London 1802 Written by: William Wordsworth

Brian Smith’s group 3rdp. London 1802 Written by: William Wordsworth

From the first run through of reading this poem one will be left thinking wtf……just…happened…. Don’t worry we will help you by breaking it down line by line , and word for word with you….So hopefully it will make somewhat more sense near the end. London 1802 Breaking it down

Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour;England hath need of thee: she is a fenOf stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,Have forfeited their ancient English dowerOf 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 heartThe lowliest duties on herself did lay London 1802

The speaker of this the poem isn't exactly known but you can definitely see that who ever speaking is crying out to Milton (a dead poet) in anger and frustration. He begins listing out things that seem to be wrong with the England in this point in time, and wishes that Milton's spirit would return to the world. London 1802

“Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,Fireside” When he speaks the quote above every word he iterates represents something. “Altar” represents religion, “Sword” represents military, “Pen” represents literature, and “Fireside” represents home. He starts explaining how he thinks these “English birth rights” are now becoming lost to them. London 1802

Next the speaker says “Oh! raise us up, return to us again; And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.” Right after he starts explaining Milton's character and how he would be well suited to solve England's bad state. London 1802

William Wordsworth’s main concerns were goodness and morality. Which was complete polar opposite to later roman poets which expressed rebellion. His ideal vision of the world was one where everyone could participate in it, and therefore everyone would be a lot happier in doing so. William Wordsworth

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvGT94NjML4 William Wordsworth biography

London 1802 Written by: William Wordsworth