How are strong feelings presented in “London” and “Storm”?
London
William Blake presents strong feelings in London by using techniques such as repletion of words. One of these words is the word “every”. This is repeated many times to show there is no escape for anyone and there are no exceptions. Another repeated word is the word “cry”. This is repeated on multiple occasions and is used to convey a sense of misery and a loss of hope.
Another technique William Blake uses is using many words with negative connotations such as “curse, blasts, blights, hapless, fear, curse, black’ning, etc. In addition, he uses the metaphor of “mind-forged manacles” to describe things that imprison people and this gives a sense of restriction and lack of freedom (possibly self imprisonment from thought).
Furthermore, William Blake presents a strong sense of selfishness about London because he wrote “how the youthful harlot’s curse”. The fact that he used the word youthful suggests that London takes innocent people and exploits them.
Lastly, the regular structure of the poem with the addition of the rhyme scheme gives a sense of routine and monotony and makes London seem very mechanical and robotic. Also it shows that the feeling of misery and loss of hope is consistently present and nobody is an exception.
Storm in the black forest
The poet presents strong feelings in this poem by using oxymoron’s to give a sense of conflict and confusion. For example he uses the words “liquid fire”. This presents a feeling of wonder and awe at how beautiful nature can be. In addition he uses the oxymoron “menacingly beautiful” which once again suggests how