagination: The poet is seen as a visionary figure with heightened sensibility and imagination, and he's role is to teach men ,through poetry, to reconnect with nature A poem should be conceived by emotions recollected in tranquility, therefore focusing on the genuinity of the poem rather than the technique. the poet can't be detached from nature, the element that represents inspiration, joy, nostalgia and sadness. The poet's feelings are caused by nature and redefined through memory which allows the poet to recreate a pure version of the emotion he originally felt. Poem “I wandered lonely as a cloud” This poem is the most significant example of Wordsworth's theory that poetry is a recollection in tranquility, and his job as a poet is to transform the common experience of walking through nature into an extraordinary one. The author is recollecting a past experience: On 15 April 1802 the poet went for a walk with his sister Dorothy: the poet explains he “vandered as lonely as a cloud” so even though he was with his sister he felt alone. While wandering he suddenly saw a group of daffodils beside a lake and under the trees, the scenery overwhelmed the poet with joy but at the time of the event he didn't realize the emotional implication of this experience. He therefore recollects the experience after some time and uses the power of imagination to change this common experience in an event that makes the poet and the reader reflect. He personifies the daffodils who now dance around more than the waves and in the recollection of the poet they become thousands, so many that they resemble the stars of the Milky Way. Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in Devonshire in 1772. He studied ancient languages but most importantly English literature and composition showing great promise as a poet. He studied at Cambridge where he became interested in the political situation and was influenced by French revolutionary ideals. But he never graduated He went on a walking tour and dreamed of emigrating to American to a Pensylvannian community called “Pantisocracy” a utopian society where works and rewards would be shared equally. In 1775 he moved to the Countryside and started a long lasting literary friendship with Wordsworth with whom he published Lyrical Ballads which contains: “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. Till over the mast at noon—' The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, For he heard the loud bassoon. The bride hath paced into the hall, Red as a rose is she; Nodding their heads before her goes The merry minstrelsy. The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast, Yet he cannot choose but hear; And thus spake on that ancientman, The bright-eyed Mariner. And now the STORM-BLAST came, and he Was tyrannous and strong: He struck with his o'ertaking wings, And chased us south along. With sloping masts and dipping prow, As who pursued with yell and blow Still treads the shadow of his foe, And forward bends his head, The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, And southward aye we fled. And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold: And ice, mast-high, came floating by, As green as emerald. And through the drifts the snowy clifts Did send a dismal sheen: Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken— The ice was all between. The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around: It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, Like noises in a swound! Atlength did cross an Albatross, Thorough the fog it came; Came to the mariner's hollo! As if it had been a Christian soul, In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, We hailed it in God's name. It perched for vespers nine; It ate the food it ne'er had eat, Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, And round and round it flew. Glimmered the white Moon-shine.' The ice did split with a thunder-fit; ‘God save thee, ancient Mariner! The helmsman steered us through! From the fiends, that plague thee thus!'— And a good south wind sprung up behind; Why look'st thou so?'—With my cross-bow The Albatross did follow, | shot the ALBATROSS. And every day, for food or play,