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.