In the poem, “London” written by William Blake, the city of London and its people is being controlled by the government that mistreats its citizens. This paper will show the similarities and differences each story and its effects of tragedy. In the story, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”, Marquee tells the story of an angel-like man who falls from the sky into the courtyard of Appeal and Lessened. The angel-like man is seen when the couple is out in the courtyard disposing crabs. They believe the odor from the crabs is causing their newborn to become ill.
Appeal sees something from a distance and hear sounds of moaning. The author writes, “He had o go very lose to see that it was an old man, a very old man, lying face down in the mud, who, in spite of his tremendous efforts, couldn’t get up, impeded by his enormous wings” (638). At first, they describe him as a raspier with little to no hair. They had no clue what he is so, they called the neighbor woman to evaluate the man. She says, “He’s an angel. He must have been coming for the child, but the poor fellow is so old that the rain knocked him down” (639).
She suggests they should kill the angel-like man. Instead of killing the man, they place him into their chicken coop. Later that night, their child awakes without a fever and gains his appetite. Acknowledging this, the couple rejoices and decides to put the angel on a raft and send him out to sea with food and drinks for three days. However, before Appeal and Lessened could send the angel-like man off, the whole neighborhood is there to see the angel-like man. Even the town’s priest came out to see him but he doubts that the man is an angel because he looks human-like, smells, and covered in bugs.
The author says, “The parish priest had his first suspicion of an imposter when he saw he id not understand the language of God or how to greet His ministers” (640). The priest thought it was Just another act. The people all over town became curious of the angel-like man in search of good health. Lessened thinks to fence in the yard and charger the observers a fee to see him. People tried to feed him, poke him, burn him and throw stones at him to get an arousal from him. The angel-like man’s feathers began to frail, wings cripple, and grow weak.
As time progress, the couple saves enough money to build a mansion. The child is healthy and is in school. Having to arrive the worst winter, the angel-like man health improves and he is determined to spread his wings. Lessened catches the angle-like man from the kitchen window and is relieved that he is gone. The movie, “Endgame” written by Becket, tells the story of a group of people living in a house and think that the world has come to an end. The movie begins with Clove pulling the curtains from two small windows on opposite sides of the room. Clove walks with a limb.
He chuckles as he takes the sheets off of two garbage cans that Nell and Nag lives in, he also takes the sheet off the chair that Ham sits in. Right before Clove goes into the kitchen; he turns to say, “Finished. It’s finished. It must be nearly finished. ” Ham takes the old handkerchief from his face and places it over his lap and cleans his glasses. He blows for Clove to help him to bed. They bicker back and forth. Ham’s parents rise from the garbage can. They examine each other to make sure they can hear and see each other. They laugh and reminisce about “yesterday. Nell is uncomfortable and becomes unhappy with the living condition her son has her in. Nag is comical. He enjoys telling Jokes about things they use to o. Clove also helps Ham with his parents. They eat dog biscuits and have “sawdust” in their cans to use the bathroom. Nag tells Nell a long Joke hoping to cheer her up but she’s not enlightened by his humor. Unhappy and discouraged, they go back down into their cans. Ham commands Clove to push him around the room. As Clove does as he is told, the blind guy reaches out to touch the wall. Ham refers to the wall as the “other hell”.
Clove brings him back to the center of the room. Ham directs him to place him in the same exact spot in the center of the room. Ham asks Clove for the weather. Clove gets a microscope from the kitchen. He looks out the window and describes to Ham what he sees. Ham then ask Clove, “We not beginning to mean something? ” Clove laughs it off. Ham then questions Clove about how he is feeling, and reminds him that he still has his eyes and legs to use. Clove seems bothered with the question Ham asks and threatens to leave. Ham recalls moments with Clove’s father.
Ham uses food and fear of what could happen if Clove decides to leave. Ham uses the fact that Clove has no place to go and no food to keep him as a revere to him but Clove wants nothing more than to leave. Ham requests for his dog so Clove goes into the kitchen and returned with a stuffed dog. They then discuss how Ham will know when Clove leaves. Clove thinks to set an alarm when he finally leaves. Moments after, Ham has Clove to wake up his Nag to tell him a story. He agrees to listen if he gives him a sugar plum. After he tells the story, he yells, “there are no sugar plums. Nag remembers when little Ham and how he calls for him because he’s scared of the dark. He then knocks on Knell’s can; when he did not get a respond, e went back down in his can. Clove cleans up the mess around the room. Ham ask, “What are you doing? ” Clove yells, putting things in order! ” Ham commands Clove to check for his mother. Clove discovers that she is dead. His father cries quietly next to her. Ham shows no remorse. Ham demands him to push him to the window so he can feel the sunlight. Clove does as told and places him back in the same spot.
As Clove take a look out the window he sees a young boy. Ham assures him that there is nothing but death outside. Clove goes into the kitchen and grabs a clock. First, he hangs it on the wall then he places it on top of the garbage can. Clove becomes irritated and threatens to leave. He packs his things and stands quietly at the steps. Ham calls for Clove but he does not answer. “Good,” he says. He calls out for his father but he does not answer either. He cleans his glasses and places the handkerchief over his face. He sits there quiet and alone.
In the poem, “London” by Blake, the speaker talks about the event that takes place as he walk the streets of London. In the first stanza, Blake speaks about the people of London being sad and oppressed from the strict laws of London. The poet writes, “l wander through each chartered street, near where the chartered Thames does flow, And mark in every face meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe” (lines 1-4). He warns us that the streets and rivers are being controlled by a sovereign power. Every person he sees is in distress and weak among other sickness. In the second stanza, he describes the feelings of the people.
He writes, “In every cry of every man, in every infant’s cry of fear, in every voice, in every ban, the mind-forged manacles I hear” (lines 5-8). He witnesses the cries of men and the fear of each child. Although they were banned from freedom to express themselves, he could still read their expressions as if it is written on their face. In the eighth line he uses “mind-forged manacles” to describe a people who are suffering and frightened and their feelings are imprisoned in their own mind. In the third stanza, he tells how some have become used to this way of life.
He writes, “How the chimney-sweeper’s cry every blacking church appeals; and the hapless soldier’s sigh runs in blood down palace walls” (lines 9-12). He tells how the blood of soldiers who fought battles is poured down the walls of the palace. He is even appalled by the churches. In the final stanza, he tells of a curse placed on women. He writes, “But most through midnight streets I hear how the youthful harlot’s curse blasts the new born infant’s tear, and blights with plagues the marriage hearse” (lines 13-16). There’s a young girl who resorts to prostitution and wonders the street every night. Some have been cursed.
When the rich get married in a carriage, it will be cursed and her carriage might turn out to be a hearse. In conclusion, each author illustrates a familiar feeling of tragedy in three different ways. In “London,” Blake uses the word “marks” in the first stanza to mean the visible marks, the metaphorical scars, left by the controlling, oppressive system which is leaving the people of London vulnerable. Whereas in “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” Marquee uses the angel-like man magical wings, which should lift him to great heights, become the very thing that keep him from even getting out of the mud.
