Literary Devices in Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802

Wordsworth uses a caesura in his description of the city’s structures. A caesura is a pause within a line of poetry, usually in the form of punctuation such as a comma (,), em dash (—), or ellipses (...). In this context, separating the buildings and ships with commas reinforces the poem’s rhythm while also enriching the vivid imagery of the scene.

The repetition of words containing the letter “s” in the final two lines of the poem is an example of sibilance. Sibilance involves repeating words with the letter “s” in order to generate a hissing sound when the words are read aloud. The words “houses,” “seem,” “asleep,” “is,” and “still” reinforce the poem’s flowing rhythm while also creating a dreamlike tone that reflects the sleeping houses.

Wordsworth uses a metaphor, in which two different things are compared by suggesting or asserting that they are the same thing, in his final description of London in the morning. By referring to London as a “mighty heart,” Wordsworth concludes his personification of the city as a powerful being that will change over time.

The poem ends with an apostrophe when the speaker addresses God. An apostrophe involves speaking to someone—in this case, God—who is unable to respond. Apostrophes can also address things or entities. In his exclamation of “Dear God!” Wordsworth not only expresses strong emotion, but also possibly suggests that London is closest to both God and nature in the sublime, morning state the poet is encountering.

The word “glideth” is an archaic form of the verb “to glide,” which means to move smoothly without resistance. Wordsworth employs personification in his depiction of the River Thames by ascribing it the pronoun “his” and granting it a will—as though the river were a being that flows easily at his own pace and desires.

Characterizing the city as something that can wear clothing is an example of personification, or the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman things. In this context, personification augments the poem’s rich imagery by urging the reader to identify with London as though it were a person.

Wordsworth uses a simile to develop the image of London. A simile, which compares two things using the words “like” or “as,” intensifies the impact of images and concepts in ways that can uncover important themes in literature. In this comparison, Wordsworth further implies that the city’s beauty is fleeting because, “like a garment,” it can be removed as the day progresses.

These two lines use enjambment, in which a thought or phrase that begins in one line continues into the following line of verse. Enjambment creates a driving force that propels the poem forward, perhaps to emulate the experience of traveling the city by foot.

Wordsworth begins the poem with a hyperbole, or an exaggeration that emphasizes a point, idea, or theme. He likely does not literally mean that there is nothing more beautiful on Earth than the view of London from Westminster Bridge in the morning. He uses hyperbole to indicate that he is seeing London at its best, emphasizing his point that it could not look more beautiful than it does now.