Compare and Contrast ‘London’ by
William Blake ‘Composed upon Westminster
Bridge, September 3rd 1802 by William Wordsworth’
This essay will explore the similarities and differences between Westminster Bridge and London. Although both poems are under the category The Romantics, and both have the same location i.e. London. However the differences are that both poems are referring to London, but have a variety of different emotions. William Wordsworth was born on 17th April, 1770 and died on the 23rd april1850. He was a British poet and created with ushering in the English romantics’ movement with the production lyrical Ballards (1798) collaboration with Samiel Taylor Coleridge. He is a poet who wrote steadily from his earliest high school days at Hawkshead. Wordsworth is better known to poetry, written in response to the natural world. William Blake was born on 28th November 1757 and died 12th August 1827. He was known as a political anti-establishment poet of his day. He was a religious person, Blake was known as a ‘engraver’ in his days, not as a poet or artist. He died almost penniless.
The content of the poem London, gives a very negative point of view on the city London, it tells us about how miserable, dull and depressing the streets of London were, while he was walking through them. ‘I wander thro each charter’d street’. This tells us about how controlled the streets were and that the disapproving of the streets and rivers in London, no longer belong to the people but are in the hands of powerful forces of business and commence. The theme of the London poem tells us how the people In London had no freedom and how they are so depressed, it is like they were being controlled by something. As he says how he ‘wandered thro each charted street’. This tells us that there is no freedom in London and now everything is controlled over. It is like being trapped in a prison with nothing but food and a bed. However the content of the poem Westminster, gives a very positive reflection of the city. It shows us how everyone works together and how the sun is shining over everyone. Compared to the other poem it shows us how well London is looked after. Wordsworth shows London in a very positive light and describes London as one of the most attractive places on earth by using the opening line ‘earth has not anything to show more fair’. The theme of composed upon Westminster bridge shows us how free and open London is, it shows us another part of London, and also shows us that no one is being controlled and everyone has their own space and rights, whereas in London it is quite the opposite. London is a sad poem and Westminster I think is in the middle of sad and happy, its not too happy and not too sad.
