London Poems Essay

Wordsworth and Blake each use language in different ways to present their own view of ondon. They both reveal their feelings through their viewpoint, the way they have structured their poems and the poetic devices each of them use. Wordsworth wrote his ‘On Westminster Bridge’ on September 3rd 1802 as a result of him riding a stage coach over Westminster Bridge. Wordsworth’s view of London from Westminster Bridge is from a fair distance away because he doesn’t describe the ground level in much detail, nor does he describe people with much detail. His view of London is quite broad, â€Å"Dear God! The very houses seem asleep†. Aswell as being far away, he is also situated quite high up to get this broad view that he describes. The time of day in which the poem is set is early morning. He mentions the air being smokeless, â€Å"..in the smokeless air†. His poem suggests that he thought that London was usually a horrible,dirty and mucky place. But when he sees London’s air clear and clean, â€Å"Ne’er saw I, never felt a calm so deep!† This shows he doesn’t visit London very often. Wordsworth’s peom focuses more on the general look of London. He is more concerned with buildings and atmosphere of london rather than the details of people and their lives. ‘On Westminster Bridge’ is written in the form of a sonnet. He tells us about what he can see, â€Å"..ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples..†. His feelings at the start of the poem are more overtly shown, but the farther you read into the poem, his feelings become more apparent.The last six lines or seset shows his feelings about London and how is opinion has changed from his original view of London, â€Å"Dear God!†. He is suprised how differnt London can look. In addition, William Wordsworth uses various poetic devices to make his sonnet have more depth and feeling and to create a picture in the readers mind of how London used to be in his eyes. He uses similes, â€Å"The city now doth, like a garment†. He is trying to make it easier for the reader to create an image in their head by saying one thing is like another. The poem also has personification included, â€Å"The river glideth at his own sweet will†, â€Å"The very houses seem asleep†. One other example is â€Å"The sun in his first splendour†. The personification that he uses gives the pictures in your head some animation by saying that they have human characteristics. Wordsworth also uses symbolism, â€Å"And all that the mighty heart is lying still†. All these methods are each in turn creating images in the reader’s head. Overall, Wordsworth’s poem is a more general view with a change in his point of view within the poem. Blake on the otherhand writes from a very different point of view. he form os his peom differs from Wordsworths. Blake focuses on the people in the city and they are like. Blake’s view is from ground level so includes a lot more detail. Because Blake’s view is much closer than Wordsworth’s, Blake’s view point is much narrower. Blake takes a much closer look at peoples lives and he thinks that this is the key to what London is all about, the people. Blake generally employs different peotic devices from Wrodsworth’s to put across his point of view on London. Blake uses repetition to emphasize his view on London and to try and make it look as if everyone is the same. It also has some metaphors too, â€Å"Mind-forged manacles† and â€Å"..plagues the marriage hearse†. The Blake poem uses hyperbole to criticize London and the sadness and malice of the people who live their. Blake’s London brutally painted is a dark, dirty, disease ridden and deprived place. Unlike the Wordsworth poem, it leaves you in no doubt as to the authors feelings on the subject. Blake’s poem conveys his feelings in a more abstract style, when he uses the people and buildings of London to represent the institutions which they are associated with. He uses the image of a church to criticise religious establishments and a palace to signify the state, and authorities who control it. He gives the image of the â€Å"Soldier’s sigh running in blood down palace-walls†. Here he is attacking the monarchy and government for condemning young men to death by sending them off to fight in foreign wars. Wordsworth and Blake each have different views on London. Wordsworth shows how nice,warm and calm London can look in the early morning, proving people wrong that its not always grimy and dirty. However Blake’s poem is more against London, trying to prove that it makes people miserable and that everyone feels the same way. Both these poems, in my opinion, share feelings of concern and disgust for London. If i had to pick which one I prefered I would choose the Blake poem. This is because the meaning of the words is more clearcut. I accept the point of view of Wordsworth, how it can be clean and not always dirty and horrible as some may think.