Thursday, October 31, 2024

Composed upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth | Structure, Summary, Analysis


Hello and welcome to the Discourse. “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802”, is a beautiful composition about natural beauty by William Wordsworth. It was first published in 1807, in his collection titled Poems, In Two Volumes. It was a period when London and the whole of England were going through the effects of the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution. In the early morning, the poet stands on Westminster Bridge, which connects the poor and the rich areas of London and reminisces on the beauty of London in the early morning. The poem illustrates the need for small discontinuations from the busy hustle, and bustle of city life. The transformation from agrarian and rural societies to industrialized urban centers had a profound impact on the environment and human experience. Wordsworth, in his poetry, often lamented the loss of nature and the simple, pre-industrial way of life. However, this poem is pretty optimistic. Wordsworth picked the city of London in this poem, very spectacularly while depicting how nature plays a pivotal role in leading a go stress-free no matter how much people and the city progresses.

Structure of Composed upon Westminster Bridge:

The poem comprises 14 lines divided into an octave (eight lines, or two quatrains) and a sestet (six lines, or two tercets). It is written as a Petrarchan sonnet, also known as the Italian sonnet written in iambic pentameter with ten syllables per line. However, the poem doesn’t follow the traditional manner of a Petrarchan sonnet. Traditionally, Octave is used to raise a proposition or a point of contention while the Sestet is used to address the proposition or to resolve the issue of contention. Wordsworth used the Octave to describe the beauty of the city of London and then he used the Sestet to describe how this natural beauty can have an emotional effect on the viewer.

In addition, Wordsworth didn’t strictly use Iambic pentameter, rather, the meter is irregular. The rhyming scheme is ABBAABBA CDCDCD.

The poet used HyperbolePersonificationSimileAlliterationAnaphoraApostropheEnjambment, and Inversion in the poem.

The speaker of the poem remains unidentified and unnamed, though we may assume that Wordsworth himself is the speaker.

Summary of Composed upon Westminster Bridge:

The Octave Lines 1-8

Earth has not any thing to show more fair:

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by

A sight so touching in its majesty:

This City now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky;

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

The first stanza is actually a single sentence designed in the form of an octave. The speaker begins with a hyperbolic assertion "Earth has not anything to show more fair." This statement is surprising because Wordsworth is not speaking of nature but of the city. It appears more shocking because the speaker isn’t actually describing the natural beauty, rather he mentions the artificial, man-made monuments and machines. He mentions 'Ships, towers, domes, theaters, and temples' in the 7th line and till now, the natural beauty of the city hasn’t been discussed.

The eighth line clarifies the idea as the speaker mentions that all those man-made marvels are appearing “bright and glittering in the smokeless air.” This suggests that the city is not in conflict with nature, it appears pollution-free.

A harmonizing effect is then portrayed between the natural and man-made world, with the buildings in the city, with the great feats of engineering lying all within one portion of the city, that is ‘open unto the field, and to the sky’. As the morning sun peeps into the city, everything in the city lies ‘bright’ and keeps ‘glittering’. The air is now divine, fresh, and smokeless, unlike the ugly smoked-choked air of the day.

In the second line, the poet used Inversion (changing of proper grammatical order) ‘Dull would he be of soul who could pass by.’ In the third line, Alliteration has been used. ‘A sight so touching in its majesty’ makes use of the repetition of ‘s’ sound. In the fourth line, Simile has been used.

The Sestet

Never did sun more beautifully steep

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;

Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!

The river glideth at his own sweet will:

Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;

And all that mighty heart is lying still!

The next stanza also begins with Hyperbole as the speaker asserts that the sun has never shone more beautifully, even on natural things (valley, rock, or hill). Wordsworth says never ever in his life he has seen such a scene, nor has he felt such calmness that he has gained from viewing the scene. The speaker connects with the calm of the country’s capital before the business day begins.

In the 12th line, Wordsworth begins using Personification as he offers the river the ability to glide at his own sweet will.’ He personifies the whole scene, giving life to the sun, the river, the houses, and finally the whole city, which has a symbolic heart.  The view is reaching out and touching his soul. The final line of the poem gives the sense that London is the heart of England and it is lying still deprived of any hustle and bustle of the city life in the day.

Themes of Composed upon Westminster Bridge:

Nature and the City: William Wordsworth is known as a nature poet. However, in this poem, he avoided bringing up the theme of Nature vs Artificial. Rather, he demonstrates an appreciation for the beauty of the cityscape in this poem. The poem suggests that the city when observed in a particular state and at a particular time, can rival the sublimity of nature.

The poem explores the contrast and duality between the stillness of the early morning and the bustling life that will later characterize the city. The poem captures a fleeting moment of peace before the city awakens, highlighting the transitory nature of beauty and calmness.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

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