In Westminster Abbey Analysis

Es put In Westminster AbbeyIn Westminster Abbey by John Betjeman is a poesy that tells the story of a cleaning woman in a far-famed church in capital of the United Kingdom and her supplication to the schoolmaster. Each stanza in the numbers contains something that the utterer wants from the captain. And as angiotensin converting enzyme memorialises through the verse, a more(prenominal) bewail under stand up of the woman praying is formed, and it is same(p)ly drastically different from the original perception gained in the maiden devil stanzas. In In Westminster Abbey, John Betjeman uses the vocalisers prayer and flaws in Christianity to illustrate to the ratifier that an undivided is not continuously how they appear.Considering the length of the song, in that location is quite a situation of reading told about the utterers face-to-face identity and personality. Firstly, the loudspeaker system is possible a female. She states that she pull up stakes Jo in the Womens Army Corps, which indite number six on pg. 122 of The Norton access To Poetry says was the old World state of war One note for the Auxiliary territorial Service, a primarily female organization specializing in domestic defense. The usage of the WWI name for the organization would suggest that the speaker would be at least in her middle to upper thirties.The footnotes note as hale that the address she tells the entitle to put below Thy special c atomic number 18 (24) belongs to a tr remaindersetting part of capital of the United Kingdom, which indeed implies wealth. An reversion bit of personality that shows up quite frequently within the poetry is the speakers demanding t 1. She doesnt ever ask the passe-partout for the favors listed, she simply demands them. Lines like listen to a noblewomans parole (6), dont permit anyone pelt me (12), and of course the last two lines where she demands the ennoble answer her right thereofly because she has other plans, And now, dear Lord, I cannot waitress/Because I have a tiffin date(41 42).One of the more openhanded details about the speaker that actually shapes the latter half of the poem is that the speaker is not a current Christian. She provides incentives to the Lord by telling him Now Ill uprise to Evening Service/Whensoever I have the fourth dimension (27 28). All of this, of course, in hopes to prompt an immediate response. Claiming to feel a little better (37) she tells the Lord only if how great it was to have had him talk with her (38). Betjeman, however, does not include any dialogue from the Lord back to the speaker.Although we would not expect the Lord to speak out loud direct to her, there be no other examples within the poem that suggest the Lord answers her prayers or even ac admitledges her dismal endeavour at prayer. I inferred that this is all in all wise to(p) on the springs part. It creates a sense of ambiguity about the speakers standing with God. Now , through the descriptors of the speaker within the poem, we see her as a roughly middle aged, wealthy, and demanding woman who fails to conform to with an ideal Christian life because of her egoist personality.Set in a famous London gothic church, where monarchs have been enthrone and many famous individuals were buried, the poem depicts a middle aged woman praying. This is an plan that lectors can relate to. Everyone can exhort up a memory from a metre when theyve seen a Christian woman praying, whether it is in person or through media. It is also the first depict that the reviewer acquires of the speaker. The second and third stanzas dont count to contain anything unbecoming of a true Christian, given the situation of London in 1940 with the bombardment of their city from Germany.It is conjectural to assume that a woman who is backing in London at the time and who might know or know of great deal that have died would be approximately emotional during her prayer and s ay oh bomb the Germans. /Sp ar their women for Thy Sake,/And if that is not too roaring/We will pardon Thy Mistake(7 10). The egocentricity and naivete of the speaker really reveals itself starting in the fourth stanza. She tells the lord to think of what our nation stands for (19), and besides proceeds to name off totally irrational things.Most put upnts in London would probably disagree with their tribe standing for books bought from a local pharmacy, class notation and proper drains. Although these things could be considered nice, they arent delegate of the population. In a matter of one stanza, the image of the speaker the reader receives completely changes from the innocent wholesome churchgoer, to a self-interested pseudo-Christian who in times of trouble goes to the Lord in prayer expecting and demanding her safety, harm for the Germans, and a potful of other tasks.A persons initial appearance is not al focuss representative of their true nature. This is precisely t he put across intended to be received by the reader. John Betjeman is clearly separated from the speaker in the story. A main find factor is that he is a male, and the speaker of the poem is female. The author seems to be expressing his personal beliefs and Christian ideals by creating the character in the poem who embodies almost the complete opposite ideology of the author. Even still, the poem appears a dramatic monologue.Writing in this flare of lyric poetry allows John Betjeman to be completely removed from the poem and thus he gets his point across lots more effectively. Had he done something like make the speaker a male, readers could wrongly associate some of the elements of the poem with the author as opposed to considering them as an strong-minded entity. The timbre that is established by the time the conclusion of the poem reaches the forefront makes the reader want to analyze and judge the speaker, rather than identify with and feel sympathetic towards her. talki ng to that help establish this tone come at the end of many of the lines. linguistic communication like mistake(10) and fights(17) create a banish connotation which the reader associates with the speaker. These nomenclature also help with the transformation from the good image of the speaker to the egotistical image that comes later. In the first stanza there is lie(5) and cry(6) at the end of lines. By the one-fifth stanza, when the perception of the speaker has changed there are the speech sinner(25) and crime(26). These words in correlation with the setting of the poem and the time period that it takes lay out apprehend the negative, condescending tone quite adequately.It is a time in London where people would want to be true to their conviction and really take consolation in the Lord for protection, especially considering the role organized religion played in lives around 1940. besides it appears that the only reason the speaker had to go to church in the first place was minute one. She could have simply been mountain pass by the church on her way to a lunch date, and found it well-to-do to make her plea to the Lord. The organization of the stanzas by Betjeman into their specific cabaret contributes to the readers perception of the speaker.As stated above, the suasion of the speaker from the readers posture delineates from an average churchgoer in a time of crisis, to something ofttimes less esteem at the time an untrue Christian. If the stanzas of the poem were arranged in another order the perception of the female speaker would likely change with it. For example starting the poem with the second stanza could show the speaker in a cynical light, or if Betjeman dogged to start with one of the latter stanzas much(prenominal) as stanza five, then the reader is sensible of the shallow nature of the speaker much earlier causing for a lesser effect on the reader at poems end.It is because of the order in which the stanzas exist that allows the reader to really take away the pass along people are not forever and a day as they first seem. This exceptional poem possesses a metre of trochaic tetrameter and a poesy scheme of ABCBDD. Both of these particular elements contribute to the overall feel and tone of the poem. Unlike iambic meter, which generally provides an stimulate flowing feel, the use of trochaic meter does quite the opposite. As the poem is read the use of the troche makes the poem seem to drag along and makes the tone more dismal, which is appropriate when considering Betjemans view of the speaker.The rhyme scheme of ABCBDD contributes in a homogeneous sense. The B rhyming words and the parallel of Ds at the end of their respective lines tend to be the more important words from the stanza. In stanza 2 those rhyming words are sake, mistake, be, and me. When each of these words is taken individually in relation to the poem itself, it becomes clear as to why they were chosen. Be and me could help boast th e speakers demanding nature, and egocentricity. Sake and mistake could be words that hint at how the author is see the speakers prayer.They invoke feelings of impassibility when read in the context of the poem. Individuals are not always as they first appear, much as the speaker of In Westminster Abbey appears to be an average Christian praying at the Gothic church while her Nation is in a time of peril. only if in fact she is quite interested with the opposite. It is not for the wellbeing of her associates and neighbors that she is worried, but herself instead. self-centered ideals and naivety cloud the speakers judgment, and it is through this that John Betjeman is able to so clearly express his ideas.It is safe to say that he does this quite clearly passim the entirety of the poem, but there are still some things readers can ponder. What aftermath did John Betjeman experience or viewer that made him feel so powerfully as to compose this poem? Or is it simply a tribute to t hose true Christians and a criticism of those not on the righteous path? Nonetheless, Betjeman effectively expresses a message that is easily portrayed to readers of In Westminster Abbey regardless of which side of the fence of Christianity they reside on.