Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 Group
Question:
keekee
Student
Community / Jr. College
In "Composed upon Westminster Bridge September 3, 1802," what two passages present London as a living being?
What is the effect of this personification?
Answers:
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eNotes Editor
Posted by anzio45 on Monday March 2, 2009 at 6:31 AM'This city now doth like a gament wear
The beauty of the morning;'
'Dear God! The very houses seem asleep,
And all that mighty heart is lying still.'
In both these cases apparently inanimate objects are given human qualities or abilities. I'm not sure I would describe them as personification though, because the first makes clear that it is an image, specifically a simile, 'like a garment', while the second uses 'seem', the word itself declaring an image. However, they both have the same effect as personification in that they give life and character to an inanimate scene. It is perfectly appropriate here because although there are no people in the scene we know that a city is a living, breathing place, not just because there are sleeping people in the houses but because a city can feel as if it has a character and personality of its own.
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louise1234 Student
College - SeniorPosted by louise1234 on Friday October 2, 2009 at 9:00 AMcan you give me a full run down on this poem please
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