This deep dive covers The Three Powers Blake Attacks within London (Blake) for GCSE English Literature. Revise London (Blake) in Power and Conflict Poetry for GCSE English Literature with 10 exam-style questions and 16 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 3 of 15 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
🔍 The Three Powers Blake Attacks
Blake names his targets through symbols. The "black'ning Church" is stained by its complicity — it preaches charity while children sweep chimneys, so Blake makes it morally dirty. The "hapless Soldier's sigh" runs "in blood down palace walls", binding the monarchy to violence: the State sends men to die and their blood marks the seat of power. And "chartered" attacks commerce: even the river, a force of nature, has been turned into property. Blake builds his case institution by institution until the whole city is indicted.
Quick Check: Why does Blake repeat the word "chartered" rather than simply saying the streets were busy or poor?
Because "chartered" carries the idea of ownership and legal control. Blake chooses it to argue that power has bought up even the streets and the river — nature itself — so the city is a place of restriction, not freedom. The repetition makes the ownership feel total.
Practice questions for London (Blake)
In Blake's poem 'London', what does the word 'chartered' most closely mean?
Identify ONE structural or formal feature Blake uses in 'London' and explain how it contributes to the poem's meaning. (2 marks)