A comparison of 'London' by William Blake and 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge' by William Wordsworth.

These two poems were written within eight years of one another, the first being 'London' in 1794 and then 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge' in 1802. They are both Romantics and typical of the style, both have an emotional and expressive freedom in the way they are written and a seemingly honest view of real life. Both poems have an immediate link in the form of the mention of London or places related to London in the tittle, this means that even before reading the poem you would expect that London or some aspect of life in London would be a theme in both poems. London could be considered a major theme of both poems but for completely contrasting reasons; 'London's theme is more about the people of London and the conditions of the urban poor and their physical and spiritual misery. 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge' however, is a more positive view of London and is more concerned with the buildings and view of London and most importantly it's effect on the writer. 'London' is a far more in depth look at life in London and the melancholy of its inhabitants whereas Wordsworth is looking at it from further away and so the theme is slightly less insightful but nevertheless conveyed with equally as much feeling as 'London'.

Although both differ in terms of theme they do have similar attitudes in that they are very passionate about what they are writing and the opinion they are trying to convey. Although Wordsworth is generally more positive and calm in his poem there is a definite sense of it becoming that little bit more aggressive towards the end. This is evidenced by the use of two exclamations and emphasis being at the end of the line in the last six lines, this makes the lines stay in the mind and emphasises that they are trying to make a point. In Blake's poem we can see that he is trying to convey his concern and opinion that London is full of misery and pain throughout the entire poem. The tone In 'London' seems very bitter and disillusioned as though he does not see any of the beauty, which Wordsworth sees in London but simply the suffering of the people. He uses the very first stanza to show the melancholy and continuos unbreakable pattern of life in London. This is reinforced by the alliteration in the last line of the stanza to emphasise the constant and 'Charter'd' life that people in London live and how it is one of great unhappiness. The use of the word 'Charter'd' shows the idea of life in London being predestined and also the divide between the rich and poor. The main difference in the attitudes of the two poems is that 'London' has more of a tone of concern and worry about the state of London, or more it's people and also an anger about the difference in situations between the rich and poor. Blake seems genuinely appalled at the state of life in London, we may presume that this is a first hand opinion as Blake was born and lived most of his life in London. His view was one more than likely formed on real experience and unlike Wordsworth he was not blinded by the fact he was a visitor to London who had a somewhat limited experience of the city.

Blake is very clear about the idea he wants to convey in his poem and it is clear that to him London is merely a city in discontent. He evidences this particular idea with lines such as 'The mind-forg'd manacles I hear' which emphasise the idea that to Blake London is a prison restraining it's inhabitants. The continual references to sound such as 'cry' and 'curse' also supports the idea that London's people are trapped and they express their frustration through explosions of sound. In comparison Wordsworth's poem is from a completely different prospective both in terms of writers own perspective and the way in which he is seeing London. Blake is seeing London from the inside whereas Wordsworth is looking over London from a more distant perspective and also from the detached viewpoint of a visitor to the city. 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge' is more interested in the actual city of London and it's 'towers, domes, theatres and temples' and so we see Wordsworth's concern is more with the cities buildings rather than the people. In Wordsworth's poem we can see that to him London is a sight of much beauty which would seem ironic as he lived in the lake district and to most people the beauty of London would look pale in comparison.

Blake uses language to show the reader the spiritual and physical oppression the people of London suffer, language such as 'mind forg-d' and 'blights' show the poems negativity and reflects the suffering within London. The Diction in 'London' is relatively simple which reflects the education of the people and makes it accessible for a larger audience. Wordsworth perhaps uses language more creatively and compared to Blake has chosen a more positive and complementary diction to match the tone of the poem. Wordsworth uses a lot of descriptive words with mostly gentle sounds rather than fricatives to reflect the calm nature of the poem, for example 'majesty' and 'glittering'. Wordsworth also uses references to nature such as 'sky', 'fields' and 'air' this again reinforces the beauty of the scene Wordsworth's words are painting and keeps with the tranquil tone of the poem. Once again the structure of these poems is very different, Blake uses a simple song like structure in the form of a lyric poem to emphasise the drabness and monotony of people in London's lives. The lyric form is one with a clear regularity and hence why it is so effective in conveying the idea of the bleak nature of Londoners lives. The form is also effective in the way it is simple and so does not distract from the message of the poem. The use of pattern of three also reinforces the idea of repetition in London life. There is not a lot of complex imagery but a few very powerful examples of the device, such as 'runs in blood down Palace walls' this is used to show the death of many foot soldiers who were slaughtered after becoming soldiers by trickery and also to show the gap between the rich and poor which was something Blake himself was very concerned with. A number of other devices are used by Blake such as metaphors, for example 'The mind-forg'd manacles I hear' this is employed to show the restraints that Londoners have put on themselves, the fact they are in the 'mind' shows that some restraints are self enforced. One important example of symbolism is the 'chimney-sweeper's cry' this is a powerful symbol of mans mistreating of man and is a reference to young chimney sweeps, perhaps as young as ten having fires lit underneath them so they were forced up the chimney.
Blake also shows the gap between the rich and the poor, he is concerned greatly with the trickery to get people to join the army and the way the poor have been deprived of their right to worship and believe God has let them down, 'Every black'ning church appalls'. Blackening could be seen to be talking about moral corruption and the way the church neglects to look after the poor.

'Composed upon Westminster Bridge' has a totally different form to that of 'London', it is a petrachan sonnet; it has a total of fourteen lines and is divided into an Octave and a Sestet. Like in most sonnets of this type the first eight lines, the Octave is more concentrated on the beauty of the city and the last six, the sestet, is more reflective. Wordsworth begins by presenting his subject and describing it, the first sentence is a hyperbole and is written for emphasis. From then he uses a combination of rhyme and sight rhyme to make the poem very calm and positive, he also uses enjambment which helps the poem to flow and so creates a more calming and tranquil tone to reflect the writers own attitude. In the sestet Wordsworth is very reflective on the scene he has just describes. Line eleven sees the voice change to 1st person and this is when the writers own personal opinion begins to show and the reader gets a direct incite into the feelings and attitude of the writer, 'Ne'er saw I. Never felt, a calm so deep!' It would seem that altogether 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge ' is a more complex piece of writing in terms of style and the techniques used. For example Wordsworth uses personification when describing the city and also uses a simile in the same line, 'This City now doth, like a garment, wear', these are two examples of techniques, which Wordsworth employs, but Blake does not. They allow him to conjure images in the reader's mind and convey his own feelings and evoke the same ideas in the reader's mind.

In conclusion these are two contrasting poems, which have a common theme in the form of London, and even this is from two totally different perspectives. 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge' is London at a specific moment in time whereas 'London' is more general. 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge' is, as the title would suggest 'Composed', it is artistic and crafted and this is reflected in the way it is written. The style and structure is complex and employs a number of techniques to create the desired effect and show the beauty of London as Wordsworth was looking at it. The poem has a quiet inspirational beauty that is created by the language and flowing structure of the poem. In comparison 'London' is of a far more simple structure and has less in terms of effect creating devices, this however does mean that the meaning of the poem is not obstructed and the few devices, examples of metaphor or imagery for example are few but powerful. 'London' is a simple and effective poem which is a searing indictment of the conditions of the urban poor, their physical and spiritual misery and compared to 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge' is far less concerned with creating effect but more with getting the point across. This is perhaps a reflection on the writer, Wordsworth's view is masked by the fact he is a visitor to London seeing it in the morning, while it is 'asleep' and Blake has a clear and unobstructed view of the real London.