In a London Drawing room (AQA GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
'In a London Drawing Room'
Each poetry anthology at GCSE contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem – printed in full – and asked to compare this printed poem to another. As this is a closed-book exam, you will not have access to the second poem, so you will have to know it from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to revise. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:
The meaning of the poem
The ideas and messages of the poet
How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods
How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology
Below is a guide to George Eliot’s poem 'In a London Drawing Room', from the Worlds and Lives anthology. It includes:
Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam
Overview
In order to answer an essay question on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:
The poem in a nutshell
A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section
A commentary of each of these sections, outlining George Eliot’s intention and message
'In a London Drawing Room' in a nutshell
'In a London Drawing Room', written by the Victorian poet George Eliot, examines London’s urbanisation. The speaker’s critical observations on the view outside comment on the joylessness and disconnection between human beings in the absence of nature.
'In a London Drawing Room' breakdown
Line 1
“The sky is cloudy, yellowed by the smoke.”
Translation
The poem begins describing the speaker’s view from inside their house, specifically from their drawing room (living room)
The speaker describes the sky as cloudy and polluted: “yellowed”
Eliot’s intention
The first line of Eliot’s poem describes a sky that is unnatural and not clear
The “yellowed smoke” refers to pollution created by factories
By beginning the poem this way, Eliot makes it clear the speaker is describing a gloomy, polluted world outside the house
Lines 2–4
“For view there are the houses opposite
Cutting the sky with one long line of wall
Like solid fog: far as the eye can stretch”
Translation
The speaker tells the reader that the view consists entirely of rows of houses
The speaker describes the wall of houses as blocking the sky like thick fog
Eliot’s intention
Eliot expands on the description of the view, using metaphorical language to imply the horizon consists solely of walls:
The speaker’s comparison of the row of walls to “solid fog” emphasises the gloom
Eliot alludes to an invisible sky, implying the absence of nature
Lines 5–6
“Monotony of surface & of form
Without a break to hang a guess upon.”
Translation
The speaker describes the view as monotonous, lacking in colour and variety
The speaker suggests the uniformity leaves no mysteries to “guess upon”
Eliot’s intention
Eliot wishes to draw attention to the “sameness” of the view, implying it does not change:
The poet suggests that this leads to a lack of imagination
Eliot alludes to the idea that urbanisation undermines the mysteries of life and the natural world
Lines 7–9
“No bird can make a shadow as it flies,
For all is shadow, as in ways o’erhung
By thickest canvass, where the golden rays”
Translation
The speaker describes the way the buildings block out the sun
She describes the city covered in a thick material, which the rays of sun cannot penetrate
Eliot’s intention
Eliot describes urban London as dark and without light or warmth:
The speaker repeats “shadow” to emphasise the gloom
The contrast of natural imagery with man-made objects highlights aspects of the natural world that are missing
Lines 10–12
“Are clothed in hemp. No figure lingering
Pauses to feed the hunger of the eye
Or rest a little on the lap of life.”
Translation
The speaker suggests London is “clothed” in a thick material (“hemp”)
The speaker observes the absence of people relaxing
The speaker suggests nobody takes a moment to enjoy life
Eliot’s intention
Eliot’s metaphorical language alludes to rest as crucial to survival:
The reference to “feed” and “hunger” implies that relaxation is as vital as eating
Eliot suggests that, in this new world, human beings do not pause to enjoy life
Lines 13–16
“All hurry on & look upon the ground,
Or glance unmarking at the passers by
The wheels are hurrying too, cabs, carriages
All closed, in multiplied identity.”
Translation
The speaker describes the people they see from their view
The individuals are in such a hurry they do not interact with each other
The reference to “hurrying” vehicles describes the people rushing around the city
The speaker suggests a lack of individuality in the mass of people
Eliot’s intention
Eliot draws attention to Victorian industrialisation:
The repetition of fast transportation implies a negative consequence of this industrialisation, as humans appear to always be in a hurry
Eliot’s repetition of “All” presents the rush of people as extensive, applying to every person in London:
This suggests the pervasiveness of urbanisation
Eliot considers the way human beings have lost their identity as individuals:
She alludes to the idea that humans have become one “closed” body
Lines 17–19
“The world seems one huge prison-house & court
Where men are punished at the slightest cost,
With lowest rate of colour, warmth & joy.”
Translation
The speaker describes London as restrictive by comparing it to a “prison-house”
The speaker concludes that the new urban world lacks compassion and pleasure
It is suggested that the city punishes its citizens
Eliot’s intention
Eliot implies that a negative consequence of industrialisation is that human beings (“men”) have become limited :
Humans are treated harshly and without individuality
Eliot believes this imprisons people
Eliot criticises the way the homogenised city lacks humanity and interest (“colour, warmth and joy”)
Writer’s methods
Although this section is organised into three separate sections – form, structure and language – it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have.
Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes George Eliot’s intentions behind her choices in terms of:
Form
Structure
Language
Form
The poem is in the form of one long stanza to reflect the lack of break in the speaker’s view. In this way, Eliot’s poem appears as a single block of text to allude to the lack of space in urban London. The continuous form, without break or pause, mimics the relentless rush of the city.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
|---|---|---|
Home and heritage | The poem is a 19-line single stanza | Eliot uses the form of the poem to present the monotony of “shape and form”:
|
There is a clear absence of break in the poem’s form | This, perhaps, reflects the view: “one long line of wall” :
| |
Eliot’s poem is long and continuous in order to present urban London as relentlessly busy and dull | ||
Structure
Eliot’s poem uses its structure to mirror the repetitive nature of London life. The lack of rhyme indicates, perhaps, the lack of joy or imagination in the city.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
|---|---|---|
Disconnected relationships | Eliot uses blank verse in the poem:
| Eliot’s speaker refers to a lack of imagination in the urban world, as the skyline of wall leaves little in the way of mystery |
Iambic pentameter contributes to a repetitive, unchanging rhythm | This could, perhaps, mimic the drudgery of daily life in the city: Eliot suggests that little changes | |
Eliot uses enjambment, which creates a free-flowing, ceaseless rhythm | As the poem’s lines run into each other, Eliot reflects the disconnected life of the individuals in the city, not pausing to interact or look around | |
The poem’s structure reflects the speaker’s view of an unchanging, busy and dull city that focuses on haste rather than the joy of life | ||
Language
'In a London Drawing Room' is a critical description of industrialised London. The poem’s vivid imagery draws attention to the absence of nature and joy in the urban world.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
|---|---|---|
Relationships with the world | Eliot contrasts natural imagery with artificial, man-made images:
| Eliot draws attention to the changes in her world by commenting on the way the urban world has taken over the natural world |
Eliot uses metaphor to suggest the urban world does not satisfy humans:
| Here, Eliot refers to the idea that human beings do not thrive in such environments: | |
Eliot personifies nature as comforting, that one can “rest a little on the lap of life” | The poem focuses on the way the urban world leaves no time for rest and appreciation of life | |
Eliot’s comparison of the city to a “prison-house & court” creates a sinister atmosphere | The poem examines the disconnection between individuals in the urban environment as they are punished and restricted | |
Eliot’s criticism of industrialised London centres around the absence of time to think, imagine or appreciate the joy of life, suggesting the absence of nature in the human world contributes to a harsh and miserable existence | ||
Context
Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information: in this case, it is not random biographical information about George Eliot that is unrelated to the ideas in 'In a London Drawing Room'. The best way to understand context is as the ideas and perspectives explored by Eliot in the poem that relate to worlds and lives. This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes, which Eliot explores:
Home and heritage
Relationships with the world
Home and heritage
'In a London Drawing Room' is a poem written by George Eliot in 1869 and published in 1959
George Eliot’s real name was Mary Ann Evans, but she used a pen name to hide her gender in a patriarchal Victorian society
Eliot’s poem criticises her society:
This may be a reflection of the limitations she herself felt
She describes the city as punitive: “men are punished at the slightest cost”
The disconnection Eliot sees between the people in the city is made clear in the poem:
Eliot describes a lack of “colour, warmth & joy”
The population of London grew dramatically in the 19th century:
Eliot’s poem comments on the impact of this urbanisation
Eliot refers to the mass of people rushing on the streets, describing them as “closed”
Relationships with the world
Eliot’s poem comments on changes in the city as a result of the Industrial Revolution
Eliot’s move from her childhood home in rural England to London could, arguably, have led her to comment on the absence of nature in the poem
Eliot's criticism of the impact of industrialisation on the natural world is evident in the way she describes the view outside her home:
Eliot’s opening line, mentioning “yellowed smoke”, refers to the city's pollution
Eliot describes the way the sun is blocked by man-made objects
Her poetry deals with ideas typical of Romantic poetry:
Eliot considers that the absence of nature in the city limits human imagination
She says the wall of houses provide a skyline that is “Without a break to hang a guess upon”
She suggests the urban world leaves no time to enjoy life, or to “rest a little on the lap of life”
What to compare it to
The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about worlds and lives, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that “In a London Drawing Room” explores the ideas of disconnected relationships between human beings and nature, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:
'In a London Drawing Room' and 'Lines Written in Early Spring'
'In a London Drawing Room' and 'England in 1819'
'In a London Drawing Room' and 'With Birds You’re Never Lonely'
For each pair of poems, you will find:
The comparison in a nutshell
Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences
'In a London Drawing Room' and 'Lines Written in Early Spring'
Comparison in a nutshell:
Both George Eliot’s 'In a London Drawing Room' and William Wordsworth’s 'Lines Written in Early Spring' employ speakers who explore their feelings about their place in the world, especially in relation to their environment. Both poems examine how a disconnection from nature affects individuals negatively, and takes joy and harmony from their lives. However, while Eliot describes a dreary urban environment, Wordsworth sets his poem in a pleasant pastoral setting.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems explore disconnections between human relationships and the natural world | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'In a London Drawing Room' | 'Lines Written in Early Spring' |
Eliot’s speaker notices the way the individuals on the street ignore each other:
| Wordsworth’s speaker reflects on the way humans treat each other:
| |
Eliot’s speaker is pessimistic:
| The speaker’s tone is similarly pessimistic:
| |
Eliot comments on how urbanisation has disconnected humans from the universe:
| Wordsworth argues that humans have forgotten a “holy plan”, a sacred connection with the universe:
| |
Both poems explore how external worlds impact human beings’ inner lives | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | While Eliot describes an urban setting to comment on its joylessness, Wordsworth describes the beauty of nature to convey how this can bring humanity pleasure | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'In a London Drawing Room' | 'Lines Written in Early Spring' |
Eliot’s poem describes the lack of harmony on the London streets:
| In contrast, Wordsworth’s poem describes how living things gain pleasure from harmonious relationships:
| |
Eliot comments on the way human beings outside her window seem to have lost connection with their world and each other:
| The speaker personifies “Nature”, representing it as a force that runs through the “human soul” | |
Eliot describes the lack of joy in the world she sees:
| In contrast, Wordsworth explores how living things find joy in simple everyday activities:
| |
While Eliot describes a monotonous and darkened city street, Wordsworth describes a pleasant and tranquil rural setting in order to raise questions about humanity’s relationship with the natural world | ||
'In a London Drawing Room' and 'England in 1819'
Comparison in a nutshell:
This is an effective comparative choice to explore individual’s responses to their changing worlds. Both poets describe their concern as they observe their environment and recognise a disconnected relationship between the individuals and their world. While George Eliot describes an urban London that brings misery and punishment for those within it, Percy Bysshe Shelley focuses his poem on a corrupted England.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems are a critique of their environment | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'In a London Drawing Room' | 'England in 1819' |
Eliot describes a miserable and dreary London, commenting on the “cloudy” sky and the wall of buildings like “solid fog” | Shelley, too, uses natural imagery to describe England as “tempestuous”:
| |
Eliot’s speaker describes their home, London, as full of suffering:
| Shelley describes his world similarly:
| |
The speakers’ description of their environments suggest their unease and concern as they imply their homeland is a place of punishment and despair | ||
Topic sentence | Both poems comment on the disconnected relationships of those who inhabit their homeland | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'In a London Drawing Room' | 'England in 1819' |
Eliot draws attention to the way the inhabitants of London seem blind to the joy of life or individuality:
| Shelley comments on a similar idea, that the inhabitants of England are led by rulers who do not see them as individuals:
| |
Eliot criticises her world by describing London as punitive and without compassion or joy:
| Shelley’s criticism of England is similarly pessimistic:
| |
Both poems describe their homeland as corrupted, which in turn corrupts its people as they become embittered | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | George Eliot’s poem describes the urbanisation of London, which she suggests brings suffering to its inhabitants, while Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem describes a country made desperate as a result of poor leadership | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'In a London Drawing Room' | 'England in 1819' |
Eliot offers a gloomy description of London using natural imagery:
| Shelley’s description, while equally gloomy, focuses on the corrupt institutions in the country:
| |
Eliot goes further, describing urban London’s mundane and dreary environment as restrictive:
| Shelley, however, presents a more dramatic and urgent message about his world, using metaphorical language relating to death:
| |
Eliot’s poem is a critique of the way industrialisation and urbanisation has made her world bleak and depressing, while Shelley’s poem is a harsh criticism of corrupted institutions that bring death and destruction | ||
'In a London Drawing Room' and 'With Birds You’re Never Lonely'
Comparison in a nutshell:
Both George Eliot’s 'In a London Drawing Room' and Raymond Antrobus' 'With Birds You're Never Lonely' explore contrasts between the natural world and the world of humans. Both poems consider the significance of connecting with nature to find peace and harmony. While Eliot’s Victorian poem describes London as changing as a result of industrialisation and urbanisation, Antrobus compares two modern worlds: urban London and rural New Zealand.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems highlight disconnected relationships as a result of an urbanised world | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'In a London Drawing Room' | 'With Birds You’re Never Lonely' |
Eliot contrasts the urban environment with natural imagery to convey how the natural world is obscured from view:
| Correspondingly, Antrobus compares urban and rural life using contrasting imagery:
| |
Eliot comments on the way the industrialised world limits humans and creates disconnected relationships:
| Antrobus' poem, too, considers disconnected human relationships, describing the city environment as joyless and isolating:
The speaker describes the solitude of London:
| |
The poets both comment on the way the natural world offers joy and comfort to humans in comparison to an urban world that is devoid of joy, variety and love | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | Eliot’s poem describes a bleak Victorian London at the time of the Industrial Revolution, while Antrobus' poem explores a modern perspective in which a connection to the natural world can still be found in rural communities | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'In a London Drawing Room' | 'With Birds You’re Never Lonely' |
Eliot refers to the changes observed in London during industrialisation:
| Antrobus' poem is set in modern, urban London, opening in a noisy coffee shop:
| |
Eliot’s poem ends without resolution, using a triple to make a grim conclusion about the city: “With lowest rate of colour, warmth & joy.” | Antrobus' speaker finds comfort in the memory of his time in New Zealand:
| |
Eliot’s poem examines how urbanisation can lead to a busy and joyless life, whereas Antrobus explores the solitude of urban life and the comfort found in traditional, rural worlds | ||
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