“City Jungle” by Pie Corbett, “London” by William Blake and “Londinium” by Catatonia are poems that share the same theme: cities and city life. They each have negative opinions of cities and similar themes and messages, that cities are unpleasant. The poems are however, vastly different in their style; “City Jungle” has a fun atmosphere, whereas “Londinium” and “London” have depressing atmospheres (especially “London”).
“City jungle” is simple, direct and modern title that paradoxically compares cities to jungles; both are over crowded, hostile places though are opposite extremes on the spectrum of civilisation and nature. “City Jungle” maybe a description of cities in general rather one specific city as we are not told which city is being described.
“London” is another simple, direct and modern title (although the poem itself is complex and old-fashioned). We know that London is the city being described in the poem because of the title “London” and the description of the River Thames and of Buckingham Palace.
“Londinium” is a direct title that uses the Latin translation for London to give us a sense of history, because London is an old city. We know that London is the city being described because of the title “Londinium” and of the description of Euston and Paddington train stations and of the M25.
The poem “City Jungle” is a modern, humorous poem that demonstrates the likeness of cities to jungles by describing commonplace city objects as jungle creatures, “Lizard cars cruse by”.
“London” is a Victorian poem in which Blake expresses his opinions on the ill state of London and effects of the industrial revolution on 18 th and 19 th century society of which the poor were victims.
In “Londinium” Catatonia (a famous singer/song writer from Wales) autobiographically expresses that she would like to leave London and go, perhaps home to Wales because of the capitalism, commercialism and pollution of London.
The poem “City Jungle” is a modern, humorous poem that demonstrates the likeness of cities to jungles by describing commonplace city objects as jungle creatures, “Lizard cars cruse by”.
“London” is a Victorian poem in which Blake expresses his opinions on the ill state of London and effects of the industrial revolution on 18 th and 19 th century society of which the poor were victims.
In “Londinium” Catatonia (a famous singer/song writer from Wales) autobiographically expresses that she would like to leave London and go, perhaps home to Wales because of the capitalism, commercialism and pollution of London.
Both “London” and “Londinium” are written in the first person narrative in such a style that it is like the poet is talking to us. Blake describes to us what he sees as he walks around London and Catatonia communicates her opinions of London whilst she is in a taxi. “City Jungle” is written in narrative but in the third person, unlike “London” and “Londinium”. “London” is written in an old fashioned, formal style, the language “Londinium” is colloquial and the language in “City Jungle” is metaphorical.
The atmospheres of all three poems are fundamentally the same, depressing, negative and sinister. However the poets’ approaches to the depression and negativity are quite different. Although “City Jungle” depressing it has a comical and bizarre atmosphere,
“A motorbike snarls;
Dustbins flinch.”. “London” has an apparently depressing atmosphere, as does “Londinium”. It is clear to see that Blake is genuinely distressed by what he sees when walking around London, Catatonia merely finds the place unpleasant and has a desire to leave it.
“City Jungle” absolutely brims with imagery, metaphors and personification (in fact there is not a single sentence without a metaphor or personification). “shop doorways keep their mouths shut.” And “Streetlights bare their yellow teeth” are but a few examples. I find it interesting that there are not metaphors in “City Jungle” that are not also personification. I think that Pie Corbett uses so much personification and metaphorical language to create an image in the in the reader’s mind of a city and a jungle inter – mingled so that the reader can realise how alike they are. “City Jungle” also contains some alliteration, “hunched houses cough” and “The gutter gargles”; the former referring to the pollution of cities.
Although William Blake does not use much vivid imagery, metaphors are abundant in “London” such as “In every voice, in every ban, the mind – forg’d manacles I hear” this is also alliteration. In this Blake means that ordinary peoples’ minds are controlled and imprisoned by the minds of other people in more powerful positions. “How the chimney – sweepers cry Every blackening church appalls” is metaphorical and means that the church, which he thinks is becoming ever more corrupt is failing to solve the problem of children working as chimney sweeps. Blake also criticises the monarchy for all the blood shed it had caused through conquest, “And the hapless soldiers’ sigh Runs in blood down palace walls.”, another example of metaphorical language. Blake is distressed most of all by the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases caused by the services of young prostitutes being more frequently hired, which Blake believes to be betraying the sanctity of marriage, “How the youthful harlot’s curse Blasts the new born infants tear. And blights with plagues the marriage hearse.”. Blake uses contemporary Victorian language which is now old fashioned, such as, “Near where the chartered Thames does flow,”, meaning that even the River Thames is controlled. Blake also uses words like “infant”, “woe” and “Harlot” which are now rarely used.
In “Londinium” Catatonia uses Colloquial language such as, “showbiz hugs The life out of me” and “Have some dignity honey”. I think Catatonia uses such language because “Londinium” is a “pop” song and I think she used such language to reflect how Londoners usually converse. The language in “Londonium” is however much more metaphorical than ordinary conversation, “I won’t drink the poison Thames”; I think this refers to the pollution in London as does “My black cab rolls through the neon disease”. Catatonia also personifies London; “London never sleeps,” and “London always creeps” are both negative descriptions of London. The language in “Londinium” becomes more positive towards the end as Catatonia leaves London, “I’ll come alive I’ll come alive”.
“City Jungle”, “London” and “Londinium” have vastly different structures, especially “City Jungle” from “London”. “London” constitutes of four quatrains each consisting of four lines with an alternate rhyming pattern. “City Jungle” on the other hand has no rhyming pattern and is written in free verse, all of which are of different length. The poem is completely irregular and haphazard, rather like a city. “Londinium” is a song and its structure has the qualities of one. It is written in free verse with an irregular rhythm and rhyming patter and has a chorus that repeats itself throughout the poem.
Although all three poems express their poets’ dislike of cities, they were written for different purposes. “City Jungle” and “Londinium” do not confront any serious issues, unlike “London” in which William Blake tries to make people realise how he believed that society in Britain was degenerating. I prefer “London” to “City Jungle” and “Londinium” because I prefer traditional style poems and it has real purpose unlike the others.
