In the first stanza there is a hint of positivity, ‘Thames does flow.’ This is quickly cancelled in the next line by ‘and mark in every face.’ This highlights the negativity that Blake is trying to show, with the word ‘mark’ suggesting a type of scarring or physical marking. This suggests that the people of London are permanently affected, or scarred, from what is happening around them. Also, Blake mentions ‘every face.’ This suggests that no one can escape and the suffering is universal. This is clearly highlighted in the second stanza, in which the phrase ‘in every’ is repeated three times at the beginning of each line, showing that no one can escape from the suffering. The use of personification at the end of the second stanza, ‘The mind-forg’d manacles I hear,’ brings the image of the universal suffering down into one person’s mind and makes the suffering more personal. This use of personification shows the reader how Blake believed the people of London were imprisoned in their own minds and it gives a vivid mental image so the reader can understand how trapped the people felt.
To add to this claustrophobic image in the reader’s mind, Blake mentions ‘chimney-sweepers’ in the first line of the third stanza. This is usually associated with young boys who are forced into the tight, confined chimneys and this idea illustrates the view of London which Blake is trying to show the reader; the corruption of youth and with people being trapped by their surroundings, which also highlights the claustrophobic feel of the city.
The line ‘every blackning Church appalls’ continues the theme of dirtiness, but suggests that not only has the church been blackened by the soot and pollution of London, but it is also corrupt and polluted itself and, although the ‘Church appalls’ at the ‘chimney-sweepers cry’ they do not do anything about it. This suggests that Blake thinks the Church is superficial and doesn’t actually care. This is added to by the mention of the State, ‘Runs in blood down Palace walls,’ which suggests that Blake views the state and the Church in the same way; that they are both superficial and underneath the façade do not actually care about the plight of the people. This adds to the theme of misery as it shows the reader that the people of London had no where to go for help so could find no way out of the dirtiness and drudgery.
In the fourth and last stanza, Blake again refers to the corruption of youth by mentioning the ‘youthful harlots curse.’ The word ‘curse’ has a number of different meanings; firstly it could mean that the harlots swear, or it could mean that they have a curse on their lives, for example, sexual diseases. In the third line of this stanza ‘new-born Infants’ are also mentioned, again showing the innocence of youth. However, this is preceded by the word ‘blasts’ which gives the reader an image of a shotgun and suggests that the infants’ innocence is blown apart from a very early age. The word ‘tear’ at the end of this line emphasises the unhappiness of the people. In the final line of the poem, Blake mentions ‘plagues,’ reminding the reader of the black death, adding to the mood of suffering and misery. This is also connected with disease, which is again linked back to the ‘youthful Harlots’ as they sexual diseases. The poem is ended with the words ‘the Marriage hearse.’ These are two very contrasting words and suggest that marriage was seen as a route to death, as husbands often passed sexual diseases onto their wives.
The constant use of negative language and imagery in this piece helps the reader to picture the misery, suffering and dirtiness that Blake was trying to illustrate.
The second poem I will look at is ‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge,’ by William Wordsworth. This is written in sonnet form to show is love for the city as it sounds as if the poem has been written for a woman. He also echoes Shakespeare’s sonnet 16, ‘The river glideth at his own sweet will,’ which adds to this effect. Wordsworth shows his positive view, and persuades the reader to share in it by suggesting the reader is ‘dull’ if they do not agree with Wordsworth’s view, ‘Dull would he be of soul who could pass by, A sight so touching in its majesty.’
Throughout the poem, Wordsworth creates a semantic field of beauty, by constantly using words such as ‘bright,’ ‘glittering’ and ‘splendour.’ He also uses a number of effective similes to show London’s beauty, ‘The city now doth like a garment wear, The beauty of the morning.’ This is an example of personification, again making it appear to the reader that Wordworth is writing about a woman, and once again this illustrates his adoration for the city.
Wordworth then creates visual images for the reader to support his opinion and to help them understand what he sees. For example, Wordworth writes, ‘Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie, Open to the fields and to the sky.’ This shows the reader how he believes that the city and nature blend together and this creates a harmonious image. This description is very visual, almost like a painting, with the reader able to imagine the skyline littered with these objects. The image of peace and harmony is continued through Wordsworth’s use of adjectives, such as, ‘silent, bare,’ and this makes the buildings appear calm and tranquil, as if Wordsworth can’t tell where the city ends and the countryside begins. Again, Wordsworth’s choice of adjectives emphasises the fresh and clean feel that he is trying to create for the reader, ‘All bright and glistening in the smokeless air.’ This creates a sparkling image and again shows how Wordsworth believes the city and nature complement each other as it appears as if he is describing a rural scene. Also Wordsworth mentions, ‘valley, rock, or hill;’ which adds to this effect.
He shows his love for the scene by saying, ‘Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!’ The word ‘calm,’ emphasises the mood of tranquillity that he is trying to create but this phrase is almost like a spiritual declaration, illustrating the fact that Wordsworth feels safe in London and also it is a very peaceful and harmonious place for him. Wordsworth uses another example of personification, ‘The houses seem very asleep,’ to enhance the city’s tranquillity and stillness and suggests that everything is working together. This theme of ‘working together’ is continued in the final line, ‘And all the mighty heart is lying still!’ This is a metaphor and shows the reader how Wordsworth believes that London is the centre of life, how it communicates and works with the rest of the world and how nothing would be able to function without it.
The third and final poem I am going to look at is ‘Daily London Recipe’ by Steve Turner.
The poem is an extended metaphor as it is written as a recipe and the people of London are described as the ingredients and the places around the city are described as the utensils or appliances. This is linked together with a number of imperatives, such as ‘pour’ and ‘scrape,’ and Turner’s lexical choices, for example, ‘mixture,’ carefully lined,’ and ‘May be served,’ add to the semantic field of cookery.
All of this suggests, that Turner thinks the people of London are treated as objects, that they have no identity. We know this because he refers to the people as ‘them’ and does not divide them into groups, or even gender.
We can also tell that he thinks there is little passion in peoples lives because of the way he describes their spare time. He tells us they sit ‘before open television screen at 7pm’ and then ‘cool in bed at 10.30pm’. This illustrates the dull and monotonous routines of peoples lives, because Turner uses a number of time phrases, and the fact that he mentions people ‘cool’ in bed clearly shows how there is no passion, as this is usually associated with words such as ‘hot’ and ‘boiling.’
Turner obviously thinks there is little scope for spontaneous action in people’s lives because of the constant use of imperatives, such as, ‘take’ and ‘pour,’ which suggests the people of London are controlled and have no say in what they do.
So although in this poem, in comparison to the other two, the poet, Steve Turner, does not express a particular opinion of London itself, we can gain some insight into what he thinks of London and its inhabitants through what he writes.
All three poems show very different views and opinions of London. This may have been because of the viewpoints that each poem was written from. For example, it is clear from the title of Wordsworth’s poem that he wrote it looking from Westminster Bridge and the way he writes suggests he wrote it in the early morning, ‘The beauty of the morning,’ when the city looked fresh and peaceful. This would explain his positive perspective. In contrast Blake’s dismal view of the city could be because he may have written it from the inner city, hinted at from the claustrophobic feel of the poem. This is a possible explanation of the differing opinions.
I found ‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge,’ by Wordsworth too excessive and therefore slightly unbelievable. I thought that Blake’s ‘London’ was the most effective piece, as although it was much bleaker, I found this more gritty and realistic.
