Monday, December 24, 2012

Refering to "Composed upon Westminster Bridge," show why the speaker feels so awestruck and amazed at his first sight of London so early in the...

You might want to focus on the way that the poem
personifies the city of London, making it seem human. Note that we are told that London
"like a garment" wears "the beauty of the morning," the river has "its own sweet will"
and the houses are said to "sleep." Lastly, the entire sight is personified in the last
line as being a "mighty heart":


readability="7">

Dear God! the very houses seem
asleep;


And all that mighty heart is lying
still!



If we examine all of
these characteristics, what seems to amaze the speaker so much is the city's beauty and
tranquility on this morning. The city throughout the poem is presented as being peaceful
and beautiful, as these three lines make clear:


readability="14">

Never did sun more beautifully
steep


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


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



It is the sight of this
"mighty heart lying still" in the beautiful morning sunshine that produces this sense of
calm and peace in the speaker, which makes him feel more calm than he has ever felt in
his life. This is a very novel perception of the city, for in Romantic literature they
were normally depicted as ugly and enchaining men rather than liberating them.
Wordsworth in this poem re-envisions the city, showing that it to can be a sight of
natural beauty and exploring how it can bring peace to the soul.

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