Composed upon Westminster Bridge Essays

Composed upon Westminster Bridge Essays Composed upon Westminster Bridge Paper Composed upon Westminster Bridge Paper William Wordsworth was part of the Romantic movement. This usually involved using plain language, unlike most poetry at the time, and addressing liberal political issues to do with the suffering of poor agricultural workers. He often celebrated nature, and wrote about landscapes. He believed in the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings being expressed in poetry. Wordsworths poems, including this one, use the Petrachan form, made up of an octave, rhyming: a;b;b;a;a;b;b;a, and a sestet, rhyming c;d;c;d;c;d. The sonnet describes something very beautiful, which seems to be a city. It may contain suggestions about society. Because the city is man-made, it may suggest that man is capable of making very beautiful things; possibly even more so than nature. It may, though mean, that people are not like this, because the city is only made beautiful by the sun and the morning. The octave seems to just be a simple description of a beautiful, physical thing. We are strongly made to believe that this is a city, because Wordsworth calls it this city, and the tile contains Westminster Bridge. However, Dorothys journal (from which we glean an insight into Wordsworths earlier poetry) notes that in September 1802 their return home through London from France took place late in the evening, on a misty day when they could see nothing. Wordsworth may have used Dorothys earlier entry in July to inspire this composition which he subsequently dated September 1802. It is generally agreed that he must have confused his dates; but it may also be suggested that during his visit to the capital in July, or on his return journey from seeing both his child and former lover, his spirits were high, as this sonnet is surely a dedication to the glory of nature, reflected in the beauty of a summers morning. His first sighting of London must have been enriched by what he saw on Westminster Bridge that day, in order for him to be inspired to compose such a soulful eulogy to the mighty heart of the city, all bright and glittering in the smokeless air. It may even show his present sense of the divine manifestation of Gods handy-work in the creation of that morning. What Wordsworth does convey in the poem is a London of light, life and liberty; and it is these three elements of the poem that shall be looked at. There are two good references to light (and cleanliness) in the poem. One of the most striking of these is in line 8 All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. This is a reference to the ships, towers, domes and temples in line 6, which lie / Open unto the fields, and to the sky. By referring to the bright and glittering smokeless air, Wordsworth gives us an image of a crisp, clear morning in summer; where the early morning sunlight bathes the towers, domes and temples on either side of the Thames; and upon the ships themselves that may have been seen to dance upon the reflected sunlight from the river itself. Imaginatively, he impresses a morning of beauty and purity, with the clear, intense light that you can only get on a summers morning even in a city. By this, it is as though he were witnessing Gods work itself in the new day before him. The second sense of light we get in the poem is shown in the lines Never did sun more beautifully steep / In his first splendour, valley rock or hill. Here, Wordsworth is portraying the light of the sun soaking the city landscape (perhaps in antiquity, before the city were even there); or as purely as it would seep into a landscape more natural- that of the very valleys, rocks and hills mentioned. Wordsworths reference to his first splendour is that of the sun personified; and perhaps he is comparing his sight of London on this morning with the suns first rays bathing the natural landscape on the very first morning of creation. It is with this personification of the sun as his (amongst others) that Wordsworth conveys a London of life in the poem. By his reference to the suns rays as his first splendour, he is lending the sense that the sun is a person, and alive. Wordsworth uses personification in this way at other times in the poem, all with a will to breathe life into his words. Notably, The river glideth at his own sweet will and The city doth, like a garment wear, and also All that mighty heart is lying still. Here, the personification of the river and of the city gives the impression of them being alive. The line This city now doth, like a garment wear portrays the city as a living being, wearing The beauty of the morning as though it were a garment. Also, in the line The river glideth at his own sweet will, we are left with an imagery of a river flowing liberally, wherever it wishes to, not constrained by the city or its own banks, but freely roaming, with a will of its own. The line And all that mighty heart is lying still gives a strong conveyance of the beating heart of the living city, or the pulsing heart of commerce and trade, and the paths of freedom reaching out to the far flung shores of the world. It may be felt that this line gives an impression where all Wordsworth sees and mentions in the poem seems alive, has a mighty heart that beats to its own rhythm of life. One other personification Wordsworth uses, be it not as great as the other examples given, is in line 13 Dear God! The very houses seem asleep. The reference to the houses sleeping is an impression of the actual bricks and mortar appearing to be asleep on this morning- just as its inhabitants may well have been. Other ways the poem conveys life is through the lines Open unto the fields, and to the sky, and valley, rock or hill, a clear reference to nature. Wordsworth uses a number of similar references to the natural world in this poem, notably: river, sun, fields, sky, valley, rock, hill and Earth. Through these, the reader has a sense of the natural within Wordsworths vision of London: an impression of life. By Wordsworth referring to the Ships, towers, domes and temples (in line 6) being Open unto the fields, and to the sky (in line 7), he is giving an idea that the buildings and man made structures of the city, as they are being highlighted by the light of the summers morning, bear a resemblance to the more natural elements of tree, wood and rock. An open field, or an open sky, holds an abundance of natural life. It is this idea that Wordsworth is trying to communicate: Earth has not anything to show more fair; than the sight of London, filled with life, on this morning. By referring it to the natural world, he is imbuing life into his vision. Another way life is portrayed in the poem is through the use of alliteration, especially of the /t/ sound. For example in And all that mighty heart is lying still, the tempo of the line gives the impression of a beating heart through regular emphasis of the /t/ sound. Throughout this line of ten syllables, five of the syllables are emphasised by the /t/ sound, which highlights the rhythm of the line. Liberty, freedom and non restraint are represented in a number of lines in the poem, not least the previously mentioned The river glideth at his own sweet will and Open unto the fields, and to the sky. Both lines (as shown) convey life through personification, but they both also strongly represent the idea of liberty. In the first line, the reader is left with an imagery of a meandering river winding its way through green meadows, lined with willow edged banks. A scene of the open country, not one of the constrained city. In the second line, liberty is conveyed through the impression of an open vista of fields, stretching into the hazed distance and meeting the immensity of the sky. By using words to convey an imagery of liberty, Wordsworth infuses the spirit of freedom into his words. The use of sibilance in this line and in line 11 Neer saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! / The river glideth at his own sweet will; shows the use of sibilance (underlined), the repetitions of the /s/ sound, to convey a sense of liberty. This is why Wordsworth uses the pronoun his not her, which is the traditional reference to rivers and water. By using sibilance, Wordsworths words flow and are not restricted; the sound of the s moves the words along freely. Other sounds Wordsworth uses, such as the soft phoneme /l/ sound, as well as the /s/ sound mentioned, convey a liberty of spirit within the poem. Examples of the soft /l/ phoneme sound are in line 4 and 5: This City now doth, like a garment, wear / the beauty of the morning, silent, bare, Also, All bright and glittering, in the smokeless air. And hill, will and still at the ends of lines 10, 12 and 14, respectively. In fact, the entire structure of the poem as a fourteen line sonnet allows the words, sound and meaning to flow freely throughout. The iambic pentameter of the poem gives an ordered rhythm and repeated sound which flows through the poem. This conveys a sense of freedom as the sound moves from one line to the next, ebbing and flowing like a river. This also allows the sound of the poem, when read aloud, to impress an imagined babbling brook; conjuring numerous words which can be used to describe the sound of the poem from airy, gentle, soft, flowing and calm. One other element Wordsworth uses to convey a London of liberty is the use of enjambment, where the punctuation used allows the poem to be read in a flowing manner. The reader continues from one line to the next, with no pause, which gives a sense of fluidity and movement. Other ways Wordsworth uses sound to convey light, life and liberty are in his use of polysyllables throughout the poem. Examples of these are beautifully, majesty, splendour and glideth. By using polysyllables, Wordsworth is using the sound of these words to match the required 10 syllables for each line in order to produce the fourteen line sonnet; but, the words used are important as they can also convey life, light and liberty. Wordsworth also uses long sounding vowel sounds, such as the /i:/ of sleep, deep and majesty; the /i:/ and /u:/ of be auty and be autiful; the /e / of air and fair and the / / of clear. He also uses /aI/ in glideth. It is through the use of assonance of these long vowel sounds that Wordsworth also portrays, light, life and, most of all, liberty in his poem. The assonance draws the reader onward and gives a quiet, calm, gentle and flowing sound to the overall composition. Wordsworths poem Composed Upon Westminster Bridge praises the coexistence between nature and civilization, and conveys dramatically, and sometimes subtly, to the reader a London of light, life and liberty. He does this through a number of means: imagery of words or phrases; use of assonance and soft phoneme sounds; enjambment, by allowing the poem to flow freely; personification of the sun, river and city itself; the sound and the rhythm of the poem; alliteration and the use of sibilance to encourage the rhythm and sound of the poem to freely flow. By these means, Composed Upon Westminster Bridge clearly conveys a London imbued with light, life and liberty.

Why Bush and Lincoln Both Suspended Habeas Corpus

Why Bush and Lincoln Both Suspended Habeas Corpus On Oct. 17, 2006, President George W. Bush signed a law suspending the right of habeas corpus to persons determined by the United States to be an enemy combatant in the Global War on Terror. President Bushs action drew severe criticism, mainly for the laws failure to specifically designate who in the United States  will determine who is and who is not an enemy combatant. What, Really, a Time of Shame This Is... To President Bushs support for the law the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and its suspension of writs of habeas corpus, Jonathan Turley, professor of constitutional law at George Washington University stated, What, really, a time of shame this is for the American system. What the Congress did and what the president signed today essentially revokes over 200 years of American principles and values. But It Was Not the First Time In fact, the Military Commissions Act of 2006 was not the first time in the history of the U.S. Constitution that its guaranteed right to writs of habeas corpus has been suspended by an action of the President of the United States. In the early days of the U.S. Civil War President Abraham Lincoln suspended writs of habeas corpus. Both presidents based their action on the dangers of war, and both presidents faced sharp criticism for carrying out what many believed to be an attack on the Constitution. There were, however, both similarities and differences between the actions of Presidents Bush and Lincoln. What Is a Writ of Habeas Corpus? A writ of habeas corpus is a judicially enforceable order issued by a court of law to a prison official ordering that a prisoner must  be brought to the court so it can be determined whether or not that prisoner had been lawfully imprisoned and, if not, whether he or she should be released from custody. A habeas corpus petition is a petition filed with a court by a person who objects to his own or anothers detention or imprisonment. The petition must show that the court ordering the detention or imprisonment made a legal or factual error. The right of habeas corpus is the constitutionally bestowed right of a person to present evidence before a court that he or she has been wrongly imprisoned. Where OurRight of Habeas CorpusComes From The right of writs of habeas corpus is granted in Article I, Section 9, clause 2 of the Constitution, which states, The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it. Bushs Suspension of Habeas Corpus President Bush suspended writs of habeas corpus through his support and signing into law of the Military Commissions Act of 2006. The bill grants the President of the United States almost unlimited authority in establishing and conducting military commissions to try persons held by the U.S. and considered to be unlawful enemy combatants in the Global War on Terrorism. In addition, the Act suspends the right of unlawful enemy combatants to present or to have presented in their behalf, writs of habeas corpus. Specifically, the Act states, No court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider an application for a writ of habeas corpus filed by or on behalf of an alien detained by the United States who has been determined by the United States to have been properly detained as an enemy combatant or is awaiting such determination. Importantly, the Military Commissions Act does not affect the hundreds of writs of habeas corpus already filed in federal civilian courts on behalf of persons held by the U.S.as unlawful enemy combatants. The Act only suspends the accused persons right to present writs of habeas corpus until after their trial before the military commission has been completed. As explained in a White House Fact Sheet on the Act, ... our courts should not be misused to hear all manner of other challenges by terrorists lawfully held as enemy combatants in wartime. Lincolns Suspension of Habeas Corpus Along with a declaring martial law, President Abraham Lincoln ordered the suspension of the constitutionally protected right to writs of habeas corpus in 1861, shortly after the start of the American Civil War. At the time, the suspension applied only in Maryland and parts of the Midwestern states. In response to the arrest of Maryland secessionist John Merryman by Union troops, then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Roger B. Taney defied Lincoln s order and issued a writ of habeas corpus demanding that the U.S. Military bring Merryman before the Supreme Court. When Lincoln and the military refused to honor the writ, Chief Justice Taney in Ex-parte MERRYMAN declared Lincolns suspension of habeas corpus unconstitutional. Lincoln and the military ignored Taneys ruling. On Sept. 24, 1862, President Lincoln issued a proclamation suspending the right to writs of habeas corpus nationwide. Now, therefore, be it ordered, first, that during the existing insurrection and as a necessary measure for suppressing the same, all Rebels and Insurgents, their aiders and abettors within the United States, and all persons discouraging volunteer enlistments, resisting militia drafts, or guilty of any disloyal practice, affording aid and comfort to Rebels against the authority of United States, shall be subject to martial law and liable to trial and punishment by Courts Martial or Military Commission: Additionally, Lincolns proclamation specified whose rights of habeas corpus would be suspended: Second. That the Writ of Habeas Corpus is suspended in respect to all persons arrested, or who are now, or hereafter during the rebellion shall be, imprisoned in any fort, camp, arsenal, military prison, or other place of confinement by any military authority of by the sentence of any Court Martial or Military Commission. In 1866, after the end of the Civil War, the Supreme Court officially restored habeas corpus throughout the nation and declared military trials illegal in areas where civilian courts were again able to function. On Oct. 17, 2006, President Bush suspended the constitutionally bestowed right of writs of habeas corpus. President Abraham Lincoln did the same thing 144 years ago. Both presidents based their action on the dangers of war, and both presidents faced sharp criticism for carrying out what many believed to be an attack on the Constitution. But there were some significant differences and similarities in both the circumstances and the details of the two presidents actions. Differences and SimilaritiesRecalling that the Constitution allows for the suspension of habeas corpus when Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it, lets consider some of the differences and similarities between the actions of Presidents Bush and Lincoln. Presidents Bush and Lincoln both acted to suspend habeas corpus under the powers granted to them as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Military during a time of war.President Lincoln acted in the face of an armed rebellion within the United States Ââ€" the U.S. Civil War. President Bushs action was a response to the Global War on Terrorism, considered to have been triggered by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and the Pentagon. Both presidents, however, could cite Invasion or the much broader term public Safety as constitutional triggers for their actions.President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus unilaterally, while President Bushs suspension of habeas corpus was approved by Congress through the Military Commissions Act.President Lincolns action suspended the habeas corpus rights of U.S. citizens. The Military Commissions Act of 2006, signed by President Bush, stipulates that the right of habeas corpus should be denied only to aliens detained by the United States.Bot h suspensions of habeas corpus applied only to persons held in military prisons and tried before military courts. The habeas corpus rights of persons tried in civilian courts were not affected. Certainly the suspension even if temporary or limited of any right or freedom granted by the U.S. Constitution is a momentous act that should be carried out in only in the face of dire and unanticipated of circumstances. Circumstances like civil wars and terrorist attacks are certainly both dire and unanticipated. But whether one or both, or neither warranted the suspension of the right of writs of habeas corpus remains open for debate.