a situation in which people are ruled or governed in an unfair way

the process of transforming an economy from one which relies on traditional farming methods, to one which relies on factories and machinery

someone who believes there should be extreme social and/or political change

Understanding ideas of power and corruption in Blake's 'London'

English

In 'Poetry anthology', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems. In 'Poetry anthology continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils explore how poets presents the atrocities of World War One through their poetry. In 'Poetry anthology', pupils analyse how a variety of different wars have been presented through poetry.

Poetry anthology: first study

Historic or outdated representations of people that may portray inequality or injustice.

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

He thought it was an exciting time for advancement.

He was indifferent to it and was more interested in the French Revolution.

What did William Blake think about the impact of the Industrial Revolution? 

the speaker narrates his walk through the streets of London

the speaker informs us that everybody is suffering because of their oppression 

the speaker condemns those in positions of authority 

the speaker highlights the lack of hope individuals due to disease 

Starting with the first, order the events of the poem 'London' in chronological order.

What problems faced the people of London as described by Blake in 'London'? 

Which verb does not accurately reflect Blake's intention in writing 'London' when used in the following sentence: 'In 'London' Blake __________ those in positions of authority.'?

“In every voice, in every ban,/ The mind-forg’d manacles I hear”

“...the hapless Soldier’s sigh/ Runs in blood down Palace walls.”

"I wander thro' each charter'd street,/ ...where the charter'd Thames does flow"

Which of the following quotations from ‘London’ shows that Blake felt people in authority were ignoring the suffering of others?

Complete the sentence: William Blake was a {{}} and was inspired by the French Revolution

What century does the year 1792 belong to? 

the lack of power or right to give orders

challenging those have the power or right to give orders

Which groups of people do you think would have authority from the list below? 

 a situation in which people are ruled or governed in a fair way

those in power giving unfair advantage to certain employees

Which of the below is an example of corruption?

when the French monarchy resigned voluntarily

when the French monarchy had absolute power 

when the people of France overthrew the monarchy

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision recommended

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Understanding ideas of power and corruption in Blake's 'London'

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.