In this poem, Blake talks of a “black’ning church” this suggests poverty and destruction. Blackened literally by the smoke and pollution in the air, and perhaps blackened metaphorically by the misery within the city. The colour black immediately brings bad thoughts to the mind, thoughts of danger and despair. On the contrary, Wordsworth appeals to the reader’s senses by describing the sun as “bright and glittering in the smokeless air”. This differs dramatically to Blake’s description as it brings a bright sense of colour to the mind and a feeling of warmth rather than hopelessness. It sets the perfect atmosphere, showing his appreciation of the city before it is really awake.
The river Thames is mentioned in both poems, but the way in which it is described is very different. Blake refers to it as “the charter’d Thames”, this represents the life of the people who live in London and how they are restricted, but Wordsworth describes it as “glideth at its own sweet will” suggesting there is no force and its free rather than restricted. It is the natural side of the city and demonstrates how nature can connect with man. It brings a sense of life to the city in the early morning when people are asleep but still retains peace.
The structures of the poems are also different. In ‘composed upon Westminster Bridge’ the poem is not split into stanzas, but Wordsworth has used colons and semi-colons, suggesting the next line carries on, just as a river keeps flowing. He uses no full stops, representing that the flowing River Thames never stops. ‘London’ however is structured into four stanzas. This perhaps resembles the controlling of the “charter’d streets”. The rhyme scheme in the poem creates flow and holds the readers interest.
In the two poems, some unexpected language is used, but the choices of words in the poems are somewhat different. In Wordsworth’s poem he describes the architecture of the city, as being “open unto the fields, and to the sky” this is unusual language to use when talking about a big city like London, it brings a sense of nature and life. On the sixth line of the poem it reads “ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie” this is also an abnormal choice, as buildings such as these don’t literally lie, they stand. This adds to the peaceful tone of the poem, suggesting that the buildings are reclined and content in their surroundings. Creating that perfect atmosphere with true appreciation. A powerful choice of wording in ‘London’ is the word “plagues”. This suggests disease, perhaps pointing towards the poverty on the streets and possibly diseases related to the “youthful harlot”. This again creates an opposing perception of the city to that in “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” as it indicates danger and desolation.
One big difference between the poems is that in Blake’s poem there are many different people mentioned, each described with misery, showing the effect London has had on them and their lives. This plays on the reader’s emotions therefore involving the reader and bringing them into the situation. Whereas in Wordsworth’s poem, no other person is mentioned other than himself, the significance of this is that he is appreciating the still beauty of London before it is awake. So not only is there a different perception of the city between the poems, but a different time of day, and a different effect on it’s readers.
Both poems end on incredibly different notes, Wordsworth sums up the splendour of London using the line “and all that mighty heart is lying still”. This suggests that the peace in the city is always there, even when the bustle of the city awakens. ‘London’ however, ends with a negative tone, speaking of a young prostitute; this creates a very emotive and powerful end to the poem. Outlining the distressing view of the city.
In comparison, although both poets are relating to the same place, they describe them as being totally different, based on their own opinions. This could be because of the time of day or perhaps because of their own experiences but their imagery both shed totally different light on the city of London.