A Comparison of Blake and Wordsworth’s view of London

733 Words2 Pages

A Comparison of Blake and Wordsworth’s view of London

==========================================================

William Wordsworth and William Blake both wrote popular poems about

London, but their views of it were very different, this could be

because of the way they grew up. Blake was brought up in the city and

saw the more poverty-driven and polluted side to London whereas

Wordsworth writes about the beauty and peaceful view of London. He may

have seen this side because he was born and bred in the beautiful

countryside in the North of England.

Blake is walking down the dirty streets of the capital city and talks

about the pain and emotion in the people he sees, “in every cry of

every man”. Blake considers the onlooker’s emotions and the actual

streets and dark side to the city compared to Wordsworth who focuses

on the beauty and natural side to London. Blake blames all of the

poverty and damage in London on the authorities and the “black’ning

church,” he thinks it’s because of their lack of awareness and care to

London’s citizens that it has got this way. He uses logical and

considered tone in the structure of “London.”

Wordsworth’s sonnet is a very, romantic and optimistic poem about

London. To Wordsworth, London is beautiful, as beautiful as the

countryside or a more natural landscape; he doesn’t see all of the

urban buildings and busy streets. Unlike Blake, Wordsworth sees the

natural splendour of the capital “the beauty of the morning” rather

than the dreary way of life Blake focuses on. Wordsworth only chooses

to see the beautiful “garment” that London wears to cover up the grimy

and gloomy city behind it. He has a re...

... middle of paper ...

... everything, his repetition on “chartered”

strengthens his view of oddness in London. Both writers improve their

scenery by indicating at colours to set a more vivid picture “blood”,

“midnight”, “blackening,” these are all words used by Blake, ideas of

the colours red and black which create a gloomy surrounding.

In conclusion I think that both poems are very well-written and

powerful, although their views of London are very different they both

work well. Blake sees the gloomy, dark side to the city and people’s

emotions, whereas Wordsworth’s view is that it is beautiful and

natural-he sees fields and beauty. The different views they have could

be because of their backgrounds and where they grew up as Wordsworth

grew up in the North England countryside and Blake was born and bred

in the middle of London itself.

Open Document