A Comparison of Blake and Wordsworth’s view of London==========================================================
William Wordsworth and William Blake both wrote popular poems aboutLondon, but their views of it were very different, this could bebecause of the way they grew up. Blake was brought up in the city andsaw the more poverty-driven and polluted side to London whereasWordsworth writes about the beauty and peaceful view of London. He mayhave seen this side because he was born and bred in the beautifulcountryside in the North of England.
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Blake is walking down the dirty streets of the capital city and talksabout the pain and emotion in the people he sees, “in every cry ofevery man”. Blake considers the onlooker’s emotions and the actualstreets and dark side to the city compared to Wordsworth who focuseson the beauty and natural side to London. Blake blames all of thepoverty and damage in London on the authorities and the “black’ningchurch,” he thinks it’s because of their lack of awareness and care toLondon’s citizens that it has got this way. He uses logical andconsidered tone in the structure of “London.”
Wordsworth’s sonnet is a very, romantic and optimistic poem aboutLondon. To Wordsworth, London is beautiful, as beautiful as thecountryside or a more natural landscape; he doesn’t see all of theurban buildings and busy streets. Unlike Blake, Wordsworth sees thenatural splendour of the capital “the beauty of the morning” ratherthan the dreary way of life Blake focuses on. Wordsworth only choosesto see the beautiful “garment” that London wears to cover up the grimyand gloomy city behind it. He has a re…
… everything, his repetition on “chartered”strengthens his view of oddness in London. Both writers improve theirscenery by indicating at colours to set a more vivid picture “blood”,“midnight”, “blackening,” these are all words used by Blake, ideas ofthe colours red and black which create a gloomy surrounding.
In conclusion I think that both poems are very well-written andpowerful, although their views of London are very different they bothwork well. Blake sees the gloomy, dark side to the city and people’semotions, whereas Wordsworth’s view is that it is beautiful andnatural-he sees fields and beauty. The different views they have couldbe because of their backgrounds and where they grew up as Wordsworthgrew up in the North England countryside and Blake was born and bredin the middle of London itself.
