comparison of two poems about london by William Wordsworth and William Blake

In this essay I will be comparing two poems about London, one by William Wordsworth that was written upon Westminster Bridge and the other by William Blake called London, both of these poems have a very different view of the goings on of London. William Wordsworth has a tourist’s very positive view of London but William Blake as a Londoner expresses his negative views of London.

William Blake, who was born on 28th of November 1757 and died 12th August 1827 in the city of London where he spent the most of life, was an , , and . During his lifetime Blake was unrecognised for his work and was very much known for his single-mindedness but since his death he and his work have been considered significant in history. Blake loathed and believed in racial and sexual equality. Several of his poems and paintings express a notion of universal humanity: "As all men are alike (tho' infinitely various)". He retained an active interest in social and political events for all his life, but was often forced to resort to cloaking social optimism and political statements in a spiritual .

William Wordsworth was born on April 17, 1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, in the Lake District. Wordsworth was a major romantic British poet. Wordsworth’s personality and poetry were deeply influenced by his love of nature, especially by the sights and scenes of the Lake Country, in which he spent most of his adult life. Wordsworth had collaborations with Samuel Taylor Coleridge who were known for leading in the English Romantic Movement with the publication of Lyrical Ballads.

The main ideas of the London poem are Blake’s view of London during the 18th Century; he describes the domination inflicted on the citizens both by themselves and by others like the government. He describes how dirty the streets and the Thames were, how the poor people suffered hopelessly and how they were cast aside from the rest of the city like they didn’t exist.

The main ideas of the poem from upon Westminster Bridge are that London is very positive and describes London as one of the most attractive places, that the morning view of London city, from the ...

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The main ideas of the poem from upon Westminster Bridge are that London is very positive and describes London as one of the most attractive places, that the morning view of London city, from the bridge is very beautiful, as the whole city is quiet n calm at that time, the air is also peaceful, the sunrise make this view more beautiful, but it will be no more after some time when the people of the London city awake.

Although Wordsworth’s poem composed upon Westminster Bridge was from the countryside and didn’t really appreciate the city he had quite a positive view of London “not anything to show more fair” from what he could see from the Bridge, Wordsworth was just as passionate about London as he was about the country . Whereas William Blake lived in London and his attitude to society was negative, as he describes it in his poem "London", London appears to be controlled by Machiavellian people enforcing laws. This is shown by the mentioning of "chartered streets"; licences were given to people who were richer or more powerful than most and it allowed them to control the streets of London.

Blake expresses his harsh political views by putting a large emphasis onto the despair affecting everyone by the repetition of "every" there is also an exaggeration of the negative feeling by the repetition of "cry".
In the third stanza Blake also shows his views by placing some of the responsibility onto the church; the church is metaphorically described as "blackening" to represent the guilt. There is also juxtaposition in this stanza, by using negative descriptions “blackening of the church” of positive establishment.

Negative images in Blake’s poem are his way of expressing his true feeling and frustration towards the city constrictions and corruption of London and its people. Blake images these restrictions, corrupting the population from an early age the 'new-born infant' for example is corrupted by the 'youthful Harlots curse'. The Chimney Sweeps are undoubtedly children therefore society corrupts them by making them work in a harmful environment by only giving them that choice or dieing. While Wordsworth’s poem uses personification to give the city a sense of life and freedom "the river glideth at his own street will." Wordsworth is also able to introduce the countryside images "Valley, rock, or hill" to beautify the London scene.

Blake’s poem is about the people of London and how they are bringing it into disrepute with their sleaze and dishonesty “harlots curse” causing London to look like a bad place because of the people living there. While in Wordsworth’s poem he doesn’t mention any people just the beauty of nature “open unto the fields” like he would do if he was at home just watching the nature in the country go by.

Blake’s poem is set at night to go with the negative mood of the poem “every blackening church appals” shows that the sinister streets of London but in Wordsworth’s poem it is set in the morning the time where everything is calm and peaceful “in his first splendour” he sees the city of London from a different perspective when he views it in the early morning.

The London poem by Blake is very busy and there are a lot of things happening at once as he wandered “thro’ each charter’d street” he was recounting all the dramatic things that were going on in the streets whereas in Words worth’s poem composed upon Westminster Bridge it is calm and everything is just flowing naturally in the quiet “never felt a calm so deep” where nothing could disturb the serenity of the surroundings.

William Wordsworth’s poem is written in the format of a sonnet which has fourteen lines and a regular rhyming pattern that flows like the style of the poem. This rhyming pattern divides the poem into three quatrains and a sextet; the two quatrains describe the brightness and of the city and how it looks and the sextet describe the calmness of the city and that the day that he has written about is particularly beautiful. William Blake’s poem is broken down into four, four line stanzas with an abab rhyming pattern.

Both William Words worth and William Blake feel strongly about their own viewpoints towards London and written it in the first person because their poems are very personal to them. On one hand Wordsworth’s poem about London is set in the early morning the day and he based his whole poem on those few moments that he spent on the Westminster Bridge “ne’er saw I, never felt a calm so deep” to put across what he saw and what he felt at the time. On the other hand William Blake also felt very strongly about his views about the happenings in London he believed in anti-establishment and used his poem put across how he felt about the controlled environment of London.

I think that Wordsworth uses his passion for the countryside and all things to do with nature to articulate his “this city now doth like a garment wear” showing that he was totally oblivious to the other side of London that is not seen until its dark which is where Blake’s poem comes in. Blake uses imagery to put across his view, with the main idea being the restriction and lack of freedom for everyone within London “the mind-forg’d manacles I hear” to metaphorically demonstrate his point.

Tahira Noble-10SP