Choose either “London” by William Blake or “Composed upon
Westminster Bridge” by William Wordsworth.
How do the poetic devices work together to communicate a
particular message?
Here are a few of the strongest introductions and comments about them.
Let these models help you as you write your introductions this weekend.
The perspective of a single person is never truly reliable, as
everyone has different opinions about a certain thing. In William Blake's
1794 poem, "London," the city is described as a city of corruption and
suffering. This description is unique because in the standard poems written,
humans and their creations, this being a city, are described as beautiful and
similar to paradise. However, London is in contrast to that. Instead, London
is shown from a darker perspective, with corrupt leaders, suffering
innocents, and the city itself decaying. This may have been done because
the poet, or someone speaking to him, describes it as such, considering the
time they lived in and the lives they lead. It is then that London may not be
a perfect place, but no description of the city can be fully reliable, since this
poem is a perspective of one person.
In a corrupt government, the representatives and officials are
primarily motivated by self-interests rather than the people. An example of
a corrupt government is shown in the poem "London" by William Blake,
which was published in 1794. Blake's poem takes place during the
Industrial Revolution. The lower class was affected by the industrial
revolution because of unemployment and the harsh living conditions. Blake
writes from the point of view of someone who understands the struggles of
the lower class. The use of visual and auditory imagery and repetition in
William Blake's poem "London" demonstrates the struggles of the lower
class due to the malfeasant government.
While I think this introduction could have a stronger thesis
statement (what’s the plan?), I think the approach and the
argument are very interesting and show that the student is
thinking deeply about the complexities of the poem. A paper
focusing on the reliability and perspective of the speaker of a
poem would be very interesting to read. That being said, I would
encourage the student to reconsider the use of “the standard
poems,” because I am simply not sure what that means! Standard
Romantic poems? Standard poems of all time?
This is an example of an introduction for a paper analyzing a
text from a Marxist critical approach. Notice that the student
who wrote this did not have to say, “I am analyzing this from a
Marxist critical approach!” It is enough for him/her to engage
in an analysis that examines class, making the idea for the
paper critical and real. I appreciate the student’s use of
“malfeasant” instead of repeating “corrupt,” too. A good idea is
to create a list of synonyms for your big idea word or phrase
that you can use at any time, thereby keeping your paper
cohesive but avoiding redundancy.
Evil is a desire to do profound and malevolent harm to innocent
people. William Blake's Romantic poem, "London" was published in
1794, which was the start of industrialization. As a Romantic poet, Blake
did not appreciate the idea of industrialization. He used nature to help him
get inspired for his works. Industrialization was the gateway for
corruption in the religious aspect of London and was yet another reason
for Romantic poets to detest the idea of industrialization. The poetic
devices in William Blake's poem, "London" uses imagery and smiles to
work together to communicate the message that there are different types
of evil, such as the corruption and fear in the city of London.
Appearance is the way a person or object appeals to the eyes and
mind of a specific group. In William Blake's 1794 poem "London," the
speaker describes the feeling of the streets and city of London in a dark
time. The speaker explains that the sounds and sights of the London
streets are filled with things that fill the mind with horrifying images and
thoughts. William Blake uses auditory and visual imagery, diction of the
phrase "blackening church", and the oxymoron of "marriage-hearse" to
create a horrific and gloomy mood, demonstrating to readers that things
are not always what they appear to be, and the true colors of places and
people come out in the strangest times.
When one thinks of corruption, the idea of dictatorship,
oppression, and manipulation of power come to mind. This is what
William Blake aims to portray in his poem “London,” published in 1794.
He depicts an impoverished society that is concealed by the riches of the
city. The poem illustrates the journey of a wanderer through the poverty
stricken streets of London, thus expressing his initial reaction to an
environment that is foreign to him. William Blake uses repetition of the
word “every” to emphasize the extent to which people are affected by
mass poverty as well as using diction to depict the "blackening church,"
incriminating those in power.
This is a powerful opening sentence that interests me right
away! I like that this student wove context into the
introduction to add to his/her argument instead of detract
from it. There are a few editing changes that would really
improve this introduction. Firstly, be careful not to include
information that is generalized or incorrect; 1794 was not “the
start of” the Industrial Revolution, and part of the reason
nature was so values to Romantics was that valuing nature was a
reaction against industrialization. Secondly, I am confused by
this phrase: “in the religious aspect.” Lastly, remember to avoid
superfluous words. Is “to work together” really necessary?
I like how specific the thesis statement is here. It was not
necessary to add the quotations, but in this case they serve the
purpose of identifying the specific diction and oxymoron that
will be analyzed, so they are not taking away from the
introduction. Like the last introduction, a little bit of editing
could have really made the writing in this introduction more
sophisticated and mature. For example, in the third sentence,
the student writes that the streets “are filled with things that
fill…” Why not exchange “fill” with a more precise word?
Similarly, “the true colors,” a phrase used in the thesis
statement, is too predictable and cliché. Try exchanging that
out with something more mature and sophisticated.
This introduction is cohesive, and I am impressed by the
summary sentence. It is concise, giving the literal action
depicted in the poem. I am also happy to see the speaker being
referred to as a “wanderer” on a “journey” because it implies
the distance, however slight, the speaker might have from the
lives of the impoverished people he observes. Given the
actuality of the argument, however, context would have
improved this introduction. I could see including either the
effects of industrialization or the realities of class disparity.
Additionally, remember that once you give the author’s full
name, you can refer to him/her by last name for the remainder
of the paper: “William Blake” does not need to be repeated.