Composed Upon Westminster Bridge By William Wordsworth And London

In ‘London’ Blake presents the theme of power through a reportage. The narrator wanders through a ‘chartered street’ and by ‘the chartered Thames’. This shows that in the narrator’s eyes the streets are owned and even an aspect of nature such as the River Thames is in ownership of someone. These owners that Blake refers to is the state who are believed to have acquired so much power that they can own natural landmarks. Due to this power, the people in ‘London’ wear metaphorical ‘manacles’ that are ‘mind-forged’ which shows they have trapped themselves due to the pain and suffering the higher class has caused them. Also, the repetition

William Blake channels his general dissatisfaction of the organization of society during the late eighteenth century in his lyrical poem entitled “London” (1794). Blake uses vividly expressive language through the spoken observations of a symbolic character he created to narrate and recite social and political problems afflicting this metropolis in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The poem’s rhythmically patterned linear style, which is very strictly structured, reinforces its central theme: that oppression will be revisited. Blake’s use of such elements of poetry as setting and situation, diction and tone, structure and form, symbols and images, sound and rhyme, and rhythm and meter to convey this

William Blake’s “London” and Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” appear to have little in common. Although at first they may seem different, they have many hidden similarities. Ultimately, Blake and Owen enhance the overall message presented in their poems by allowing the reader to fully gasp the meaning by connecting them through their senses, the overall consequences of the event, and the importance of the issue.

In William Blake’s sixteen-line poem titled “London,” the speaker appears to draw from his personal observations to describe the people who live in the city of London. He describes the people at the bottom of the society such as the chimney-sweeper’s and the harlots. The people with some authority that belong to a higher class, such as

Blake appears convinced in his poem London that all in the title city are affected negatively, controlled by industrialisation. Writing of the Thames being filled with waste makes the audience realise that Blake’s city was grim with the stench of industrialised homes and factories. He writes that he, as he walks along the forlorn river, “mark[s] in every face [he] meets, Marks of weakness; marks of woe”, faces of those lost to the Hell of the city, the disdain of living in a town controlled by industry and Christianity. Shackled by “mind forg’d manacles”, London is apparently a society void of intellectual and physical

A Comparison of Poems About London 'London', by William Blake, and William Wordsworth's untitled poem, composed on Westminster Bridge, are two different poems written with different styles and techniques to portray their feelings towards London. They are both written in the romantic era and are very passionate in the way they convey their (as both are written in first person) differing opinions on London. Wordsworth's sonnet shows all the positive points and that in his opinion London is an admirable place. However, Blake speaks of a much bleaker London, which contrasts greatly in opinion. Rather than writing his poem on opinion, he uses fact to inform and protest against what he feels is wrong

In "London", William Blake brings to light a city overrun by poverty and hardship. Blake discards the common, glorifying view of London and replaces it with his idea of truth. London is nothing more but a city strapped by harsh economic times where Royalty and other venues of power have allowed morality and goodness to deteriorate so that suffering and poverty are all that exist. It is with the use of three distinct metaphors; "mind-forg'd manacles", "blackning Church", and "Marriage hearse", that Blake conveys the idea of a city that suffers from physical and psychological imprisonment, social oppression, and an unraveling moral society.

William Wordsworth begins his poem by calling out to another poet of an earlier time period, “Milton! Thou should’st be living at this hour:”(1). Wordsworth calls forth Milton because he knows that London is need of serious revisions. Wordsworth then portrays London, “she is fen of stagnant waters: altar, swords, and pen, fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower”(3-4). With a combination of both word play and imagery Wordsworth is able to express his perspective of London. He displays how the growth in beginning to plateau as he uses, “she is fen of stagnant waters”. He then uses words like altar, sword, pen, fireside, and heroic wealth of hall and bower to represent larger pieces of London. The altar represents London’s religious practices, sword represents the military engagements, pen represents the literature, fireside is the society that he sees himself in, and the heroic wealth of the bower is the economic struggle of London. Wordsworth is afraid that the citizens are in too much of a haze to remember their goals, “Have fortified their ancient English dower of inward happiness. We are selfish men”(5-6). He then makes another call to Milton to help the city recover, “Oh! Raise us up, return to us again; And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power”(7-8). Wordsworth then begins to further complement Milton, “ Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea: Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free”(10-11). Wordsworth portrays a city that is no longer able to recover without a great leader. He speaks very highly of Milton and believes that he would be the right man for the task and that he would be able to bring the “ancient English dower” back into London. Milton was a man of his word and paid great attention to all classes of individuals in London, “ In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart the lowliest duties on herself did lay”(12-13).

In his poem, “London,” British poet William Blake describes the appalling conditions of London and its people. Innocence has also been a major theme that is throughout many of Blake’s poem, including “London.” William Blake uses metaphors and imagery to show the themes of disappointment and ruined innocence throughout his poem “London.”

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Lincoln Handout). This famous speech was given at Gettysburg Pennsylvania after the horrific battle at Gettysburg. Lincoln gave this powerful and motivating speech in an attempt to inspire a nation that had become divided. Lincoln knew that to fulfil the Manifest Destiny of this Country, Americans had to become unified once more. When people read the poem “London” they get a sense of a country that is unhappy and depressed. “How the chimney-sweeper’s cry, every black’ning church appalls, and the hapless soldier’s sigh, runs in blood down the palace walls” (Blake 741). This poem is about a country where the poor are always going to be poor. The people of Great Britain during this time were unable to better themselves. People that were born into poor families would always remain poor. It was for this reason that so many families came to America. These immigrants wanted better for themselves, and their families. Had Blake lived in America during that era, his poem would more likely than not have a different tone. This is why geography and era play such a major role in authors

From the opening line of William Blake’s poem London, chartered streets are being laid out to show how this section of London has been privatized by the government. This privatization shows how the economic struggle is a political struggle. Throughout this poem the lower class are economically oppressed and, have limited means of improving their own lives. With the streets and Thames River being privatized all of the people this speaker sees in his walk along the river are marked with weakness and woe. Arguably the speaker in this poem suggests that he is a part of the bourgeoisie since he has time to wander the city. His empathy shown in the first stanza eludes to the fact that capitalism hasn’t colonized his consciousness yet. To show a greater

In “London” the people of the city have no freedom, instead the authorities have absolute power and are not using this for good. Blake sets up this idea in at the beginning of the poem: “I wander thro' each charter'd street, / Near where the charter'd Thames does flow”(1-2). Repetition of the word “charter’d” emphasizes the streets and rivers are legally defined and show this city is increasingly subject to government control. The references to the blood running down palace walls (13), sheds light to the idea that the government is not using their power for good. Another aspect of this is with the reference to “mind-forg’d manacles” (8).

William Blake’s poem “London” takes a complex look at life in London, England during the late seventeen hundreds into the early eighteen hundreds as he lived and experienced it. Blake’s use of ambiguous and double meaning words makes this poem both complex and interesting. Through the following explication I will unravel these complexities to show how this is an interesting poem.

London is a city of many faces. Through the writing of these two famed authors, William Blake and William Wordsworth, they both manage to effectively illustrate the two very different views on London. Blake shows us the dark and twisted side of London facing poverty and oppression, while Wordsworth highlights the bright, peaceful, and beautiful aspects of London. The two poets write their contrasting views by using tones, imagery, and senses; can open the reader's eyes to change and how quickly it can happen.

London by William Blake and Upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth This essay aims to compare and contrast the differences and similarities between the two poems 'London' and 'Upon Westminster Bridge'. They both create powerful, contrasting images but are both similar in the use of language and exaggeration. The first poem to be commented upon is 'London' by William Blake, written a couple of decades before the second poem written by William Wordsworth. William Blake negatively describes London and uses the first person narrative to make it seem as if it were him wandering the lonely streets of London.