Comparing January 1795, and Residence in London - Book Report/Review Example

January, 1795 is the antithesis of The Prelude, Book Seventh, Residence In London, lines 624 - 741. This essay compares the two poems of January, 1795 and The Prelude, Book Seventh, Residence In London, lines 624 - 741. January, 1795 is a poem by Mary Darby Robinson. Residence In London is a poem written by William Wordsworth. This essay explores the poetic structures in the two poems and makes comparisons between them. The thesis argues that January, 1795 is the antithesis of The Prelude, Book Seventh, Residence In London, lines 624 - 741. January, 1795 has beautiful rhyme and rhythm. Each line has eight syllables giving perfect rhythm to the poem. For example, when the first two lines are read, it is realised that each line contains exactly eight syllables; 'Pavement slipp'ry, people sneezing, / Lords in ermine, beggars freezing ; / '. Every verse of four lines contains a couplet. This means that the ending word of each pair of lines rhyme together. For example, in the second verse, 'Lofty mansions, warm and spacious ; / Courtiers clinging and voracious ; ' , the ending words spacious and voracious rhyme together. However, the first verse is special because there are no couplets but all four lines in the verse rhyme on the ending sound of 'ing'. The first verse describes the harsh conditions of the climate and its effects on people. It is so cold that the pavement is slippery and people are catching the cold and sneezing. There is a great divide between the economic classes in society as the rich have plenty of good food to eat and the poor are starving. The genius is not recognized for his talent and helped to maximize his potential but instead judged and punished by virtue of his economic woes. The political climate is one of imprisonment for debtors and the destitute. It was a trap because once a person was imprisoned, he had no means of earning money to pay off his debt and he will remain imprisoned until something happens. Although there was no feminism, equality of the sexes, or rights for women, women offenders were imprisoned and treated the same way as the men. The second verse contrasts with the first by discussing about the warmth in the houses of the rich. The poet Robinson uses the technique of contrasting within the same line to emphasize the differences in the class. For example, the misers who hoard physical wealth make short work of ignoring the wretched poor who are needing assistance. This line says this; 'Misers scarce the wretched heeding ;'. There is no socialism because there is no concern for the poor although they too belong to the society and are compatriots. In the third verse, the upper class women are criticized. They are portrayed indirectly as being unfaithful. The poet Robinson charges that these women spend their time outside the matrimonial home. They go to meeting-houses, which are actually references to the extra-marital liaisons at discrete places. These women spend their time on frivolous and immoral pursuits like the theatre and balls. They are enjoying themselves without sparing a thought for the sick and suffering in hospital. The fourth verse describes how the intellectual disciplines of art and science are in degeneration. Trade is not flourishing because the middlemen are corrupt and the poor subjugated people suffer. There is no chance at meritocracy and the poor do not have revenues to break out of their poverty cycle. The poem continues to describe the different strata of society and their general decadence. The rich people are falling into ruins because of their poor morals. They suppress the poor and there are no good rulers and leaders to help society. Those who are capable have no means to address the wrongs in society while those who are in power abuse their position to keep the poor subjugated. The working class people do not escape Robinson's scrutiny. Robinson writes; 'Poets, painters, and musicians ; Lawyers, doctors, politicians : Pamphlets, newspapers, and odes, Seeking fame by diff'rent roads.' The working class people are portrayed as selfish individuals who place their own interests at heart over the common good of society. In conclusion, Robinson presents a bleak picture of society in January, 1795. Residence In London is written using the narrative form. Wordsworth puts great effort into the rhythm as each line contains ten syllables. In this aspect of rhythm, it shares a common feature with January, 1795 in that it contains a fixed number of syllables in each line. However, it does not have ending rhymes at the end of each line. This form differs from January, 1795. January, 1795 is an explicit narrative on what is seen by the poet. It leaves no room for discussion or doubt on the poet's assumptions. In contrast, Residence In London is a reflective poem that wonders on many things. For example, the poet-narrator does not recognize the different economic classes of people in society. In the lines 628-29, he says; "The face of every one'/ That passes by me is a mystery!" This contrasts with January, 1795, which classifies people and describes their supposed traits. January, 1795 is written with a closed mind with negative impressions of all mankind. In contrast, Residence In London is written with an open mind. Wordsworth ponders on what and who a person is. He regrets that a descriptive label on a man cannot do justice to answer the question. For example, he says; 'This label seemed of the utmost we can know, / Both of ourselves and of the universe;'. Furthermore, this label in reference is stuck onto the blind man by himself, with his consent and maybe with his own approval of the descriptive contents. In contrast, Robinson confers her opinions like labels onto the different people and she does not ponder further nor give the opportunity to debate her imposed opinions. In Residence In London, lines 624 - 649 describe the day scene of a busy, bustling city. The following verse from line 650 contrasts with the previous day scene by having a night scene in the poem. There are no people walking about at night. The setting is quiet and peaceful. However, Wordsworth reminds that this scene is not the correct representative of what the location is. For example, he says; 'Nothing is listened to. But these, I fear, Are falsely catalogued; things that are, are not, As the mind answers to them, or the heart 670 Is prompt, or slow, to feel.' Wordsworth voices his doubts about using the night scene to pin down a description for the location when he uses a paradox by saying 'things that are, are not, / As the mind answers to them, or the heart/ '. He says that the scene will change again when there is a festival or activity. This is the third time he requests not to use any definitive mould to define a vibrant venue. Wordsworth has a characteristic of using nature and scenery in his poem. He uses nature to relate to the social and political climate in his environment. This technique contrasts with Robinson's technique of using themes. Robinson does not use nature, scenery or the abstract to discuss about the politics of the day. Robinson prefers to use people, occupations of people and more direct references to convey her opinions of the social and political climates in her poem. Wordsworth says that the people are free to break loose in celebrations in lines 670 - 72; 'What say you, then, To times, when half the city shall break out Full of one passion, vengeance, rage, or fear' Wordsworth's human subjects seem to enjoy a greater sense of freedom than Robinson's human subjects. Robinson's classes of poor people are described as being miserable and oppressed by the flamboyant rich. Another difference between the two poems is that Wordsworth's poem does not speak about the different economic classes. He projects the image of a contented poet who is relatively satisfied with his lot in life, with society and is positive. Robinson's poem is full of discontent and tries to rally support for the disadvantaged. From this observation, one might deduce that Robinson wrote about the truth when she said that the rich are too content to do anything for the poor. On the other hand, the lines 670 - 72 may also be a forewarning on how disorganized, spontaneous and extraordinary when the city breaks out in a festive celebration. Robinson's majority of poor people are too suppressed and poor to celebrate and can only watch the rich people celebrate. In line 678, Saint Bartholomew is mentioned as saint whose festival is celebrated. The presence of religion shows that Wordsworth has some belief in Christianity or supports religion. In contrast, Robinson's poem does not mention religion nor say that the people celebrate any religious festival. The correlation between economic class and religion is noted. The destitute have no time or resources to practice religion. The bourgeois are too immoral to even pretend to observe religion. The peace and tranquillity is disrupted when Wordsworth suddenly criticises in the lines 692-3; 'Is thronged with staring pictures and huge scrolls, / Dumb proclamations of the Prodigies;'. Initially, the reader assumes that the huge scrolls contain literature pertaining to the authorities. Wordsworth immediately ridicules them by saying they are dumb. Wordsworth shares Robinson's stance on certain classes of people as being dumb. However, he continues to write the setting to approximate more closely to a circus. One might wonder if he intentionally wrote in a pun on the word Prodigies. A prodigy can mean something marvellous, monstrous or having prophetic importance. Perhaps Wordsworth intended to mask the actual use of the word because he does not wish to offend the authorities or the powerful classes of people. Wordsworth repeats his technique of including the paradox to confuse the reader and allay blame on the poet (himself). He wishes to criticise indirectly and also in a masked way. After the seemingly innocent descriptive on the different varieties of performers in the circus, Wordsworth deftly interposes to say that they are; 'All jumbled up together, to compose / A Parliament of Monsters.' This can be an inference to the Parliament comprising of men who act like monsters in their course of discharging their responsibilities. On the other hand, one can also assume that Wordsworth has continued his narrative poem on the circus performers and since they are in charge of the show, they are a Parliament in themselves. Wordsworth then becomes passionately critical of the loss of individual identity while running in the human rat race in life. However, he does an about turn and returns to being supportive of the prevalent structures in society because he encourages to; 'sees the parts / As parts, but with a feeling of the whole.' One might assume that Wordsworth is supportive of his society's structures while Robinson is a critic of her society. In conclusion, although Robinson and Wordsworth use similar writing techniques, their poems are antithesis of each other and reflect their personal views on their societies. Works Cited. Mary Darby Robinson. 2006. January, 1795 by Mary Darby Robinson. Retrieved May 29, 2007, from Famous Poets and Poems.com, http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/mary_darby_robinson/poems/6408 William Wordsworth. 2005. The Prelude, Book Seventh, Residence In London by William Wordsworth. Lines 624 - 741. Retrieved May 29, 2007, from Bartleby.com, http://www.bartleby.com/145/ww293.html Read More

 

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