William Blake’s ‘London’ and Charles Martin’s ‘Easter Sunday’ are two pieces of poetry that reflect opposing perspectives of power. ‘London’ is sharp and seminal text that has been written in order to draw the reader’s attention to the persona’s observations and encounters of the conditions of London and the communal experience of its residents. The poem is a damning condemnation of a very corrupted society dominated by the power of materialism and the hypocritical paradigm that legitimates such social injustice. The poet employs a concerned tone in order to foster sympathy for the people living in these oppressed conditions. In contrast, ‘Easter Sunday’ is a wrenching statement in sonnet form, combining political and religious despair with
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‘Easter Sunday was a poem written during 1985 in the heart of the events of The Guatemalan civil war which spanned for thirty- six (1954-1990) and saw the disappearance of up to 50, 000 individuals by military forces. Thus, Charles Martin’s poem establishes president Guatemala’s fear of those he condemned to death uprising against him. ‘London’ (1794) was published 200 years prior to ‘Easter Sunday’, communicating a similar idea of civil instability and political oppression. In this time frame of the 1700s the world was captivated by the events of the French revolution, a model for how ordinary, disadvantaged people could revolt against the monarchy and aristocracy, using violence and murder to overthrow those in power. Thereby, as witnesses of this politically and socially reforming movement, Britain’s intellectual and political spheres responded to the current trends in France. The British citizens began to make correlations between their monetary struggles and political corruption. Blake alludes to the revolution in ‘London’, arguably suggesting that the experience of living there could encourage a revolution on the streets of the capital. Therefore, both poems present the idea of rebellion; Easter Sunday depicts the General 's fear and his need to suppress rebellion, whereas, London alludes to the leadership in the context of the time needed to control the people and subdue any potential revolts, in order to ensure their
‘Easter Sunday was a poem written during 1985 in the heart of the events of The Guatemalan civil war which spanned for thirty- six (1954-1990) and saw the disappearance of up to 50, 000 individuals by military forces. Thus, Charles Martin’s poem establishes president Guatemala’s fear of those he condemned to death uprising against him. ‘London’ (1794) was published 200 years prior to ‘Easter Sunday’, communicating a similar idea of civil instability and political oppression. In this time frame of the 1700s the world was captivated by the events of the French revolution, a model for how ordinary, disadvantaged people could revolt against the monarchy and aristocracy, using violence and murder to overthrow those in power. Thereby, as witnesses of this politically and socially reforming movement, Britain’s intellectual and political spheres responded to the current trends in France. The British citizens began to make correlations between their monetary struggles and political corruption. Blake alludes to the revolution in ‘London’, arguably suggesting that the experience of living there could encourage a revolution on the streets of the capital. Therefore, both poems present the idea of rebellion; Easter Sunday depicts the General 's fear and his need to suppress rebellion, whereas, London alludes to the leadership in the context of the time needed to control the people and subdue any potential revolts, in order to ensure their