In Westminster Abbey Analysis

Essay In Westminster AbbeyIn Westminster Abbey by John Betjeman is a metrical composition that tells the layer of a woman in a famous church in Lon sire and her prayer to the Lord. Each stanza in the poem contains some(a)thing that the talker wants from the Lord. And as unmatch fitting reads through the poem, a more(prenominal) keen understanding of the woman praying is formed, and it is likely drastically different from the original perception gained in the first two stanzas. In In Westminster Abbey, John Betjeman exercises the speakers prayer and flaws in Christianity to illustrate to the contributor that an individual is not always how they appear.Considering the length of the poem, there is quite a bit of information told about the speakers identity and personality. Firstly, the speaker is likely a female. She states that she will Join the Womens Army Corps, which footnote payoff six on pg. 122 of The Norton Introduction To Poetry says was the old World War One name for th e Auxiliary Territorial Service, a primarily female giving medication specializing in domestic defense. The usage of the WWI name for the organization would suggest that the speaker would be at least in her mid to upper thirties.The footnotes note as well that the address she tells the Lord to put beneath Thy special care (24) belongs to a fashionable part of London, which indeed implies wealth. An opposite bit of personality that orients up quite frequently within the poem is the speakers demanding tone. She doesnt ever ask the lord for the favors listed, she alone demands them. Lines like listen to a ladys cry (6), dont let anyone bomb me (12), and of course the last two lines where she demands the Lord answer her right then because she has other plans, And now, dear Lord, I cannot grip/Because I have a luncheon date(41 42).One of the more prominent details about the speaker that really shapes the latter half of the poem is that the speaker is not a certain Christian. She p rovides incentives to the Lord by telling him Now Ill come 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 just how great it was to have had him talk with her (38). Betjeman, however, does not overwhelm any dialogue from the Lord back to the speaker.Although we would not expect the Lord to speak out loud directly to her, there are no other examples within the poem that suggest the Lord answers her prayers or even acknowledges her dismal attempt at prayer. I inferred that this is completely intentional on the authors 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 core aged, wealthy, and demanding woman who fails to comply with an ideal Christian life because of her egocentric personality.Set in a famous London gothic church, whe re monarchs have been crowned and numerous famous individuals were buried, the poem depicts a middle aged woman praying. This is an image that lecturers can relate to. Everyone can conjure up a memory from a time when theyve seen a Christian woman praying, whether it is in person or through media. It is also the first image that the reader acquires of the speaker. The second and third stanzas dont seem 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 conditionable to assume that a woman who is living in London at the time and who might know or know of people that have died would be slightly ablaze during her prayer and say oh bomb the Germans. /Spare their women for Thy Sake,/And if that is not too easy/We will pardon Thy Mistake(7 10). The egocentricity and naivety of the speaker really reveals itself starting in the fourth stanza. She tells the lord to think of what our nation stand s for (19), and yet proceeds to name off completely irrational things.Most residents in London would probably disagree with their tribe standing for books bought from a local pharmacy, class distinction and proper drains. Although these things could be considered nice, they arent representative 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 slew of other tasks.A persons initial appearance is not always representative of their true nature. This is precisely the message int obliterateed to be received by the reader. John Betjeman is clearly separated from the speaker in the story. A main determining 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 Christia n 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. typography in this style of lyric poetry allows John Betjeman to be completely removed from the poem and thus he gets his point across much more effectively. Had he done something like make the speaker a male, readers could falsely associate some of the elements of the poem with the author as opposed to considering them as an fissiparous entity. The tone 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 benignant towards her. Words that help establish this tone come at the end of many of the lines.Words like mistake(10) and fights(17) create a negative connotation which the reader associates with the speaker. These words also help with the transformation from the good image of the speaker to the ego tistical image that comes later. In the first stanza there is lie(5) and cry(6) at the end of lines. By the fifth stanza, when the perception of the speaker has changed there are the words sinner(25) and crime(26). These words in correlation with the setting of the poem and the time period that it takes place encompass the negative, condescending tone quite adequately.It is a time in London where people would want to be true to their faith and really take consolation in the Lord for protection, especially considering the role religion played in lives around 1940. Yet 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 passing by the church on her way to a lunch date, and found it convenient to make her plea to the Lord. The organization of the stanzas by Betjeman into their specific order contributes to the readers perception of the speaker.As stated above, the find of the speaker from the readers perspective delineates from an average churchgoer in a time of crisis, to something much less respected at the time an put on 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 decided to start with one of the latter stanzas such as stanza five, then the reader is informed of the alter 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 message people are not always as they first seem. This particular poem possesses a meter of trochaic tetrameter and a rhyme 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 uplifting 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 stamp down when considering Betjemans view of the speaker.The rhyme scheme of ABCBDD contributes in a similar sense. The B rhyming words and the pair 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 each in relation to the poem itself, it becomes clear as to why they were chosen. Be and me could help display the speakers demanding nature, and egocentricity. Sake and mistake could be words that hint at how the author is viewing the speakers prayer.They invoke feelings of apathy 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 peri l. solely in fact she is quite concerned with the opposite. It is not for the wellbeing of her associates and neighbors that she is worried, but herself instead. Egocentric 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 throughout the entirety of the poem, but there are still some things readers can ponder. What event did John Betjeman experience or witness that made him feel so strongly as to compose this poem? Or is it simply a tribute to those 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.