London is to Holmes as Oxygen is to life. Holmes would be incomplete without London as his greatest companion. With the development of police professionals in the city of London, less crimes were being solved by crows of people on the street as seen in Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Thank God we developed a more organized police force. In light of these new police developments, there are always internal and external problems with new organizations. Police officers are valuing themselves high above the “theoretical and fantastic” people like our dear Holmes. The place of London is expanding in both economic production but also population. This makes an influx in criminal activity more likely to occur. It makes sense that Holmes would find more crimes to solve in London than in a smaller town outside the big booming & heavily cramped city.

The balance between the various colliding religions and social classes can cause issues for the criminal activities in the city of London. Holmes is faced with a clashing of differing people in a tense time in London’s history. The accusations of social misconduct & bad behavior could expand on the number of crimes that would normally be committed in a city. Holmes is going up against a growing professional organization and a growing population but still manages to keep his name in people’s minds. I guess that’s the benefit of living in the big city, word travels fast.

In this photo (the right picture), the man has a traveling selling table perched in the side walk of an unidentified corner of the city. The box is very clean and the advertisement is clearly labeled and explained for the buyer. The lady behind the box has a look of disgust on her face. Perhaps she is a shop keeper or disapproving neighbor, regardless she does not seem interested in the peppermints. The girl looks to be 19-21 years of age from the side view of the picture.  Her arm looks cut possibly implying that she works and gets sick or hurt often. The man in the hat looks polished and looks like a convincing business man.

The picture is black and white with elements of contrasting colors. The young girl is wearing a black dress with a simple headpiece, maybe she is a widow? The woman in the doorways is wearing a black coat over a white dress, while the man is in all black with a white button down underneath. The setting looks to be a lower-class community, perhaps not poor but most definitely not rich.  Although he appears to be wealthy or professional doctor, I do not think he is.

My reaction to the photo was fueled by my extensive knowledge of 19th century doctors from my various British Netflix Dramas. The John Tomson photo “Street Doctors” (pictured right) made me laugh. These “street doctors” are what we would refer to as street vendors (or so I think). A typical doctor would not sell ointment on the side of the street without any examination of the patients. The man in this picture does not have any identifying features or characteristics that would distinguish him as a doctor. The gentleman in this picture also seems to have a hemmed jacket and dirty shoes. Doctors would have more of a professional attire that differs from the above (right) picture. I think it is significant to think about the role of a doctor in the society. Doctor’s would make home visits to patients which required them to be both professional and discrete. The use of a table outside a home seems rather sly or slick. Possibly using modern words, promoting a scam.

Literature from 19^thcentury England portrays London in many different ways. The fact that this time was very controversial era between the success and beauty of the city and the treatment of the working and lower-class citizens is reflected through the works of writers such as William Blake and Charles Dickens. In Blake’s poem “London,” he details the tragedy that is the lives of common Londoners. Every face Blake sees has “marks of weakness, marks of woe.” His repetition of the work “every” emphasizes how widespread these injustices are and show that every man, every infant, every person he sees is suffering. Men and children are crying, soldiers are dying, women are forced into lives as harlots and have even more children that cannot be taken care of. The image Blake paints of London in this poem is a dreadful and almost hyperbolic one, and one that represents disgust for a city plagued with such horrors.

In his essay “Night Walks” Charles Dickens paints a more realistic but equally depressing image of London. Blake focuses on the weariness of the people in his poem, but Dickens acknowledges it as a whole in London; not just found in the people, but in the rivers and architecture as well. Dickens is more realistic in his portrayal in that there seems to be no use of hyperbole in his text, but rather a tone of frankness. For example, he states that “to walk on to the Bank, lamenting the good old times and bemoaning the present evil period, would be an easy next step, so I would take it…” He is rather straightforward in not only his admitting that the present times are “evil” but that the activity he described is the easy thing to do, so he did it. This tone carries throughout the piece. He still admits the wonders of London, such as the “perfection of [the] stupendous institution” that is the walls of British Parliament and that “Covent-garden Market, when it was market morning, was wonderful company.” It is these admissions intertwined with the descriptions of the horrors Dickens has seen during his night walks that supports the reality of his portrayal of London. Overall, both writers have some rather unpleasant things to say about London in the 19^thcentury, but whereas Blake is more hyperbolic in his approach, Dickens is more realistic and still shows that there is something to be admired in the great city. London used to be great, and could be great again, but in the present time of these works she and her people are suffering.

I would like to focus first on the significant of Wordsworth’s language choice, formal choices, etc. Wordsworth’s poem “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge” depicts the speaker’s view of London with the voice of a modern English man in a beloved style. The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet as opposed to a Shakespearian Sonnet, which to me is slightly unexpected. Seeing as Shakespeare is one to the most well known British writes & Wordsworth is writing about England, one would think that he would compose a poem in the Shakespearean sonnet rather than the style of a famous Italian Renaissance poet. A typical Petrarchan sonnet has fourteen lines that are divided into two sections: one with eight lines and one with six. At the ninth line, the poem makes a “turn” (or volta in Italian) and begins to elaborate in a different way on the subject or, sometimes, introduce a new topic altogether. Wordsworth’s sonnet has a more subtle turn. In the first eight lines he introduces the idea that he has never seen such beauty before and then describes the scene. In the last six lines he returns to the idea of unparalleled beauty, this time comparing London to the countryside. The rhyme scheme of Wordsworth piece is fairly simple: ABBAABBA CDCDCD. Only one pair of rhyming lines is slant (not quite a real rhyme, but almost): “by” and “majesty” in lines 2 and 3. The poem is written in a loose iambic pentameter, consisting of five (“penta”) pairs of unstressed and stressed beats (“iambs”):

Dear God! | the ver|-y hous|-es seem | a-sleep.

But not all of the lines follow this pattern. The first two lines, for example, both begin on stressed beats: “Earth” and “Dull.” This loose rhythm comes closer to capturing momentary experience and a conversational tone than a stricter meter would. Wordsworth tried to write how regular people speak, which is one of the reasons he is considered one of the first “modern” English poets.

Now focusing on the connection between man and nature, in the first line of the poem “Earth has not anything to show more fair”, the speaker gives “earth” all the credit for the beauty of the world around him. But what about all the people who designed and built the towers and domes? In lines 4-5, “Like a garment, wear..The beauty of the morning”, the speaker talks about Nature brining out the beauty in the landmarks of London. Interestingly, the affects of the light are compared to clothing, a product of human culture. This tells us as readers that it is hard to tell nature and culture apart. Both work hand in hand, how can you separate them? In line 12 “The river glideth at his own sweet will”, the images of nature play against the expectation of feelings rushed and hurried by the city. Unlike humans, he river does not allow itself to be rushed. It flows at a slow and even pace. Humans should look to nature for its simplicity but perfection.

Wordsworth London seem slightly unreachable, the city is always bustling with an influx of tourists and events (royal wedding 2018). It seems impossible for someone to go wandering around the city and staring at the untouched natural beauty. This poem reminds me of American Transcendalist writers such as Thoreau & Emerson. These writers called for people to step away from the busy modern world and look around at nature.

This poem makes me think about the time I was in London and walked along the river early in the morning. The tourist spots weren’t open and there were no lines anywhere. It’s amazing what a city like London looks like without the giant crowds and hustle. Wordsworth highlights the important thing to remember, London is a beautiful city even without the tourist spots and gags. This poem has challenged me to find the inner heart of the city and spend time to look at the nature hidden behind the large crowds.

Dickens in both Oliver Twist and in Night Walks discusses this theme of being born into poverty and the concept of homelessness. In his novel Oliver Twist, Dickens portrays these themes through the main protagonist, Oliver himself, where Oliver is born into poverty and homelessness after his mother died shortly after giving birth. For nine years, Oliver lived in an orphanage until he was old enough to be moved to a workhouse where he worked alongside other boys his age. Afterwards, we see Oliver find a place with an undertaker, then he flees to London where he encounters Fagin and the rest of his gang, who happens to be pickpockets and thieves. After being wrongfully accused of a theft, Oliver lives with his accuser, Mr. Brownlow. He then is kidnapped by Fagin and his crew, is forced to participate in a home invasion where he is shot and then taken care of by Mrs. Maylie, who returns Oliver back to Mr. Brownlow and is eventually adopted by him at the end of the novel. Throughout this roller coaster of events, Oliver is without a home for the majority of the novel and is in a constant search and yearn for shelter and comfort. One can definitely consider Oliver to be homeless at many times in the novel. The same themes are discussed in Dickens’ Night Walks, where he is walking the streets of London on a cold, damp night in March. He observed masses of homeless people whom he refers to as Houselessness. Dickens is having a restless night so he decides to take a walk outside and roam the streets. Here he sees homeless people and describes them as constantly walking in the rain and other elements following the drunks who stumble out onto the streets. The other people he encounters are the cops who happen to be carrying on a conversation amidst the tangling streets. Dickens in his essays discusses themes of homelessness and poverty but different from Oliver, there are groups of people who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. Perhaps Dickens is suggesting that there were a large number of people who were considered homeless during his time and that London, while it may be one of the wealthiest cities, does have some poor people who call it home.

https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/london-illustrations-by-gustave-dor

Gustav Doré’s works are very captivating and full of details that allow him to convey a powerful and effective piece. In this illustration, Doré depicts London, England and Harrow Alley from the 19th century. Since then, the name has changed but Doré depicts what London was like back then. The incorporation of every aspect of fine details in this piece add character and life to the work and make it seem so realistic. Taking a close look at the image, the viewer notices only one single light on above the people and the tallest person in the image appears to be a man, whom I have inferred is the dad or father figure of the group hovering below the light attached to what looks like a storefront or possibly a home. The emotions and facial expressions cast off by the characters, especially the one woman who looks older than the rest of the women in the image is that off sadness and depression, perhaps even anger or frustration. There are two young children cowering under a blanket in the front at the bottom of the image. It appears as if they are trying to stay warm any way possible. The clothes they are wearing seem to be very similar to one another and the shoes are piled near a bench which seems to house many hats and other clothing items. There is what looks to be another family in the left of the image, again expressionless and motionless. There also is a man sitting with his back against the wall which appears to be a part of another alley where he is sitting. The only legible words on the image are “Harrow Alley” which as I mentioned earlier was in London back in the 19th century. It is also ironic that this alley happens to be eerily similar to narrow alley, which is what many of the alleys are in London. In front of the large family are teapots and containers for water or other items but what is not present is food or a sense of covered shelter in this image. Maybe Doré is suggesting that the majority of people in the 19th century were in a constant state of starvation and lack of shelter. This is certainly what the image depicts.

After reading Dickens’ Oliver Twist, I was impressed with how Dickens was able to establish the background of Twist’s life early on in the novel and establish a sense of progression early on before the stories began. I enjoyed the book and I wanted to focus on the turning point, in my opinion, of Oliver’s life at a young age that would define the rest of the novel. Early on in Chapter 2, we find Oliver at a workhouse after being taken away from Mrs. Mann’s house by Mr. Bumble. Oliver works as an oakum picker alongside many other boys who are also starving and are given very little for food. The boys decide to draw straws to see which one of them will ask for more food. Oliver draws the shortest one and is the lucky one to ask for more food. Oliver approached the master and asked for more food.

“The evening arrived; the boys took their places. The master, in his cook’s uniform, stationed himself at the copper; his pauper assistants ranged themselves behind him; the gruel was served out; and a long grace was said over the short commons. The gruel disappeared; the boys whispered each other, and winked at Oliver, while his next neighbors nudged him. Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery. He rose from the table; and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand, said: somewhat alarmed at his own temerity: “Please, sir, I want some more.”
The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupefied astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper. The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear.
“What!” said the master at length, in a faint voice.
“Please, sir,” replied Oliver, “I want some more.”
The master aimed a blow at Oliver’s head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arms; and shrieked aloud for the beadle.” (Oliver Twist 38)

In the novel, Dickens describes the master as being astonished and shocked that one of the boys would ask for more food. We as the readers eventually find out that this infamous short straw that Oliver picked was also the last straw that broke the camels back. Oliver is locked away and the parish board offers a reward for anyone to take Oliver away from them. After reading the journey that Oliver endured bouncing from location to location, it all leads back to Oliver’s young life at age nine when he drew the shortest straw and asked the master at the workhouse he was a part of for more food. The novel focuses and branches off of this one scene where Twist simply asked for some more food. It is quite intriguing to realize at the end of the novel that Oliver had endured all of the forced crime and work and conditions he faced because of this one scene where he was forced to ask for more food for himself and the rest of the boys he worked with.

While the entirety of the text is very packed-full of surprising and gruesome events for poor Oliver’s life, the baby farm that he is sent to right after he is found from his abandonment, stood out to me right away, and wasn’t something I could seem to forget. In the multiple times I have studied this time in literary history, I have never heard of Baby Farms, and I wanted to learn more.

In the novel, it talks about the reason that children are sent to these farms being: “where twenty or thirty other juvenile offenders against the poor-laws, rolled about the floor all day, without the inconvenience of too much food or too much clothing, under the parental superintendence of an elderly female” (Dickens 30). This situation is kind of what you could deem a modern day “day care” but it’s more of a permanent residency for these children, and there is no fairness on how they are treated or their food levels. The old lady that Dickens mentions who runs this specific farm in the story is a very corrupt one. She takes most of the money that is supposed to be for the children and uses it for personal allowance, while only feeding the children what they need to survive. This is yet another reason why reader’s could imagine this being a horrible place.

These farms were a frequented place for misfit children around the 19^th century, especially in higher populated regions. The concept even reached across the ocean, as American society picked up the same idea. My biggest question is how we somehow went from these lethal traps for children to orphanages. That is not to say that all orphanages were necessarily good, but at least there were opportunities for the children to become adopted. It seems that for these baby farms, the only way you get out is if the Parishioners come to take you to work somewhere else, outside of the farm.

Nonetheless, I’m glad that this country now has proper child welfare laws to prevent businesses like these from ever existing again.

As many scholars have already written and published various works in regards to Austen’s famous novel, it is evident that the story has much to be speculated on. My personal interest in this novel is the loyalty and disloyalty that the family units provide for one another throughout the story.

For the sake of content, I would say that Austen wrote far more examples of familial loyalty rather than disloyalty. One of the first actions readers come across with this is when Elizabeth goes to stay with Jane at Netherfield when Jane fell ill. After reading Jane’s letter to her explaining her illness, Lizzy says, “I shall be very fit to see Jane—which is all I want” (Austen 29). Lizzy knew that her sister was struggling, especially being in a house full of people she wasn’t all too familiar with, so she went to her side immediately. This kind of action shows what Lizzy would do for her sister, out of loyalty and love.

Another character who exhibits great family loyalty is Mr. Darcy. While readers do not get to actually meet his younger sister, Miss Darcy, until closer to the end of the novel, readers are aware of her existence at an early stage of the story. Readers get the sense of how much Darcy helps out his sister when Wickham is telling Lizzy all about his relationship with the Darcy family. Austen writes, “He has also brotherly pride, which, with some brotherly affection, makes him a very kind and careful guardian of his sister; and you will hear him generally cried up as the most attentive and best of brothers” (Austen 76). Here the audience is hearing of someone is thought of as the antagonist to be a loyal family member. This is one of the first pieces of information that the readers get to signify he might be a better person than was originally thought.

Concerning the opposite, disloyalty to your family, Lydia hits the hammer right on the head when she runs away with Wickham toward the end of the novel. Readers are made aware of the situation through a letter that Jane sends to Lizzy while Lizzy is away with her aunt and uncle. In it she writes, “What I have to say relates to poor Lydia. An express came at twelve last night, just as we were all gone to bed, from Colonel Forster, to inform us that she was gone off to Scotland with one of his officers; to own the truth, with Wickham” (Austen 245). As all readers know, they did not end up going to Scotland, and their choice to not marry and stay in London had put the whole family under scrutiny and disgrace. This act, while it may have been naïve on Lydia’s part, was incredibly selfish and therefore disloyal. She clearly was not thinking straight, but she should have thought enough to realize the effect it would have on the entire family.

Austen, Jane, and Carol Howard. Pride and Prejudice. Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003.

In William Wordsworth’s poem “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge” he paints a very romantic and almost fantastical image of London. Through this poem is it very clear to see Wordsworth loves London and finds a great deal of peace in the beauty of the city. He described the city so beautifully, not one word with a negative connotation can be found in this poem. Instead, Wordsworth chooses to use phrases to detail the city such as “Earth has not anything to show more fair,” and “a sight so touching in its majesty”. The imagery in this piece is incredible as he describes ships, towers, domes, rivers, fields, and even the sunlight. Wordsworth wishes to portray exactly the beauty that inspired this poem, as well as the overwhelming sense of calmness this scene provided him. Not only does the diction in this poem provide the reader with a vision of calming beauty, but the rhyme scheme of the poem reinforces this. The use of rhyme gives the poem a calming, song-like quality as it helps tremendously with the flow of the piece. In addition to this, the rhymes are rather common ones—there are no surprises in the imagery or the sounds of the poem. While the rhymes add to the calming power of the poem, they also help in expressing Wordsworth’s subsequent excitement on his topic. He is clearly very passionate about London and his love for it, and the rhymes, lists, and exclamation points could speed up the reading of the poem, thus reflecting Wordsworth’s excitement. Wordsworth also uses personification throughout the piece, which aids in romanticizing the city. London “wear(s)/ the beauty of the morning,” and the “very houses seem asleep”. He also uses third person pronouns when referring to the river and the sun. It is almost as if this poem is a love letter to London. All in all, this poem only increases my excitement for our journey to this lovely city, and I hope to be able to stand upon Westminster Bridge and experience the beauty and joy William Wordsworth did over two hundred years ago.