An Examination of the Poems, London by William Blake and Remember by Christina Rossetti - Essay Example

1. An Examination of the Poems, London by William Blake and Remember by Christina Rossetti This essay will compare and contrast the two poems, their themes and linguistic devices, considering how they elicit readers responses. William Blake (1757-1827) was more than a poet, largely ignored in his own lifetime. His work only began to receive deserved critical recognition in 1957, when Northrap Frye included it in "The Anatomy of Criticism." Described as an extreme example of the Romantics, his poetry demands consideration alongside his artistic creation. Each of the poems from Songs of Experience, should be read in conjunction with his earlier volume, Songs of Innocence, which had matching illustrated plates. An engraver, artist, devout Christian, thinker and radical, some call him a visionary, his belief in the power of the imagination and desire to create in his own inimitable way, was unfaltering. He is aligned with other Romantics, ie. Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wordsworth et al. In the post-Enlightenment era, this poem conforms to the conventions of descriptive, vibrant language creating a vision, igniting the imagination. If Romanticism sought to expand the creative expression of the poet and artist, to discover new ways to communicate this creativity, then evidence shows that these poets succeeded, none more so than Blake. London is a harsh, negative, sinister and sordid interpretation of a society bereft of beauty or grace, reflecting the poets beliefs regarding the Church, State and exploitation of people. With four stanzas of four rhyming quatrains, the regular rhyming schemes, using alliteration, repetition, metaphor and rhetoric, a chilling scenario emerges. Repetition of the word "mark" refers to what the poet/narrator is noticing or seeing, thus introducing the sense of sight, the first imaginative trigger. "And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe." (Blake 1791, V. 1). Skilful use of that one word exposes not just what he sees but what intuitively he recognises; loss and sadness in others. Repeating this, and the word charterd in the previous couplet, the use of even and inflected tones creates a definite pattern of sound which in turns constructs a complete 2. picture, and an atmosphere of darkness. He marks, they are marked. "Wandering", "weakness" and "woe", alliterative and concise, simultaneously conjure movement, constrained in dark city streets. There is neither light nor joy in what Blake observes and experiences. Sight and hearing are recurring motifs, with effective repetition. "In every cry of every man In every infants cry of fear," (V.2), and again in V.4 "How the youthful Harlots curse Blasts the newborn infants fear." Negative imagery, expressed through sound, occurs with the cry of the chimney sweep, the sigh of the soldier. He enhances this with colour and metaphor. Red and black stand out, "Every blackning Church appals.... "Runs in blood down Palace walls" (V. 3). The metaphors "mind forgd manacles I hear" (V.2) "and blights with plagues the Marriage hearse" express the beliefs; society is in narrow-minded confines, free thinking and expression imprisoned, love and fidelity are dead; leaving only a "young Harlot." In a wider context, the era in which Romanticism grew and flourished is reflected. A time of revolution, social and political turbulence and upheaval. In America, France, Ireland, real and bloody revolutions, in England, the movement for social change and the rights of man was growing, Blake espoused these causes. Blake has exposed a city of people impoverished both spiritually and physically, where inhabitants exist, not live, where children is ignored, the young exploited and the soldier is an expendable commodity of an uncaring State. The values of human kindness and loving relationship have been diminished. In the light of history, Blake creates powerful indictment. The narrators character is a man filled with righteous anger, not cynical but outraged at injustice; skilful rhetoric informs us thus. Contrast the imagery, colour and metaphor, in the uplifting resurgence of hope in Preface to Milton (Blake 1804), known in Britain as the iconic Jerusalem, an anthem of pride and belief. To illustrate how he juxtaposes the images of darkness and light, hope and despair, consider V. 2 of the poem: "And did the Countenance Divine, 3. Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here Among these dark satanic mills?" Blake believes in Mankind and God, the ability to transcend grief and despair, something not evident in London, which powerfully paints the dark side. The Romantic poets aimed to simplify language to appeal to a wider audience, using the words of ordinary people to share and enable their participation in the creative process, as well as expressing the feelings and messages of the writers. This is true of London, and others, Wordsworths Daffodils included. One questions how the common man understood Coleridges fragmentary Kubla Khan or Keats Endymion, both of which require some classical knowledge. In Christina Rossettis Remember,(1830-1894), we have sadness, but without the dark despair of London. With rhythmic cadence and construction of a Dantean sonnet, here are fourteen lines filled with hope and love. Following the convention of 10 syllables to a line, with two quatrains and two triplets in sestet, the poem flows, aided by the use of enjambment, adding to the unbroken ease with which the ideas and concepts evolve into an effortless and perfect whole. The imagery is powerful, consider the feelings evoked by these words: "When you can no more hold me by the hand, Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay (Rossetti, L.3-41862). The sentiments, honestly presented, display an open, generous character, unafraid to flout hypocritical Victorian convention for the sake of her art. Repetition of the word "remember" ensures the reader cannot forget. Her work has been called melancholy and unhappy; this poem does not create that effect. With the first person narrator, we are inside her head and heart. Allegedly written at the loss of her beloved James Collinson, she expresses feelings for that loss, while reflecting the circumstances of her life; her fathers mental illness, her own depression, and her brother Dantes illness. The apparent hope in this poem, despite its inherent sadness, may stem from her religious beliefs in the Anglo Catholic tradition. The metaphor for death and the grave is delivered gently yet 4. dramatically: "For if the darkness and corruption leave A vestige of thoughts that once I had," (L. 11-12). Repetition, signifies that the narrators love is not directed at all who loved them, in the lines, "Yet if you should remember, do not grieve". (L. 10), and in "Better by far you should forget and smile Than that you should remember and be sad." (L. 13-14). The poem emits gentleness, faith and generosity of spirit. No unnecessary words, great drama, nothing wasted linguistically, she raises awareness of mortality and the emotional suffering inherent in the human condition, inviting participation in the experience of loss, with peace, acceptance and spirituality, as in much of her work. Her poem In the Bleak Midwinter, a carol of world reknown, wherein the childs gift is sparingly and simply portrayed. Sonnet is not the only verse form she employed, Goblin Market being an example of a long lyrical poem, perhaps not quite so long as Elizabeth Barrett Brownings Aurora Leigh, but wonderful all the same. Involved in the Pre-Raphaelite movement with her brother, Dante Gabriel, and socially brave, she was no doubt aware of the feminist thrust of Brownings work, and the growth of the suffrage movement. Contrast lies in the turbulence of London, an aggressive anger, rather than a calm acceptance. The words political and personal might describe what separates their themes. Another contrast is the lack of light and hope in London and the promise of these extant in Remember. Blake held almost mystical Christian beliefs. Rossettis belief allowed her to hope rather than despair. Both create powerful imagery, and perfectly encapsulated moments . In conclusion, the creativity of both poets causes emotional responses, rational understanding, provokes thought. Blake gives us an aspect of his times, a glimpse into history; "this is how it was, and this is how I see it". Christina Rossetti also shares her feelings, but with greater gentleness and hope. Both are great poems. References Blake, W. Songs of Innocence and Experience 1791 Project Gutenberg Etext October 1999 [1934] Available at http://www.projectgutenberg.org. Retrieved 27 May 2006 Harrison, A.H., 1988. Professor of English, University of North Carolina. Intertextuality: Dante, Petrarch and Christina Rossetti. Chapter 5 Pt. 2 Available from Http://victorianweb.org/authors/crossetti/harrison.html Retrieved 27 May 2006. The Norton Anthology of English Literature The Romantic Period and The Victorian Age Ed. M. H. Abrams, 2003. Available from http://www.ww.norton.com/college/english/nael/welcome.htm. Retrieved 27 May 2006. Read More