With reference to a selection of poems you have studied, compare the various ways a poets represent time and change. Be sure to make clear reference to historical, social and cultural conditions that may have affected each poem's genesis.

The story ‘The Adventures of Peter Pan,’ is a book liked by all young children across the world.  The discovery of Wendy by Peter bought joy to the lives of ‘The lost boys’ and Peter himself.  After the defeat of Captain James Hook, The lost Boys went back to London from Neverland, where you never grow old with Wendy and they changed in time, age and work “Nibs and Curly any day going to an office…Michael is an engine driver…You see that judge in a wig coming out at the iron door?  That used to be Tootles…Wendy was married…Nana died of old age.”  The biggest change of all was that Wendy had a child named Jan who is again discovered by Peter and taken off to Neverland just like Wendy.

Memories play a big part in life.  You can have good memories, bad memories, memories where you play things over in your head again and again and so on and so on. In the poem ‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge,’ William Wordsworth remembered all of the good memories of the good places, when he was in London before his depression.  He remembered how nice London was in at dawn when nobody was around “The beauty of the morning; silent, bare.”  Since that time when London was nice and quiet it has become over populated, polluted and has become one of the busiest cities in the world, compared to the old London that was “A sight so touching in its majesty.”  ‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’ is a happy memory poem, which I am now going to compare with ‘London’ which is a less happy memorial poem, written by William Blake.

                 Unlike Wordsworth, Blake was born in Westminster and watched London grow throughout the years, in the middle class society.  Through the revolution, middle class Britain grew stronger, which included Blake.  He then became recognised in society but didn’t gain respect for his work about London itself.  He talks about London being ‘chartered’ as if it is the same thing day in day out “I walk along each chartered street, Near where the chartered Thames does flow.”  The change in Blake’s writings was through his belief in religion.  Joseph Johnson taught him the way of Christianity and he became famous through a circle of poets whom he did paintings for their work.  After 1778, Blake began writing his own work and doing paintings for it.  His first work was called ‘Natural Religion,’ which gave him a bit of a reputation.  Blake then began writing about the French Revolution, which to him was an inspiration but to others a total let down.

Faith during the eighteenth and nineteenth century, was very important to the people of the time.  The poem ‘Abide with me’ has a great sentimental touch to it, about his life threatening illness.  He believed that if God was with him he could cope with death and everything that was evolved with dying.  ‘Abide with me’ was originally an eight verse hymn written by Lyte, which confronted his own mortality, and accepted that he was going to die.  At the time of his birth the Napoleonic war was in full swing and there was also Colonial wars with France in the West Indies. He was a very religious person who deeply believed in God when he knew his death was coming “The darkness deepens; Lord, with me Abide.”

‘The Latest Decalogue’ conveys the Ten Commandments across in a slightly different format, which can be considered as a parody to the ones in real life. Arthur Hugh Clough was obviously religious but not a strong believer as he changes the Commandments to his own views of the curved rules as it were.  As time went on his dislike for the established political and religious establishment grew.  He didn’t like the way things were being run and considered himself as a republican.  He mocks the fact that no one takes religion seriously any more, which they do but just not as seriously as he did.  Although Queen Victoria was incessant about religion, she couldn’t control everything in her capitalist system about it. She was as religious a Clough but she was also convinced that peoples opinions of God had changed and wished that they could all worship the same God altogether rather people being changed or converted to others.

The Industrial revolution in Britain changed the country forever.  Not only did it change the country it changed people’s minds and opinions of the idea of industrialization.   People like G.M. Hopkins who mourned the cutting of his ‘Aspens Dear’ trees ‘All felled, felled, are all felled” for industry to expand into the rural areas.  The countryside changed for the purposes of business, much to the disgust of Hopkins “To mend her we end her.”

        To get a good view of London I have selected ‘London’ by William Blake who grew up in London and saw it grow from strength to strength.  “Every Blackening church appalls;” proves that London has changed for bad not for good.  London industrialized to prove to France that they were a physical power and weren’t to be messed with during the Napoleonic war times.  Through this people such as Blake and Hopkins fought for justice for people, for the country and especially for the little Aspens Dear trees.

As a close to this essay I shall say that throughout the time of man poets have expressed their expressions in ways which have changed during time where there has been changes in faith, industry and science.  People such as Blake, Dickens and Hopkins have noted these changes and accepted them, then expressed their feelings through words, in which became recognized in society.  This encourages others to express themselves in the way that they feel.  The main features that affected the changes are War, evolution, industrialization, faith and memoirs.