Upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth
Ice Breaker Activities:
1) A bridge connects people at either sides of a river or valleys in cities or villages. Discuss with your partner the importance of a bridge to both- the cities and the villages and complete the table.
Answer:
| Cities | Villages |
| i) Connects two banks. Easy access to different areas of the city. | i) Enables residents to have all season access to both sides. |
| ii) To by-pass traffic to avoid traffic jam. | ii) Easy movement of farm material and products. |
| iii) Easy movement of goods. | iii) Saves time of travel. |
| iv) Connects people in different communities. | iv) Village children can attend school, if present at the other side of the bridge. |
| v) Enable consumers to travel to shops and malls. | v) Enable to carry heavy loads easily and quickly to other side. |
| vi) Helps to view new areas as tourists. Gives chance to enjoy site seeing standing on the bridge. | vi) Helps to interact other communities for work or help. |
2) Building a bridge needs careful planning. Think about what goes on before the actual construction begins.
Answer:
1) Proper planning
2) Search for location to build the bridge.
3) Taking permissions and completion of paperwork.
4) Cost Estimation.
5) Storing construction materials.
6) Selection of the type of foundation.
7) Redirecting the traffic to other roads.
8) Implementation on the plan given by the architect.
9) Suitable construction work.
10) Proper supervision.
3) You might have visited a bridge. Complete the web describing the sights you could see from the bridge.
Answer:
| River, Trees, Boats | Clean sky, stars | City lights, roads |
| Sunset, Sunrise, Moonlight | Sights that can be seen from a bridge | Mountain, hill, gardens, bank of the river |
| City buildings, vehicles, crowd | Birds, fish, swimmers, cleaning persons. | Reflection of bridge, trees, buildings in river water. |
The poet: William Wordsworth
He was born on April 7, 1770. He was a major English Romantic poet. He was honoured as ‘Poet Laureate’ of the United Kingdom in the court of Queen Victoria.
He is a leading English Nature poet. His collection of poetry ‘Lyrical Ballads’ is considered as the central work of Romantic Literary theory.
The title: Upon the Westminster Bridge
The title ‘Upon the Westminster Bridge’ tells us that the poet is standing on the bridge. The poet William Wordsworth sees various scenes surrounding the bridge. He describes London as a beautiful city clothed in the morning sunlight with its ships, towers, domes, theatres, temples, and river. The calmness and quietness of the morning scene impressed him deeply and it is the source of the poem.
Specialty of the poem ‘Upon Westminster Bridge’:
The poem ‘ is a Petrarchan Sonnet. The poem is divided into two parts-
(a) An Octave
The first part comprising eight lines.
The rhyme scheme of the first four lines of the poem is:
a b b a
The rhyme scheme for the next four lines of the poem is also:
a b b a
(b) A sestet
The second part comprising six lines.
In the three lines of the sestet, the rhyme scheme is:
c d c.
The rhyme scheme of the last three lines of the sestet is:
d c d.
This is the common design of a Petrarchan Sonnet.
See More-
Drama-
Brainstorming activities:
1) Choose the correct alternative for the given lines. Focus on the inference of the poet.
(a) ‘Earth has not anything to show more fair:’
The line means-
(1) The poet thinks that the place was not so good.
(2) The poet thinks that there is another place which is more beautiful than this.
(3) The poet thinks that there is no place on the earth which is as beautiful as this one.
Answer-
(3) The poet thinks that there is no place on the earth which is as beautiful as this one.
(b) ‘Dull would he be of soul who could pass by’
The line means-
(1) One can walk over the bridge and ignore the surrounding beauty.
(2) One can halt at the place to enjoy the beauty.
(3) Anyone with an appreciative mind would not be able to ignore the beauty.
Answer-
(3) Anyone with an appreciative mind would not be able to ignore the beauty.
2) ‘Earth has not anything to show more fair.’
This line expresses the poet’s feelings. The sight he saw from the bridge is beautiful. There are a few more lines similar to the above. Find them and discuss what they express.
Answer-
The lines expressing poet’s feelings are-
i) A sight so touching-
The line expresses poet’s feeling of admiration.
ii) Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill-
The line expresses the poet’s feelings of wonder at the effect created by the first rays of the sun hitting the city.
iii) ‘Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm, so deep!’-
The line expresses the poet’s feelings of calmness after witnessing nature’s beauty from the bridge.
iv) Earth has not anything to show more fair
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty.-
The lines express the poet’s feeling of reverence about the fairness and majestic appearance of the sight he sees in front of him.
v) All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.-
The line expresses poet’s praising words for the beauty of the pure and pollution free morning.
vi) The river glideth at his own sweet will.
The line expresses the poet’s personification of the river by giving it its own will to move smoothly.
3) The poem creates a delightful picture of the city, rich in its natural beauty. Pick out the lines from the poem which give the pictorial effect to the poem.
Answer-
i) A sight so touching in its majesty.
The grandness of the scene is presented before the readers.
ii) This city now doth, like a garment, wear.
The poet shows the beauty of the city in the morning as if it is wearing different attire.
iii) The beauty of the morning: silent, bare.
The poet presents the calm picture of the city.
iv) ‘All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
The beauty of the morning is seen due to the pollution-free air which makes the sun look brighter.
v) The river glideth at his own sweet will.
Readers can visualize the smooth flow of the river.
vi) And all that mighty heart is lying still.
Readers can feel the people of the busy city are lying silently early in the morning.
4) Find out the words and phrases which describe the following.
| sight | ———– |
| air | ———– |
| river | ———– |
| house | ———– |
| morning | ———– |
| sun |
Answer-
| sight | touching in its majesty |
| air | smokeless |
| river | glideth at his own sweet will |
| house | seems asleep |
| morning | silent, bare |
| sun | bright, glittering |
5) The poem is a Petrarchan Sonnet. Complete the given table by giving examples from the poem.
| Features | Examples/Lines |
| Objects used | ——————— |
| Praise/blames | ——————— |
| Metaphor | ——————— |
| Simile | ——————— |
| Personification | ——————— |
| Number of lines | ——————— |
| Rhyme-scheme | ——————— |
Answer-
| Features | Examples/Lines |
| Objects used | Earth, city, ships, sun, fields, river, air, houses, towers, domes, theatres, temples, valley, hill etc. |
| Praise/blames | Bright, glittering, Smokeless, Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm, so deep! The river glideth at his own sweet will, The very houses seem asleep. |
| Metaphor | i) All that mighty heart is lying still. ii) The very houses seem asleep. iii) Dull would he be of soul who could pass by. |
| Simile | i) This city now doth, like a garment wear. |
| Personification | i) This city now doth, like a garment wear. ii) Never did sun more beautifully steep In his first splendour. iii) The river glideth at his own sweet will. iv) The very houses seem asleep. v) All that mighty heart is lying still. |
| Number of lines | Fourteen |
| Rhyme-scheme | i) abbaabba ii) cdcdcd |
| Activity Sheet No. 1 |
Q. Read the extract and complete the activities given below. (10)
| Earth has not anything to show more fair: Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty: This city now doth, like a garment, wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie Open unto the fields, and to the sky; All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautifully steep In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm, so deep! The river glideth at his own sweet will: Dear God! the very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still! |
A1. Theme (2)
Give the central idea of the extract.
A2. Choose (2)
Choose the correct alternative for the given lines.
(a) ‘Earth has not anything to show more fair:’ (The line means-)
(1) The poet thinks that the place was not so good.
(2) The poet thinks that there is another place which is more beautiful than this.
(3) The poet thinks that there is no place on the earth which is as
beautiful as this one.
(b) ‘Dull would he be of soul who could pass by’
The line means-
(1) One can walk over the bridge and ignore the surrounding beauty.
(2) One can halt at the place to enjoy the beauty.
(3) Anyone with an appreciative mind would not be able to ignore the beauty.
A3. Personal Response (2)
You might have visited a bridge. Complete the web describing the sights you could see from the bridge.
| ————————- | ————————- | |
| Sights that can be seen from a bridge | ||
| ————————- | ————————- |
A4. Poetic Device (2)
Write any two examples of ‘hyperbole’ from the extract.
A5. Poetic Creativity (2)
Compose four poetic lines using a rhyme scheme ‘a b a b’ to describe the nature.
Answer-
A1.
The extract gives a delightful picture of the city. It is rich in its natural beauty. The sight the poet sees from the bridge is really amazing. The smokeless air, calm morning and the river flowing silently make the poet happy. The word picture of the city is the center of this extract.
A2.
1) The poet thinks that there is no place on the earth which is as beautiful as this one.
2) Anyone with an appreciative mind would not be able to ignore the beauty.
A3.
| Boats and Ships | Trees/ Forest | Sunset / Sunrise |
| Vehicles | Sights that can be seen from a bridge | Pedestrians |
| River | Buildings | Fishermen |
A4.
1) Earth has not anything to show more fair.
2) Never did sun more beautifully steep.
A5.
Nature is our friend
Your all problems will end,
Care it, protect it,
When you avoid pollution everyday a little bit.
Poetic Appreciation
Q. Write a poetic appreciation of the poem – Upon Westminster Bridge.
Answer-
About Poem and Poet:
The poem ‘Upon Westminster Bridge’ is written by the poet William Wordsworth. It depicts a vivid description of the views of the city. The poet is on Westminster Bridge and sees the city glittering in the clean smokeless air. He describes the silently flowing river and calm atmosphere of the city. The poem conveys the poet’s feelings about the beauty of the city.
Poetic Device:
The language used in the poem is simple and lucid. The figures of speech like simile, hyperbole, inversion, and personification increase the beauty of the language. The language brings alive the natural aspects like sun, river, and the city. Readers can see the places in front of their eyes.
Special Feature:
The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet with a ‘complaint’ in the octave and a ‘resolution’ in the sestet. The octave (Eight lines) has the rhyme scheme ‘a b b a a b b a’ while the sestet (Six lines) has ‘c d c d c d’ pattern. Imagery shows beautiful picture of the city. This is the special feature of this poem.
Message of the poem:
The poet successfully presents the beautiful atmosphere of the city. In the early morning the city becomes a landscape with amazing places. It is the positive way of looking at something that is not often taken for granted.
My opinion about the poem:
I like the poem very much as it creates beautiful word picture of the city.
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