The Poetry of Wordsworth Group

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lovelydeer
Student
College - Freshman

Can you show the figures of speech in the poem, "London, 1802" and analyze it?

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Posted by lovelydeer on Saturday May 30, 2009 at 1:52 PM and tagged with figures of speech, london 1802, poetry, wordsworth.

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  1. pmiranda2857
    pmiranda2857 Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    The poem is addressed to John Milton, who is dead, the figure of speech known as apostrophe is used.  

    "Apostrophe, figure of speech in which an absent person, a personified inanimate being, or an abstraction is addressed as though present." 

    There are similies and metaphors in this poem.  A similie is when you compare two unlike objects using the words like or as, a metaphor is when you compare two unlike objects and you say that the object is, for example, in line two, England is compared to a fen "she is a fen".

    An example of a similie is in the line, "thy soul was like a star." 

    Milton is compared to be "as pure as the naked heavens." This is a similie because of the use of the word as. His voice was like the sea, similie.

    "Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour;
    England hath need of thee: she is a fen
    Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
    Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
    Have forfeited their ancient English dower
    Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
    Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
    And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
    Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart;
    Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
    Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
    So didst thou travel on life's common way,
    In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
    The lowliest duties on herself did lay." (Wordsworth)

    Sources:
    http://www.questia.com/library/encyclopedia/apostrophe_fi...

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    Posted by pmiranda2857 on Saturday May 30, 2009 at 2:26 PM