Composed Upon Westminster Bridge

1253 Words6 Pages
COMPOSED UPON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE, SEPTEMBER 3rd, 1802 The poem, ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’ was written by William Wordsworth after an experience that took place while Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy Wordsworth, were travelling to France. They were crossing the bridge in the early hours of the morning, when they noticed an unfamiliar fogless appearance of the city, making the sky look airy, spacious and “open” (7). Wordsworth stopped the coach to look at the view from upon the bridge, and that is where the poem is set. The sun was beginning to rise - casting a bright golden light over famous landmarks which were visible from the bridge; The Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral etc. The golden light made London appear to be a different, peaceful city. As the sun moves higher up into the sky, it makes the docked ships and buildings appear to be “glittering”. In the second half of the sonnet (sestet), the speaker seems to be reflecting on a previous sensation of calmness he encountered in the English countryside, but then swiftly makes the decision that not even the views he had seen there can compare to what he is seeing at that present moment. Then, suddenly the city turns into a big sleeping body, which is ironic because the city is usually bustling and vibrant. The title of the poem tells nothing more than where and when it was written. These journal-type titles are known as Caption-like titles. The Romantics characteristically tried to capture the visions and emotions of short-lived experiences, but the flip side was the using of caption-like titles, of which Wordsworth seemed to be very fond of. This title is appropriate because this poem is the telling of a personal experience in a spontaneous manner. Unlike the date in the title, this poem was actually written on July 31st 1802. This poem is in the form of a Petrarchian sonnet. Petrarch

More about Composed Upon Westminster Bridge

Open Document