Lines Written Upon Westminster Bridge Analysis

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Images of London in Contrast: Analysing Wordsworth and Wilde The poems “Lines Written upon Westminster Bridge” by William Wordsworth and “Impression du Matin” by Oscar Wilde both describe each author’s view of the city of London. Wordsworth, who wrote during the Romantic period, is known for his appreciation of nature, while Wilde, who wrote during the Victorian period, is not as concerned with nature. Wilde is concerned with finding a balance between ideas that creates a more realistic image, while Wordsworth is not concerned with being realistic. The poems explain not only what the authors see, but also the impact the sight has on them and their overall impression of the city. This impression is based on the distinctions noticed by each. Wordsworth’s view of London is much more idyllic and centered on the aspects of nature present in the city, but Wilde’s view of London is more somber with an emphasis on sources of light in the city. Wordsworth’s “Lines Written upon Westminster Bridge” presents an idyllic image of the city of London. Throughout the poem, Wordsworth 's word choices convey the idea that the …show more content…

Throughout the poem, Wilde’s word choice deliberately casts the city in a more negative light as compared to Wordsworth 's vision of the city. Wilde uses words such as, “chill and cold”, “creeping”, and “shadows” to describe the city (Wilde 4-5, 7). All of these words can be associated with the genre of horror. Specifically, the words creeping and shadows conjure images of scenes from classic slasher films which is the exact opposite of the picturesque and beautiful world presented in Wordsworth 's poem. The setting of a slasher film is not exactly an ideal place; most people in that type of situation would be agitated and looking for an escape. Unlike the picturesque scenes from Wordsworth 's poem, the images created in Wilde’s poem are much more

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