He then describes, what should be a mucky and revolting river as a, river of great stature. ‘The river glideth at his own sweet will’. The idea of a river ‘gliding’ portrays an almost God like appearance or persona, with how the Holy Spirit glided over the waters in the creation story. However this obviously intrusive aspect of the city is described as flowing at ‘His own sweet will’, portraying the river as not being constrained or affected my man and mans modern architecture. The poet also carries on describing the river as sweet maintaining the sense of calm, as well as commenting on how it glideth keeping the flow with in the sentence.
The poet then goes on to cry out ‘Dear God! The very houses seem asleep’. This shows that that poet is obviously exploding with emotion over what he sees and his astonishment. Wordsworth also enhances the‘s’ sound on houses seem asleep. This aids in creating an atmosphere of sleep, with the repetition of ‘shhh’.
The poem, Composed on Westminster Bridge, then comes to a dramatic finish, with the line ‘And all that mighty heart is lying still!’ The idea of a Mighty Heart gives the notion that London is a strong and victorious city, yet it is lying still, and this reflects the calm that now surrounds it. This Mighty heart is the heart of the British Empire, and pumps and circulates the countries wealth and prosperity.
The poem is concluded with London as ‘Lying still’, ending with a final sense of peace and calm from his view point.
Another poem written around the same time is ‘London’ by William Blake. In this poem the poet (Blake) uses a simplistic rhyme scheme (abab), in comparison to Wordsworth’s, love like, Sonnet. However, ‘London’ differs from ‘Composed on Westminster Bridge’ in the fact that it is written whilst moving, recording the poets thoughts and feelings, as he bustles through the city, rather than being motionless on a bridge. This poem is far more mobilised.
The poet begins the poem with a feeling on confinement, ‘I wander thro’ each charter’d street’. In this he is making a point that every inch of the city is owned by the wealthy, and there is not a single street that is owned by the public. The wretched and poor people are forced to live in these squalors yet they do not own them. The city is owned by the rich, in an oppressive regime. He also refers to himself as wandering, this seems to imply that he has no idea of where he is going, yet he is still walking on; maybe he is searching for a way out?
This idea of the riches’ oppressive regime is then continued into the next line, where he says, ‘Near where the charter’d Thames does flow’. But how can this be, how can the Thames be owned? He uses this to emphasise the bind that the rich have over the city, and how they control every aspect of life. The poet gives the notion that their lives, his life, are constrained by the wealthy, and that they are unable to break free.
Blake then grimly continues; ‘And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe’. However, these marks have two different meanings. These marks are visible to the outside world, and are able to be seen, yet they are also stamps within the people, marks of their suffering, and marks of woe. Their weaknesses and woes are stamped across their face, in a red hot poker fashion, and it is clear to see their sufferings. The poet cleverly uses the ‘w’ sound to give a smooth feel on weaknesses and woe, however, much to the contrary the poet is not describing smoothness, but instead human misery.
Blake then infers universal misery by saying, ‘In every cry of every man’. In his eyes these sufferings extend from adulthood back to childhood. The irony however is that men do not usually cry under any circumstances, yet this degree of torment has forced this man to cry out. Also childhood is supposed to be seen as a time of joyfulness, yet this misery has perverted that, and has blighted any childhood chance of happiness.
‘In every infant’s cry of fear’, this helps to expand this perverseness by the fact that infants are supposed to be cherish, and loved, and made to feel protected; they are not supposed to be exposed to fear, yet these infants cant seem to escape it.
Blake then come back to this idea of oppression by writing, ‘In every ban, The mind-forg’d manacles I hear’. The poet mentions bans, showing that once again certain activities have been outlawed, no doubt by the wealthy, and they are constantly suffering from these oppressions. However, what’s more is the poet talks about Ming forg’d manacles. Manacles were constrains used in prisons, to hold back and limit the movement of prisoners. These prisoners though, the poor people of London, are not only being constrained by the wealthy, but are also, however, being constrained by themselves and their manacle of their own imagination. They are unable to escape their own slavery, which they have become so accustomed to, due to their own mentality. They are unable to escape from their own, self created, hell. They are oblivious.
The poet proceeds: ‘How the Chimney-sweeper’s cry’. This shows the astonishing and monstrous conditions that children are forced to work in. These children are crying to be saved from this job, but are also crying due to the beatings that they receive from their masters. This is seen by the poet as an outrage. Then Blake criticises the Church by writing, ‘Every blackening Church appals’. This is a metaphor for how the church is becoming more and more corrupt, with wealth, and how it is failing to fore fill its responsibilities, such as fighting for the children to have a decent childhood. The Church is thought to be a place of morality, where standards are set and people are taught to love; yet these churches in London have been converted to monuments of hypocrisy. Blake then goes on to criticise the government and monarchy, ‘The hapless Soldier’s sigh Runs in blood down palace walls’. This soldier is immediately made to feel pitied for by being described as hapless, he is unfortunate. The poem talks about how the soldier’s sigh runs in blood down palace walls, this is an indication that this soldier has been maimed in war for his country. The poet infers that soldiers, such as the one in the poem, fought for their country and made it possible for the wealthy to create these palaces. The wealthy, in effect, live of the death of poorer soldiers fighting abroad. Yet when this man sighs and asks the government for help, after he has helped them so much, they turn then back on him, and his sighs are unable to penetrate the palace walls. All the people inside those walls ignore and forget about the soldier. Those walls have been built from soldiers blood, yet when he sighs his sigh are like eggs being thrown against a wall; they are abruptly stopped, and they run slowly down the wall, not getting noticed by anyone on the other side.
The poet finishes of with a grim progress through the last stanza, ‘But most thro’ midnight streets I hear How the youthful Harlots curse’. This is a reflection of how the prostitutes in London are mainly children. Their young lives have been ruined, and their childhood ended, they have been robbed of their child life. However, this part of the stanza also sounds like a witches curse, and maybe symbolic of how these children must have been attacked by black-magic to be in the position that they are in now. It is heart-rending. Blake then goes on: ‘Blasts the new born infants tear’. This is an example of how a young child prostitute has given birth to a ‘clients’ child. The procreation of human life is normally seen to be one of the greatest celebrations, however, this is utterly debased, the child is cursed and what should be joyful has been transformed into a burden and hassle. Instead of the new born child representing love and compassion, it serves only as a grim reminder of how she as abused and used for money. The potential of the motherly bond with the child, and the great relationship which they normally have, is dashed and perverted. ‘And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse’. This is a symbol of how the harlot is bringing a curse upon the marriage of the ‘so-called’ respectable man that has committed adultery with her. It serves to mock this mans marriage and domestic life, and maybe even his sex life. The poet refers to the harlot as blighting the marriage with plagues, this could be either because the prostitute has created a struggle within the marriage, presumable after the wife has found out, or simply because the prostitute, through her sordid activities, has spread disease, such as AIDS. Finally the poet brings an end to the poem, by referring to the Marriage hearse. This is an oxymoron, as well as juxtaposition, because it shows how the vice of prostitution and hypocrisy of married men has made the marriage dead.
Both poems are seen to describe London in the 18th Century; however they both give a completely different view point. ‘London’ (by William Blake) was written as the poet was jostling through crowded urban streets, surrounded by the stench and wretchedness of the city at the time. The poet is able to see and emphasise with the people, and in a sense feels compelled to write about what he sees. Although ‘London’, structurally, is a simple poem, it hits very sensitive nerves, and voices a social conscience. This is a seemingly childish poem, with a very adult message.
On the other hand, ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3rd, 1802’ (William Wordsworth) is a description of London at one specific moment in time, as the poet sees it. From his view point (on a bridge) he is fairly high up, and therefore is not among the dirt and grit. Also from where he is standing he is able to see the more boastful side of London; the posh houses lining the Thames, the elegant buildings. He also sees the city in a ‘new light’ and the shining water in the Thames, no doubt, serves to enhance this experience. The poet has a unique viewpoint of the metropolis, and is incapable of seeing the pestilence. Wordsworth is unable to see the slums of London, because he is not in the close quartered, and foul smelling streets. Instead he is in a vast open area, perched on a bridge, before all the industrial work of the day has begun, and before everyone has awoken, ‘The very houses seem asleep’.
‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3rd, 1802’ reflected on momentary glance of London, whereas ‘London’ reflected the daily lives of the poor from the eyes of William Blake.
