Analysing ideas of power and conflict in Blake's 'London'
I can analyse the presentation of power and conflict in Blake’s ‘London’.
Analysing ideas of power and conflict in Blake's 'London'
I can analyse the presentation of power and conflict in Blake’s ‘London’.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Rigid structure of four quatrains written in octosyllabic lines mirrors the idea that people have no freedom in the city
- Blake conveys his social commentary through the dramatic monologue of a first person narrator
- Blake uses lots of repetition in the poem to show how deeply rooted the social issues that he describes are
- Blake uses juxtaposition to illustrate how easily innocence is lost in the city
- Blake uses metaphors to highlight the effect of the inaction of leaders and powerful institutions on the vulnerable
Keywords
Quatrain - a stanza of four lines
Iambic tetrameter - a line of poetry including four beats of one unstressed syllable followed by a second stressed syllable
Dramatic monologue - a poem written in the form of speech of an individual character
Juxtaposition - when two different things are placed together for contrasting effect
Disillusioned - disappointment and lost faith over something once regarded as good
Common misconception
The structure of the poem is entirely predictable.
Explain to pupils that Blake does break his rigid structure e.g. iambic tetrameter at times.
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Analysing ideas of power and conflict in Blake's 'London', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Analysing ideas of power and conflict in Blake's 'London', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 english lessons from the 'Power and Conflict' unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the AQA Power and Conflict Anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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