Poetry Analysis of Westminster Bridge

Overview

This lecture provides a detailed analysis of Wordsworth's poem "Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802," focusing on its themes, context, poetic form, and Wordsworth's poetic philosophy.

Context and Background

• "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" is set on Westminster Bridge in London during sunrise.
• Wordsworth is a first-generation Romantic poet, known for his nature poetry.
• The poem is unusual for Wordsworth because it addresses a city, not nature.
• It is often compared to Blake’s poem "London," but this comparison is overly simplistic.

Poem Analysis

• Wordsworth claims nothing on earth is more beautiful than the sight from the bridge.
• He describes London as wearing the beauty of the morning "like a garment"—silent and bare.
• The city appears untouched and clean, with ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples visible.
• The urban landscape is depicted as bright and glittering in "smokeless air."
• Wordsworth finds the sunrise over London more beautiful than any natural scene.
• The Thames River is personified as "glideth at his own sweet will," unlike Blake's "chartered Thames."
• The scene is tranquil and calm, with houses "asleep" and the "mighty heart" (the city's energy) lying still.

Themes and Interpretation

• The poem praises the beauty of London only at sunrise, when it is peaceful and empty.
• The tranquility is temporary; the "garment" of morning will be removed, revealing the city's usual busy, smoky, noisy state.
• The lack of people in the poem suggests the beauty is due to the absence of urban life.
• The "mighty heart lying still" implies the city is lifeless or dead at this moment, not vibrant.

Wordsworth's Definition of Poetry

• Wordsworth defined poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings...recollected in tranquility."
• The lecturer argues this is not a universal definition—it's more about how Wordsworth writes.
• In the poem, Wordsworth experiences intense emotion at sunrise and later composes the poem in a calm state.

Poetic Form

• The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet with an ABBA ABBA CDCDCD rhyme scheme.
• Sonnets are traditionally used for love poems; this could be seen as a love poem to the morning in London.
• The use of certain words (like "bare") may be influenced by the rhyme scheme requirements.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Romantic poets — a group of 19th-century poets focused on emotion, nature, and individualism.
• Petrarchan sonnet — a 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme (ABBA ABBA CDCDCD).
• Personification — giving human qualities to non-human things (e.g., the river glideth at his own sweet will).
• Expostulation — an exclamation expressing strong feeling (e.g., "Dear God!").
• Recollected in tranquility — reflecting calmly on emotional experiences to create poetry.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review the text of "Composed upon Westminster Bridge."
• Compare with William Blake’s "London" for contrasting views of the city.
• Explore more poems by Wordsworth to see themes of nature and emotion.