Wordsworth : A Comparison Between "composed Upon Westminster Bridge" And The Extract " Essay, Research Paper
`??????????? The extract from "The
Prelude" is written mainly in the first person singular and in the past
tense, reminiscing about? a happy
winters day when Wordsworth was a child. Wordsworth wrote this poem in 1798, when
he was 28 years old, looking back on his childhood which was spent largely
among mountains at Hawkshead where he was educated. ??????????? The sonnet "Composed upon
Westminster Bridge" is written mainly in the third person in the present
tense and describes the skyline of London from above the Thames and is set early
in the morning. Wordsworth never lived in London and was not familiar with the
bustling city that he was passing through. The sonnet describes the
tranquillity of the city before everyone wakes up and goes about their usual
daily routine. This poem is probably the more accurate of the two poems because
Wordsworth could see the view whilst he was composing the sonnet, whereas
"The Prelude" was written looking back, so some memories could have
been forgotten, exaggerated or distorted in some way. ??????????? The sonnet is fourteen lines long
and all of the lines share the same approximate length of about ten syllables,
forming a square shape on the page.? The
extract from "The Prelude" is twenty four lines long and all the
lines are also approximately the same length as each other. The extract is part
of a longer piece, therefore it is incomplete, whereas the sonnet is complete,
giving a much fuller and therefore clearer picture. ??????????? "The Prelude" is more like
a continuous piece of prose, telling a story, with no rhyming couplets or
rhyming pattern. "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" appears to have
quite a random rhyming pattern for the majority of the poem, with an
A,B,A,B,A,B rhyming pattern in the last sestet, maybe to emphasise this part of
the poem. ??????????? In many ways the two poems are
contrasting. For example, "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" is
written at sunrise and the extract from "The Prelude" is written
about the time just before sunset. "The Prelude" involves other
children playing games on the ice, with Wordsworth, whereas "Composed upon
Westminster Bridge" was written alone and involves no other people at all,
except in personifications of objects. The sonnet is a very ephemeral poem, as
Wordsworth caught London at a very flattering time of day. If he had been at
the same point at midday, then he may not have had the same opinions, as the
city would have been much busier and not so peaceful. ??????????? Much imagery is used in the sonnet
to convey the picturesque image of the city.?
The opening line, "Earth has not anything to show more fair"
is quite effective as it makes it sound as if the view is the best thing in the
world, this is emphasised by the use of the negative "not" which
emphasises the great power of the planet. ?On the
fourth line, the subject of the poem is revealed and by using both
personification and a simile. The City is personified and given the ability to
wear "the beauty of the morning; silent, bare." This is compared this
to the human ability to wear a garment., with a reference to "majesty"
in the previous line, which suggests royal garments, and the worshipping of the
city, like royalty was then worshipped. Another stylistic device? that Wordsworth uses in this poem is the use
of lists. The
"Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples." The second list
contrasts the first by including the natural features in the landscape,
"valley, rock or hill." These lists contrast each other. On the thirteenth line of the sonnet, the
vocative tense is used, "Dear God! The very houses seem asleep",
which is effective as it seems to convey what Wordsworth really thought, inside
his head, whilst standing on the bridge, writing the sonnet. Enjambment is used in both poems. An example in
the sonnet is: "Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A Sight so touching in its majesty" An example of enjambment in "The
Prelude" is "And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set , and visible for many a mile" This is?
effective because it makes you think about what the phrase actually
means, and sometimes puts emphasis on certain words or gives them double
meanings. This may also make the poem flow better and sound more effective when
read out. Enjambment is used a lot by Wordsworth in "The Prelude"
along with many other tricks of style. An original and effective simile
describing Wordsworth’s playful attitude as a boy, is? "Proud and exulting like an untired horse" which
conveys the image of a mad and wild boy bursting with energy. The playing boys
are also compared to a hunt in an extended simile which continues for much of
the extract. Onomatopoeia is also used by Wordsworth in "The
Prelude." Words such as "hissed" and "tinkled" are
effective in this poem, as they resemble the sounds actually made. The sonnet "Composed upon Westminster
Bridge" is all written in a mood of happiness and pleasure, the same mood
that the extract from "The Prelude" begins with, whilst
describing? the "time of
rapture!"? and the exciting time
experienced by all the children playing games on the ice. This mood continues
almost until the end of the extract, but the mood appears to sadden in the last
few lines. "an alien sound Of melancholy not unnoticed" came as the
boys realised that the evening of fun had to be over. "The orange sky of
the evening died away" signifies the end of all the enjoyment of the
evening. This is because orange is a colour of happiness and fun, and as the
colour fades the time of rapture fades with it, as this signifies time that the
boys had to make their way home. The poem that had the most effect on me was the
sonnet "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" This is because it is
easier to understand and set out much more clearly. The imagery in the sonnet
is very effective and gives a good visual image of London in the morning in the
late 1700’s. Although I prefer the style of the sonnet, I prefer the subject
matter of "The Prelude" as I can identify with it more, although I
feel that both the subject matters are now a bit out-dated. Today, if you stood
on Westminster Bridge early in the morning, then there would almost definitely
not be the same tranquil atmosphere as there was then, as there would probably
noise, pollution, cars, people and aeroplanes breaking the peace that there
once was. Instead, a modern sonnet may be dedicated to The Millennium Dome,
London Eye and the ?new
offices and footbridge. In "The Prelude" the boys are playing out in
the countryside on the ice. Today, even though children do still play out
sometimes, it is more common for them to be occupied by modern technology such
as computer games.