Amanda Bruner
Mr. Kuhn
Honors English 12 - E Period
22 September 2014
Awe for Calm In his Petrarchan sonnet “Composed upon Westminister Bridge, September 3, 1802,” William Wordsworth expresses his enthusiasm for the scene of London by explaining its vast beauty brought upon through the stillness of nature in the early morning. Differing from the majority of Wordsworth’s writings, this sonnet initially focuses on the unnatural world consisting of buildings and man-made objects present in an urban setting rather than on a peaceful unaltered state of nature. Written in iambic pentameter, Wordsworth separates the poem into an octet through which he introduces the view from the Westminister Bridge and a sestet in which he compares the city …show more content…
He describes “the beauty of the morning; silent, bare” implying a certain harmony with nature. Because of the early hour in the morning, the city’s mute existence is not yet influenced by the hustle and bustle of humanity. Next, he states in line six that he views “Ships, towers, domes, theaters, and temples” which potentially insinuate his ability to observe the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral off in the distance. The ships represent London’s militaristic power along with a central form of economic advancement for the city, and the domes and temples point to a possible religious center of society’s life and a certain deific influence among the city’s success. Furthermore, the theaters suggest that city’s culture in addition to the people’s fascination with entertainment through viewing various spectacles such as plays. In each case, the objects described are manmade rather than provided by …show more content…
Furthering his previous idea, he suggests that the city’s beauty is only present because of the suns limitless reach and enriching qualities. Furthermore, he incites that the newness and originality of the view through his impressed attitude. In line ten, “first splendor” continues to propose a morning sunrise filled with brilliant light, but, contrary to previous lines, Wordsworth depicts the brightness as that shining on a “valley, rock, or hill” rather than manmade infrastructure. Through line elevan, he prepossess the rarity of scene through repeating the word “never” and the calm the view creates in him like that of a peaceful
Mr. Kuhn
Honors English 12 - E Period
22 September 2014
Awe for Calm In his Petrarchan sonnet “Composed upon Westminister Bridge, September 3, 1802,” William Wordsworth expresses his enthusiasm for the scene of London by explaining its vast beauty brought upon through the stillness of nature in the early morning. Differing from the majority of Wordsworth’s writings, this sonnet initially focuses on the unnatural world consisting of buildings and man-made objects present in an urban setting rather than on a peaceful unaltered state of nature. Written in iambic pentameter, Wordsworth separates the poem into an octet through which he introduces the view from the Westminister Bridge and a sestet in which he compares the city …show more content…
He describes “the beauty of the morning; silent, bare” implying a certain harmony with nature. Because of the early hour in the morning, the city’s mute existence is not yet influenced by the hustle and bustle of humanity. Next, he states in line six that he views “Ships, towers, domes, theaters, and temples” which potentially insinuate his ability to observe the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral off in the distance. The ships represent London’s militaristic power along with a central form of economic advancement for the city, and the domes and temples point to a possible religious center of society’s life and a certain deific influence among the city’s success. Furthermore, the theaters suggest that city’s culture in addition to the people’s fascination with entertainment through viewing various spectacles such as plays. In each case, the objects described are manmade rather than provided by …show more content…
Furthering his previous idea, he suggests that the city’s beauty is only present because of the suns limitless reach and enriching qualities. Furthermore, he incites that the newness and originality of the view through his impressed attitude. In line ten, “first splendor” continues to propose a morning sunrise filled with brilliant light, but, contrary to previous lines, Wordsworth depicts the brightness as that shining on a “valley, rock, or hill” rather than manmade infrastructure. Through line elevan, he prepossess the rarity of scene through repeating the word “never” and the calm the view creates in him like that of a peaceful