Comparison Between “London” by William Blake and “Composed...

Comparison between â€Å"London† by William Blake and â€Å"Composed Upon Westminster Bridge† by William Wordsworth The city of London has inspired many poets throughout the ages. Two of the most distinctive portrayals are William Blake’s â€Å"London† published in Songs of Experience in 1974 and â€Å"Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802† by William Wordsworth. While both Blake and Wordsworth comment on the conflict between appearance and reality, Blake shows the gloomy ugliness by taking down London’s streets. William Wordsworth’s ‘Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’ reveals the beauty of London from upriver. Their poems symbolize British royalty and politics. Setting, tone and theme help reader develop a greater appreciation both the†¦show more content†¦However, the speaker doesn’t admire London’s architecture; he looks down and focuses on the people. London is filled with marks of weakness and woe to Blake’s narrator. Blake mentions the â€Å"blasts† of the infant, chimney sweeper, soldier and even the harlot. Wordsworth’s London is asleep and at rest, while Blake’s London is restless and awake even through midnight. While Wordsworth portrays the beauty of London, Blake describes a cruel, cold and bitter London. The purpose of Blake’s London is to reveal the compulsion of the lower class citizens of London, by the nobles during the late 18th century. Blake uses various poetic devices in order to enhance the portrayal of the poem’s purpose to the reader. These devices include metaphor, symbolism, and repetition. ‘The mind-forged manacles I hear’ (line 8) is the central image of the poem. Manacles are chains which prisoner would have to wear and they were also used to prevent slaves from escaping. The narrator is suggesting that people’s minds are restricted and confined-that the city has robbed them of the ability to think. The poem is full of negative words: ‘weakness’, ‘woe’, ‘cry’, ‘fear’, ‘appals’, ‘blood’, blights’, plagues’ and ‘hearse’. Although the poem ends with the phrase ‘marriage’, it isn’t symbolize love or new life but with the word ‘hearse’. In Blake’s opinion the future of the city brings nothing but decay and death. In the meantime, Wordsworth uses personification throughout the poem to create a sense of