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Show how in his pair of poems, "The Echoing Green" and "London", Blake demonstrates his own thoughts and feelings about changes taking place in contemporary life.

Both 'The Echoing Green' and 'London' show Blake's feelings about changes taking place in contemporary life and reveal the impact of industrialisation on the landscape and society of Blake's England.

Both poems were written during the Industrial revolution, which Blake was opposed to, and portray contrasting images of society, one spoilt by revolution and one seemingly untouched by it.

The first stanza of The Echoing Green includes lots of imagery from the natural world, 'The sky-lark and thrush. The mention of birds symbolises freedom, untouched by the constraints of the industrial revolution and is also a symbol of innocence. The bird must have been an important symbol in the poem for Blake as it is included in his first illustrated plate for the poem.

There are no natural images in London and even the 'Thames' which as a river could be show as very natural has been constrained, 'charter'd' and industrialised by the revolution.

The 'charter'd streets' and the entire London landscape has been enclosed, contrasting with the freedom in nature shown in the echoing green, 'the sun does arise'

The community in The Echoing Green is very together which contrasts with London's very separated society. 'Our' is used throughout The Echoing Green and 'they laugh at our play' shows the adults together as a community and shows the generations being brought together by the sports. In contrast, London begins with an individual voice, 'I'. Although the people of London are in a similar situation, 'every face' has 'marks of woe' and both 'Man' and 'Infants ry' they are separated and divided by industrialisation.

London begins with, 'I wander thro' each charter'd street' suggesting a lack of direction and a feeling that he finds it difficult to fit into the new industrialised society. The 'I' shows him alone as an individual as it he does not feel part of a community.

In The Echoing Green there is the innocent presence of children, 'the little ones' who gather 'round the laps of their mothers'. In London however, there is no innocence. The infants are crying and 'the youthful Harlots curse' emphasises that children are losing their innocence and the affect it has on families and society, is the same as a 'curse'.

As the Echoing Green Progresses it highlights a change in society. The images at the beginning of the poem are 'happy', 'merry' and 'chearful' and the natural images and young children playing show an innocent happy community.

'Old John' and the 'old folk' comment on pre-industrialised society saying, 'such such were the joys, when we all girls & boys, in our youth time' suggesting a change in the community now.

The word 'echoing' used to describe the green suggests continuation, that this way of life in ongoing, but the change in the last stanza to 'darkening' symbolises this way of life ending, as the day ends. With the industrialisation the landscape did get dark, as taller buildings were

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