Exploring Blakes use of noun phrases for description London by William Blake street Thames face weakness woe cry man ID: 629850
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Slide1
‘London’ by William Blake
Exploring Blake’s use of noun phrases for description Slide2
London
by William Blake
street
Thames face weakness woe cry man infant fear ban manacles chimney sweeper church soldier sigh blood palace walls streets harlot curse tear plagues hearse
Look at the nouns Blake chooses to show people, places, objects and feelings.
Can you see any links or patterns?
Invent different headings under which you can group them e.g. ‘human emotions’.
What impression of London does Blake give you through his choice of nouns?Slide3
each
charter’d
streetthe charter’d Thamesevery facemarks of weaknessmarks of woeevery cry of every Manevery Infant’s cry of fear every voiceevery banthe mind-forg’d manaclesthe Chimney-sweeper’s cryevery blackning Churchthe hapless Soldier’s sigh
Palace
wallsmidnight streetsthe youthful Harlot’s cursethe new-born infant’s tear the Marriage hearse
Look at the way Blake gives us more detail about the people, places, objects and feelings in his poem through expanded noun phrases. The
extra information
added to the
head noun
changes (or modifies ) how we see things: how would you explain the difference between ‘streets’ and ‘midnight streets’ or between ‘hearse’ and ‘the Marriage hearse’?
How many different patterns can you see in the way these noun phrases are formed?
Which word is repeated most often? Why?
Noun phrases give us a complete picture or idea. Which ones from the poem do you find most unusual, thought-provoking or puzzling?
Slide4
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-sweepers cry Every blackning Church appals, 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. What do you notice about the use of noun phrases now you can see them in the context of the whole poem?
Are there any other language features that you would want to focus on? How do they enhance the meaning of the poem?