Meaning & Analysis
To 'agree like the clocks of London' means to not agree at all. The proverb refers to a time when London's public clocks were not synchronized, each displaying a different time, thus serving as a symbol of complete disagreement.
Insights
Systemic Disharmony
The proverb is a powerful metaphor for any group, institution, or system plagued by a complete lack of coordination and internal conflict. It describes a state where individual components operate without regard for the whole, leading to systemic chaos.
Critique of False Unity
By using a simile of agreement to denote its opposite, the proverb functions as a critique of false or superficial unity. It mocks situations where harmony is claimed or expected but the reality is rampant discord.
Inversion of Order
The clocks, instruments of order and precision, become symbols of chaos. This inversion suggests that the very systems designed to create order can, through neglect or flawed design, become sources of disarray and confusion.
Historical Urban Anarchy
Rooted in the pre-standardized era before Greenwich Mean Time, this proverb reflects a time when London's public clocks were notoriously unsynchronized, each keeping its own time. It captures the chaotic reality of urban life before the technological enforcement of uniformity.
Technological Obsolescence
The proverb has become a historical artifact. In an age of atomic clocks and global synchronization, its literal basis has vanished. Its survival depends on understanding its ironic historical context, highlighting how technological progress can render a once-potent metaphor obsolete.
Psychology of Systemic Failure
The proverb uses the expectation of precision associated with clocks to amplify the sense of discord. It's a psychological jab at situations where components of a system (e.g., committee members, government departments) are expected to work in concert but instead operate with complete independence and lack of harmony.
Rhetorical Devices
Irony
The proverb's primary power comes from irony, where the statement's explicit meaning (agreement) is the complete opposite of its intended meaning (total disagreement).
Satirical Simile
A satirical simile is used to create a vivid, memorable image of discord. The comparison to unsynchronized clocks makes the abstract concept of disagreement concrete and humorous.
Symbolism
The 'clocks of London' serve as a collective symbol for systemic chaos and the failure of coordination, turning a mundane feature of city life into a potent metaphor for dysfunction.
Transcription
Quotations
The Preachers of England begin to strike and agree like the Clocks of England, that neuer meete jumpe on a point togther.
(like London clocks).
Not at all.
(like London-Clocks).
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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