Summary
Summary Composed upon Westminster Bridge
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English Edexcel GCSE Poetry Time and Place Notes
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Aleena IslamCOMPOSED UPON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE –
William Wordsworth
Themes
Elation, euphoria, beauty, jubilation, romanticisation, liberation,
freedom, praise
Contextual overview
This poem, a Petrarchan sonnet, was written to eulogise and
show the magnificence and splendour of London. During the
early 19th century, London was the capital city of an enormous
empire and much of the trade passed through the port of the
city. It was, at the time, the biggest city in the world and was
clearly deserving of its praise from Wordsworth. The poem
begins by describing the beauty of the industrial aspect of the
city and then in the second part of the poem, he moves on to
worship the natural aspect of the city.
Key features of language, form and structure
- The poem’s second lines states, ‘Dull would he be of soul who could
pass by…’ With this, Wordsworth is suggesting that anyone who
walks by this magnificent sight without taking the appropriate time
to cherish and worship it, has a dull soul and personality. Thus, this
gives us the impression, that the speaker adores the beauty of
London.
- He continues to say, ‘…a sight so touching in its majesty.’ The use
of positive royal diction in the noun, ‘majesty’ serves to reinforce
that London is a very elegant and beautiful place. The fact that the
speaker chooses to highlight the beauty and eminence of London, is
what implies his elated emotion.
- Wordsworth then accentuates the extent to which London suits its
grandeur and how majestic the city is, again using royal diction as
well as a simile; ‘This city … like a garment.’ This idea is reinforced
by the use of personification in the following line, ‘This city …
wear the beauty of the morning.’
- Wordsworth depicts London as having many exceptional features;
‘silent, bare, ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples …’ The
asyndetic list seems to imply that London has a never-ending
amount of wondrous features that he seems to have an admiration
for. The use of frequent caesuras also highlights his growing sense
of enthusiasm and excitement. The pauses could also suggest that
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