London by Samuel Johnson Questions and Answers Marks 2
1. What is epigraph? Mention the epigraph of the poem ‘London’.
The epigraph means an inscription on a statue, building, or coin, or a short quotation, introducing a book or chapter of a book.
Johnson’s epigraph in London’is taken from that of the ‘Third Satire’ of Juvenal. In the English rendering this is – For who, however, he steels himself, can bear the absurdity of this city and restrain his rage’ .
2. How does the poet’s London’ begin?
The poet begins with a sense of grief and affection. He is affectionate for his friend and feels grief for his departure from him.
3. Whom does the poet bid farewell, for what and how?
The poet bids farewell to his friend Thales. The identy of this friend is not clearly known.
Probably he might be an impoverished and unhappy poet Savage, very close to Johnson in his early days of London.
He bids farewell for his friend’s departure from London to Cambria (Wales). His farewell expresses both his grief for his departure and affection for him.
4. “I praise the hermiy but regret the friend?”
-Who is the friend? Why does he praise the hermit and regret the friend?
The friend is see above 3.
The poet praises the hermit, meaning the friend, who has avoided an artificial life in a corrupt city, London, and prefers to stay in the countryside of Wales, honestly like a phermit. Though the poet misses the company of his friend, he admires the decision of his friend to choose an innocent life of a hermit in a countryside.
5. ‘And, find on Cambria’s solitary shore’ What do you know of Cambria? Who is to be fix thereon?
Cambria is actually the name of Wales, a part of Great Britain. The poet’s friend Thales is to be fixed on the solitary shore of Cambria for a quiet and saintly living.
6. What do you know of St. David?
He was the parton saint of Wales and deemed as a true Briton whom neither the Romans nor the English Anglo-Saxon invaders could overcome.
7. ‘For who would leave, unbrib’d Hibernia’s land.” -What is Hibernia’s Land? Why the term ‘unbrib’d’ is used? Hibernia is Ireland.
The expression ‘unbrib’d’ is used to indicate the sense of the difference of the place from London, exposed fully to the crime of bribery.
8. What elements of vices and misfortune are mentioned by the poet in connection with London?
The elements include vice, malice, rapine, accident, fire, riot and the hidden attack, at any time.
9. Where does Greenwich stand? What is its importance?
Greenwich stands on the bank of the river Thames. Its importance lies as the birth-place of the great English Queen Elizabeth.
10. ‘Behold her cross triumphant on the Main’ -Who is meant here? What is the sense of Cross?
Queen Elizabeth is meant here. Cross’ refers to the flag of the English navy with the mark of the Red Cross of St. George on a white ground. It is now incorporated into the British union Jack, along with the flag of St. Andrew of Scotland and St. Patrick of Ireland.
11. ‘Dread of Spain’-What sense does this convey?
This conveys the sense of the triumph of the English navy under the captaincy of Drake over the Spanish Armada in 1588, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
12. ‘Excise oppressed’-What is indicated herein?
‘Excise’ refers to a tax payable to the sale of certain commodities, such as gin, tea, tobacco. Walpole, for the purpose of increasing that tax, introduced a bill in 1733, but that measure proved extremely unpopular and much criticised.
13. …. in these degenerated Days.’ –What were those degenerating days?
Those degenerating days were the hard times of his misrule of England by the acts corruption and oppression by Walpole and his favourites.
14. ‘Some pleasing Bank’—Where was that ‘pleasing bank’? Why was it pleasing?
That ‘pleasing bank’ was in Wales.
That was pleasing for natural beauty and scenic charms.
15. ‘Here let those reign’ -Who may reign and where?
The poet means here those followers and favourites of Walpole who indulged in doing wrong for money, received as pensions from the government and had no conscience or moral sense of right or wrong.
16. ‘With warbing Eunuchs fill a licensed stage’—Who are warbling Eunuchs? What is a licensed stage?
The warbing (loud voice) eunuchs were the Indian castrati singers of the opera houses, much favoured and patronized by the king George II. A licensed stage referred to the performance, permitted to perform after getting the exemption from the restoration of the Licensing Act then in force.
17. What is the Daily Gazetteer?
The Dailty Gazetteer was the official paper of the Whig party at that time, founded in 1735. It carried the opinions of the Whig government on all matters of political and social significance, including cultural affairs.
18. What does the name Orgilio suggest?
The name ‘Origilio’ (from the French Orguell, meaning ‘pride’), Johnson defines Orgillous as proud, haughty. Orgilio in the poem London is a parallel to Verres in Juvenal’s poem. Verres was a very corrupt governor of Sicily. Johnson seems to use the name to represent Walpole.
19. Who was Marlb’rough?
He was a famous British general at the time of the War of Spanish Succession. He was John Churchill. He was particularly known for his avarice. He built a very magnificent palace_Blenheim Palace, outside Oxford, with the gains (not all scrupulous) from the war.
20. ‘Illustrious Edward’-Who was he?
The reference here is to Edward III who ruled during the period (1327-1377). During his reign, England won great victories over France, including the battle of Crecy in 1346.
21. ‘And lisp the Tale of Henry’s Victories’ –Who was Henry? What was his great victory?
The reference is to Henry V, the English king.
He won several victories in his campaigns in France. His most notable victory was Agincourt in 1415.
22. ‘Can Balbo’s Eloquence applaud,’ What is meant here?
Balbo in Latin stands for stammering. The actual sense is one whose name conveys his incompetence as a speaker. Johnson satirically points out here the senseless flattery of the supporters of the Whig party for political favour.
23. “…. a Farm a Lottery.” What is meant here?
Johnson here sarcastically alludes to a practice of Walpole’s government to raise money by means of the government sponsored lottery for an agreed amount, and keep the difference between that amount and the sum actually pooled.
24. ‘Or like a Gibbet better than a wheel.’—What are the Gibbet and the wheel? What was practised in England?
The gibbet was gallows used for hanging the murderers, where the wheel the method of execution practised till the introduction of the guillotine during French Revolution.
The gibbet was practised in England for the capital punishment.
London by Samuel Johnson London by Samuel Johnson London by Samuel Johnson London by Samuel Johnson
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