Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, Sept 30, 1803

This poem describes the earth’s sunrise and sunset from a bridge. At the start of the poem Woodworth begins the day. He says that the earth is dull without the sun. Although the sun is not directly mentioned, it is inferred later in the poem. As the sun rises he makes a correlation with birth. Since the sunrise is the beginning of the day this inference is accurate and helps the reader to understand the poem. In the fifth line the morning is described as bare. This is similar to birth because we are born naked. Later, the morning the sun opens up the sight of “Ships, towers, domes, theaters and temples”. The poet describes these landmarks as “garments the city wears”. The “birth” of the sun allows these things to be seen.
The volta is inserted into the poem after the eighth line. At this point the sunset is introduced and the day winds down with a sestet. Woodworth uses declining adjectives such as valley and steep in order to aid reader in visualizing this scene. He also describes the sunset as tranquil event. This indicates that as the sunsets thing settle down and eventually rest. The poet seems to be in awe of the night’s ability lay everything to rest. He proclaims, “Dear God! The very houses seem asleep”. Ultimately a contrast in made between day and night. Woodworth illustrates this with comparing the day to birth and beginnings and the night to death. This comparison is made between night and death in the final line of the poem. “And all that mighty heart is lying still!” The heart lying still is a heart that doesn’t beat, hence the comparison to death.
Moreover, in Woodworth’s Composed Upon Westminister Bridge, Sept. 31, 1803, he used a very different approach in the rhyme scheme. He begins the poem with an ABBA, ABBA format. Following this, Woodworth inserts a sestet that follows the CDCDCD rhyme scheme. This is different than the usually sestet that contains a CDECDE rhyme scheme. In my opinion the poet chooses to change the traditional CDE rhyme scheme in order to maintain a tranquil tone. This tranquil tone also correlates with sunset that the poet vividly describes to close the poem.