The type of people that Blake saw must have been the poor and working class people in the narrow and grimy streets of, for example, Whitechapel. He describes the marks of weakness not just of the body but the spirit. Working class people had to work huge amounts of time for very little pay in return. The working hours per week often ran to seventy-two. The problem with such long hours was that the conditions in the factories were horrid, awful, dirty, grimy, very hot and tiring to work in. All of these factors have created the bodily marks that Blake is describing. The marks of woe that Blake describes are marks of distress, sorrow, trouble and misfortune. These are marks of oppression and the feeling of being careworn and downtrodden. These marks are the marks that are inflicted upon the spirit and self-esteem of each working class individual.
Wordsworth describes London as such an admiring place that ‘Dull’ would anyone be of the “soul” if they could just pass the sight of London Upon Westminster Bridge without recognising its beauty. Wordsworth says that anyone who is oblivious of the beauty that is there must be a dull person; that person must be dull of heart and dull of soul.
However, Blake says that these people’s souls are downtrodden, and that it is the soul, which is pure and it can recognise beauty. However if the soul itself is oppressed the beauty that Wordsworth is describing cannot be seen. Blake is saying that the working class people of London live in wretchedness, suffer hard labour and, if suddenly shown beauty, will not recognise it
This is quite the opposite of what Wordsworth has said about London.
Blake goes on to describe ‘every’ cry of ‘every Man’, in ‘every’ ‘Infant’s’
Cry of fear.
Here Blake uses repetition of the word ‘every’ to emphasise the entire town of London, and that he is not referring to small minority of individuals. He uses a capital ‘M’ letter to start of the word ‘Man’, which is telling us that he is referring to all of Mankind. Blake uses a capital letter ‘I’ to emphasise that he is talking about every infant and not an individual. In ‘every’ voice, in ‘every’ ban he hears the ‘mind-forg’d manacles’. He once again uses repetition of the word ‘every’ to emphasise that he is talking about every voice and every ban. Here Blake talks about how people create problems upon themselves. These ‘mind forg’d’ manacles are chains that are made or forged in people’s minds. They are metaphorical manacles; they only exist in the mind, but are real enough to cause suffering. He describes how you can place pressure and put problems upon yourself. At certain times, the ‘environment’ places a person under pressure and the chains placed upon oneself feel as though they are just as real as you would lock a criminal up in. These manacles often cause people to become short tempered and insecure. These manacles are created through envy, jealously of other people and even by covetousness.
Blake then describes how the ‘chimney sweepers cry’ and how every ‘black’ning’ church appals; and the ‘hapless’ soldieries sigh, runs in blood down palace walls.
Here Blake refers to the cries of the chimney sweeps, which was one of the most poorly paid and dangerous jobs in the Industrial Revolution. Children carried out chimney sweeping, as they were a suitable size to climb up chimneys. This tells us about the degree of poverty and just how people were desperate to earn money; such as leaning chimneys.
Blake then describes how the Church appals, as it is ‘Black’ned’. He refers to how each and every building; including holy monuments such as churches and perhaps the very Westminster Abbey that Wordsworth eulogises, have become blackened by the smoke and soot released from factories near by. It is not just that the Church has been blackened because of smoke and soot, but partly because of how the Church acts itself. A Church is not just seen as a place of worship but as a place where help and advice can be offered. The priests in the Church should be seen as pure people and are good helpers in times of need. Yet when people come to the priests and seek for advice and help, they shut their doors on them. The Church priests should be giving advice to those who come to their doorstep. Blake then goes on to describe the unlucky, the hapless soldiers sigh. At this point in time, soldiers, mercenaries were put on guard in London, as there were fears about a revolution occurring in London. There were various other revolutions occurring at the same time such as the French monarchy being overthrown. These soldiers were very poorly paid for what they actually did, and for what courageous deeds they did. Yet it is still their blood that will be shed and not the monarchy’s blood.
By contrast, Wordsworth talks about how the earth has not got anything to show that could possibly be more ‘fair’. Here Wordsworth is describing that London cannot show anything that could possibly be more beautiful than what he sees. Wordsworth then goes on and says that it is a sight so ‘touching’ in its ‘majesty’.
Wordsworth refers to the city wearing a garment as though it is a person. This is called personification. Here Wordsworth describes London as a beautiful city, wearing beautiful ‘garments’. The ships he is describing make the river look even more beautiful. The towers, domes, theatres and temples he talks about tell us that London has many monuments and structures, which act as ‘garments’ for the city. Wordsworth refers to the Churches as ‘temples’, because of their size and importance. All of these combinations represent symbols of culture, wealth, religion, trade, industry and life in 1803.
Wordsworth continues that the structure and monuments lie ‘open’ unto the ‘fields’.
Wordsworth describes what he sees from Westminster Bridge. He sees fields and countryside; as a pastoral poet, he loves the effect of the green fields of nature on man’s soul. Even here, at the heart of the country’s civilisation, stands nature.
Wordsworth then describes how he sees the city of London all ‘bright’ and ‘glittering’ in the ‘smokeless’ air.
Here Wordsworth describes the air of London as smokeless. The reason why Wordsworth may see London as a clean and beautiful city because there probably was not any industrial activity taking place early on a morning. Otherwise just like every other Industrial point it would be black and smoggy, in the surroundings, in the air and on the buildings.
Wordsworth then says that he had never seen the sun more beautifully ‘steep’, in its first splendour valley, rock or hill.
Here Wordsworth refers to London’s landscape. He describes the calm contrast of nature and man, and how man has constructed buildings, which are in harmony with nature. He describes how architecture can show the best of Man, as an achievement harnessing the gifts that God bestowed upon us.
Wordsworth then goes on to say that he ‘never’ saw, he ‘never’ felt a ‘calm’ so deep. Here he uses repetition of the word ‘never’ to emphasise that in his entire life he has never felt or seen a calm so deep.
Wordsworth tells his emotions, inspired by what he is seeing and feeling. He is describing that at this point upon Westminster Bridge he is experiencing utter enlightenment and sheer beauty.
Blake in contrast talks about how the youthful ‘Harlot’s curse’ can be heard in the midnight street; and how it blasts the newborn ‘Infant’s’ tear. Youthful harlots are the name given to young prostitutes. Here Blake tells us about the problem of prostitution and how it arises during the midnight streets. The Harlot’s curse is a curse on men, women and infants. The young women have become prostitutes because it was seen as the open way of earning money. They also know that many men would seek sex before or while married and that men would be willing to pay sums of money for sex. Prostitution can lead to misery and disease, which can be passed on to future generations, especially at a time where there was little effective treatments for the types of disease he alludes to. Blake describes the new born Infant’s tear, feeling that it does not deserve its sad future, as it is born already dangerously infected and facing a life of tragedy, blighted by others’ sin before its own conception.
Blake then goes on to say that this ‘blights’ and ‘plagues’ the ‘marriage hearse’. Here Blake is describing how consorting with prostitutes can devastate one’s life, from the moment of marriage onwards. The words ‘marriage hearse’ are the exact opposites of each other. Marriage should be a positive feeling and a creative start to life, as well as generating life through children. A hearse is linked with death and destruction and it is a negative feeling. Blake is saying that this coffin is going, but it is taking a lot of hopes and ambitions with it, such as the hope of having a happy family and children.
Wordsworth addresses God and says that even the very houses seem asleep. He describes London as a person, with a heart. This is known as personification. He describes the houses being asleep but in fact he means that the people are asleep, as it is early morning.
He concludes his poem by describing that the mighty heart is lying still, as it is still early morning.
In an overall summary of each poem William Blake sees the negative side of London as a dark and bleak place and describes the people’s lives and views as grim and downtrodden. On the other hand William Wordsworth sees the positive side of London and he tries to capture the beauty of the city. Both poems are the opposites of each other. I would say that both William Blake and William Wordsworth’s ideas were realistic, but entirely from their own perspective and in that sense, the reader gains a somewhat false account by having confidence in either. It might have been better to have had two poems which both tackled positive and negative aspects of London, but that was not the case and we are left with these two diametrically opposed accounts. The fascination for us also lies in the realisation that two modern poets could choose their locations today and create poems of equally diverse views, just as these predecessors did.
