LI2_01

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Literatura Inglesa 2 
 
 
 
 
 
Let’s have a look at the poem London, by William Blake, which was written during the French Revolution and in which 
he describes the city life. 
 
In this poem, Blake focuses on the social and political background of London and highlights differences between the 
wealth of the ruling classes and the poverty of the common man. Free speech is curtailed as a way to prevent Londoners 
from following the example of their French counterparts. The people of London are described as being weak and full of 
woe revealed by the marks on their faces. There is a repetition on the word "marks" which again stresses the despair 
and tiredness that they seem to be going through because of their oppressed way of life. 
 
 
 
Music was expressed through an increased use of folk melodies. The artist was also important, and society expected 
composers and performers to excercise their creative powers, especially as soloists. The major composers of the era 
include Wolfgang von Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, Giuseppe Verdi and 
Peter Tchaikovsky. 
 
Listen the two pieces of music below and decide which belongs to the enlightenment and which belongs to the 
Romanticism: 
Romanticism 
Englightenment 
 
Activity 
Read the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth and match the interpretation to the lines of the 
poem.