From Wordsworth’s point of view all the major landmarks, ‘ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie/ Open unto the fields, and to the sky.' This implies that London appears to blend with nature as it dominates everything.
As the poem is written at dawn, rather than later in the day, the air seems to be very fresh and smokeless, which makes the buildings seem dazzling, ‘All bright and glittering in the smokeless air,’ this gives a sense of the purity of London. However, this is contrasted by Blake as he writes, ‘How the chimney–sweepers cry,’
When Wordsworth talks about the river he again personifies it, ‘The river glideth at his own sweet will:’ which reveals that Wordsworth is once more referring to nature as he is saying that the river is making its own course, how it is free to move in which way it pleases, not touched by man.
Wordsworth has no physical involvement with London; instead he is at a distance to it, sitting on ‘Westminster Bridge.’ This way it is easier for him to notice the beauty of the city, as he can see hardly any detail of London it is easier to find it more exquisite and idealistic. Wordsworth perceives that London is left to nature, as it is quiet and tranquil, clean and fresh; these are all aspects of a perfect, overall and idealistic version of London. The fact that he is writing such an appraisal of London before anyone is awake is ironic because Blake thinks that the people, make London what it is.
When Wordsworth exclaims, ‘Dear God! The very houses seem asleep;’ he is praising God for the divine beauty of the city, and implying that as the city is so calm and quiet, he even expresses that he thinks the houses must be sleeping too.
The last line of the poem, ‘And all the mighty heart is lying still,’ is referring to the people of London, as they are the heart of it, they are what keep London alive. However they are not only the centre of London but also the centre of his own world and when the people are asleep, London, it seems to Wordsworth, is the most divine and perfect place in the whole world, which is contrasted by Blake as he believes that it is only when the people are awake that London is truly alive.
The whole poem was written as a Sonnet, which means it is short and concentrated. Wordsworth employs the sonnet form because he wants to render a sketchy impression of London at a given moment, which was dawn. Another reason is that a Sonnet usually outlines one particular thought or feeling, which in this Sonnet is the majesty of London. This is also illustrated by the title, ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge,’ which gives an effect of an idealistic, rather superficial but spiritual view of London.
By contrast, Blake’s, ‘London’ shows the inhumanity and cruelty under the surface of civilisation and imagination of man struggling against the ‘mind-forged manacles’ of convention, reason, and law. So unlike Wordsworth’s rather optimistic view, Blake adopts a realistic, even pessimistic view of the city.
Blakes shows severe concern for the appalling life of London’s people, especially the poor. And as he adopts the first person perspective, he portrays his personal involvement in the misfortunes of the poor, both emotionally and physically. He feels slightly responsible, as he wasn’t like them.
The soldier typifies the evil of the war, and in a sense the ‘soldier’s sigh’, ‘runs in blood’ as that is when he dies. When Blake mentions, ‘the hapless soldier’s sigh,’ he is referring to the fact that the soldiers have to give up their lives for the monarchy which is linked to ‘palace’ in the next line, [that is why their blood is running down the ‘palace walls’] the soldiers have no choice, they aren’t fighting for their country or for the people, just for the monarchy and Blake considers the monarchy extremely corrupt, which is a contrast to Wordsworth who praises God.
Blake seems to be hurt immensely when he sees babies born out of prostitution, when the very young girls spread babies in bad conditions, and then the new borns already have no hope as the whole family will go to hell, ‘Blasts the new-born infant’s tear.’ He knows that society depends on families but he is angry about the way that the prostitutes and divorce is taking married love away and so society is dying, ‘And blights with plagues the marriage hearse.’ The hearse is referring to the death of society. And whilst Blake is talking about the ‘hearse’, Wordsworth is talking about the ‘heart’, which is ironic because the heart symbolizes life but the hearse takes it away.
Blake is worried for the poor children of London, and these concerns continue in his other poems in, ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience,’ which are particularly touching.
Another evil of the city is the fact that such small children are being exploited; these are the chimneysweepers. Blake conjures images of smoke and dirt as well as corruption, [child exploitation], which is the dirt of London and is also related to the ‘black’ning church’. Blake implies that everyone is restricted to the church. He thinks that there is no freedom of the people and their minds and imaginations, ‘The mind-forged manacles,’ he is imagining handcuffs on the peoples minds, he thinks that everyone is mentally restrained by the monarchy, the church, the law and the state because of the very strict traditions.
Blake also criticises the church as an institution, as he believes that even though the church say they are appalled by the unfortunate chimneysweepers they aren’t doing anything to help so really it is just hypocritical. Blake says, ‘Every black’ning church,’ which proves that Blake considers the church to be corrupt, as they aren’t really thinking about God. The ‘black’ning’ is related to the chimneysweepers pure innocence being broken by the black soot of the chimneys.
In Blake’s poem he is looking at people amongst all the hustle and bustle at midday, and he notices how artificial and mapped out London is, ‘each charter’d street,’ he even feels that the Thames is mapped out, ‘charter’d Thames does flow.’ His poem is also mapped out, with four stanzas, each with four lines in them, which mirror the mental repression of the people London and their lives. Blake is wandering through the streets really noticing the real life of London, he sees it in a much bleaker view than Wordsworth’s as all Blake sees is, ‘marks of weakness, marks of woe.’ The title is much more simple and real than Wordsworth’s.
The two poems have very contrasting endings: -
In Wordsworth’s poem the ending is of a picturesque view of London whilst the happy society is sleeping.
But to contrast that, in Blake’s poem, the ending is explaining that the society is going to die, it is degenerated by the images of the loss of innocence. The possibility of a future for the family structure is bleak, as it cannot survive on orphans and prostitutes.
I conclude that despite their different concerns, ‘London’ and, ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge,’ both belong to the romantic tradition. One voices the concern for the freedom of the people and for the oppressed classes, while the other one meditates on the grander element of London as an essential part of nature. Thus, Blake represents the rebellious romantic spirit pleading in the name of the people, and Wordsworth cares more for the spiritual aspect of life.
By
Lucie
Cadd