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 first list includes all the man-made features in the poem,

"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.