Comparison of poems.

Comparison of poems.

In this introduction I am intending to compare and contrast two poems.

The poems I am contrasting are called ‘London’ and ‘Composed Upon

Westminster’. These two poems are written in the 19th century. The

writers had the same ideas about the two poems. The poems are both

about London. The writers both give a different view of London. The

London poem is written by William Blake in 1757-1827. The Westminster

poem written by William Wordsworth in 1770 – 1850

Blake’s representation of London is bleak. The title London is short

and gets straight to the point. The first verse is a description of

the city, streets, rivers and the people in the city. The first line

creates a feeling like London is being owned. It is described like

hell. The quote is “I wonder thro each chattered streets, near were

the chartered Thames does flow. Blake has a sinister view of London.

He describes it like a prison. The second two lines inverse 1 is about

the people. The quote is ‘and marks in every face I meet, marks of

weakness marks of woe.’ These two lines mean when Blake sees people on

the streets of London they have marks on their faces. The last quote

means that the people are weak, have grief and sorrow. The imagery

Blake creates in the first verse is of the empty streets and the

flowing Thames.

The second verse is about the people. “In every cry of every man” “in

every infants cry of fear” the imagery the second verse suggests pain.

“Infants cry” of mental torture “mind forged manacles”. There is a lot

of repetition. In the second verse Blake emphasises on the word

‘every’ to really put the pain across.

The third verse is about the institutions and culture. Blake says ‘the

chimney sweepers cry’. ...

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...s like heaven.

Wordsworth is in a dream. He is describing London as romantic.

The similarities both of these poems are that Blake says marks of

weakness marks of woe. Wordsworth says mighty heart. Blake says

blackening church, hapless soldier, palace walls. Wordsworth says

ships, towers, domes, theatres, temples. Blake says chimney sweepers

and blackening church. Wordsworth says smokeless air. Blake says

chartered Thames does flow and Wordsworth says the river glideth at

his own sweet will.

Blake says midnight streets and Wordsworth says valleys rocks or

hills. Blake says midnight and Wordsworth says bright and glittery. He

also says morning. Blake says cry in every man and Wordsworth says

calm so deep.

The poem that gives me a better description of London is Blake’s point

of view. He has a simple structure and his description is very

descriptive.