Discuss the different views of London presented in "London" and "Composed upon Westminster Bridge , September 3, 1802".

Wordsworth's "Westminster Bridge" is written in the form of an Italian Petrarchan sonnet which, in my opinion is appropriate because he expresses a liking for London. Blake's poem however is written as a lyrical ballad and he uses colloquial language so that it is easily accessible to everyone who read it; however Blake's purpose was not to reach a wide audience, but to express his ideas which he felt strongly about. In "London", Blake uses sounds which are constantly changing to give a wide and varied view of London. In "Westminster Bridge", Wordsworth describes a particular moment in time and captures it but you get a feeling that it does not show you the whole of London. Even in the poem, there is evidence to suggest this:

'This City now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare.'

In my opinion, this extract suggests that this view of London is superficial and is disguised by his joy at travelling to post-revolutionary France to see his nine-year-old daughter for the first time and 'the beauty of the morning'. like a garment disguises the human body. In "London" William Blake understands the people of London and he tries to express this with the line, 'The mind-forged manacles I hear.' Both these poems are very powerful and were written to express a strong view.

Blake's poem "London" contrasts with Wordsworth's "Westminster Bridge" in several ways. Not only do their views of London differ vastly, but there are also some phrases which are virtually opposite in meaning. For example: 'The river glideth' (in "Westminster Bridge")which implies that the river is free contrasts starkly with 'chartered Thames' (in "London") which implies that nature has been trapped and tamed by man. Similarly, 'At his own sweet will' has a totally opposite meaning from 'mind-forged Manacles' which implies that the people are trapped by their own inhibitions. This is Blake making a statement subtly using a compound word and I think it works quite well.

The phrase 'How the youthful harlot's curse' (in "London") describes the darker, dirtier and more sinister side of London not explored in Wordsworth's 'early morning' view of London. However I feel that Wordsworth does hint at this darker, more realistic side of London with the phrase 'glittering in the smokeless air' because I think this implies that because it is still early, there is no smoke but also at the same time, hints that there will be smoke. Wordsworth's poem is seen through the eyes of a visitor and a stranger and he sees it as beautiful and without sin.

I think both poems show different sides of London. "London" shows a side of the city that is not widely known or thought about but "Westminster Bridge" explores the side of London that people expect to see and visit. I think this is because "London" is written by William Blake who lives in London and wants to see massive changes in the way the country is run. Blake's poem is rhetorical and is meant to stir up a feeling of unfair treatment. Wordsworth's "Westminster Bridge" however is probably a poem describing the way the city looked at a particular time when Wordsworth was feeling happiest. I think his view may have been 'clouded' by his mood because, on his return from France later that year, he writes the opposite view in "London 1802". I think this shows how his trip to France where he saw the difference the revolution had made changed his mind.