Need opinion on a text (1 Viewer)

[ur_friend]

I am doing an assignment on imaginative journey's now, and a really good text was suggested for me for the written text section. I checked it and i am just unsure if it can be claasified as an imaginative journey. Please read and tell me if this can be seen as an imagnative journey and if so why. The poem is London bu William Blake. Please reply soon.
Here it is
(3) William Blake, London, from Songs of Experience (1791)

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-sweeper's cry
Every black'ning 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.

 

[rnitya_25]

that's a pretty darn good poem, its got quite a few great techniques you must have picked up..eg. rhythm/rhyme, tone etc.. use that one, its good stuff.

 

[ur_friend]

Still need an answer, can it be seen as an imagnative journey and if so why???

 

[l-mercedes-l]

thats brilliant.

anything can be an imaginative journey if it transports you from 'reality' to imagination.
eg: does it invigorate some sort of image in your mind, does it make you feel empathy? saddness? can you learn or gain some sort of highened understanding or emancipation from the words?

how does the rhyming pattern creative these feelings/images?
why does the author use old fashioned words? [sense of time and place? does it enhance the imaginative experience for us?]

hope this helps

Mercedes

 

[ur_friend]

Yeah thanx merc that helps heaps. So ur sayin just talk about how it sparks our imagination.

 

[Riviet]

You should also mention how the poem portrays the imaginative journey, by including techniques and their effect on the reader.

 

[l-mercedes-l]

yeah. the way i came to see it imaginative journeys include both that of a character, and of ourselves, being transported to another time and place can only happen if we use our imagination.

no probs

 

[ur_friend]

ok mercedes

 

[ur_friend]

Hey look i need more help. I am supposed to analyse the text and talk about the ideas in the text about imaginary journeys. I have founds many themes and ideas in the poem yet none relating to imaginary journeys. this was supposed to be a really gd text so maybe i am looking for the wrong thing. Can someone give me an example of and idea about imaginative journeys in this text.

 

[l-mercedes-l]

it depends on how you see imaginative journeys.

if your thesis is that they are learning experiences, then how does this text, which invites us to use our imagination to makes sense of it allow learning or intellectual growth. at the end of the poem we feel we have a better grasp and understanding of period england. the technical features which support this include for example the use of old englsih language, as this both inspires our imagination to hear and feel the time and place but coming out of the poem we feel we understand a little more about period england.

im not sure that makes sense.

 

[Justin]

(3) William Blake, London, from Songs of Experience (1791)

I wander thro' each charter'd street, <-- Verb, wander.
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow, <-- setting (Thames = London)
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe. <-- he can see weakness and woe in their faces: Imagery.

In every cry of every man, <-- repetition of 'every', adds feeling.
In every Infant's cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban, <-- repetition continues.
The mind-forg'd manacles I hear.

How the Chimney-sweeper's cry <-- symbolic perhaps? chimney sweepers don't exist any more, so this is proof of the time frame of the poem.
Every black'ning Church appals;
And the hapless Soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls. <-- symbolism.

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. <-- marriage hearse - seemingly paradoxical. Marriage represents newness, and celebration, where as hearses are used to carry away dead people.

I think that it's quite clear that he is embarking on an imaginative journey.

He is being very imaginative and recollective. This is not exactly a physical journey, as he jumps from place to place, and includes strong imagery to give the effect that he wants as the author.

What else do you need help with?

Remember not to only list the literary devices, but how they are used to construct the piece (and most importantly, the journey), and how they give meaning to the journey.

What is it that you learn from this text?

Don't just include a journey because someone recommends it, and don't include journeys that you have no idea how to decipher. Include things in your work that you enjoy and understand. The area of study is journeys, because everyone has their favourite journey texts. Include these, not just some random text that you include because you feel that you HAVE to include them.