"London 1802" vs "Douglass" Essay
Monique Morua
Mrs. Allen
AP English Lit and Comp, 2
26 October 2012
“London 1802” vs. “Douglass” FRQ
Throughout the centuries, there have been an infinite amount of literary works written by a sea of authors that write a variety of genres. All of these works are precious in their own way, and even if their theme is similar to that of another, the author always ads a bit of his/her own flare in order to make said literary creation unique in some way. William Wordsworth’s “London 1802” and Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “Douglass”, although quite similar in form and sentence structure, do add their own flare through the use of specific details. Through the use of these devices, the speakers show their disgust for the evil deeds humans do and attempt to change them.
Form is a very important aspect of literature. Both “London 1802” and “Douglass” are sonnets therefore hinting that the work will be very much a serious topic, which as the reader continues, is proven to be true. The rhyme scheme used in the first two quatrains is similar in both sonnets. The last quatrain and couplet, however, are different in rhyme. In “Douglass”, the first quatrain is used to tell this person of the evil that is occurring in that time, and how even his wildest nightmares could never measure up to that is now being done whereas in the first quatrain written in “London 1802” is used to describe the place and what it is like at the time. In the second quatrain, the speaker believes as if he truly believes that the presence of this man to whom he writes could change the evil that is occurring. “Douglass” on the other hand, describes what the situation he is in is like. Although each speaker approaches this in a different manner, the ultimate goal of both is to shed light on the wrong doing of humans.
Another device used by both speakers both similarly and differently is sentence structure. On both, the last six lines compose one sentence. This sentence in “Douglass” is used to ask for
Mrs. Allen
AP English Lit and Comp, 2
26 October 2012
“London 1802” vs. “Douglass” FRQ
Throughout the centuries, there have been an infinite amount of literary works written by a sea of authors that write a variety of genres. All of these works are precious in their own way, and even if their theme is similar to that of another, the author always ads a bit of his/her own flare in order to make said literary creation unique in some way. William Wordsworth’s “London 1802” and Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “Douglass”, although quite similar in form and sentence structure, do add their own flare through the use of specific details. Through the use of these devices, the speakers show their disgust for the evil deeds humans do and attempt to change them.
Form is a very important aspect of literature. Both “London 1802” and “Douglass” are sonnets therefore hinting that the work will be very much a serious topic, which as the reader continues, is proven to be true. The rhyme scheme used in the first two quatrains is similar in both sonnets. The last quatrain and couplet, however, are different in rhyme. In “Douglass”, the first quatrain is used to tell this person of the evil that is occurring in that time, and how even his wildest nightmares could never measure up to that is now being done whereas in the first quatrain written in “London 1802” is used to describe the place and what it is like at the time. In the second quatrain, the speaker believes as if he truly believes that the presence of this man to whom he writes could change the evil that is occurring. “Douglass” on the other hand, describes what the situation he is in is like. Although each speaker approaches this in a different manner, the ultimate goal of both is to shed light on the wrong doing of humans.
Another device used by both speakers both similarly and differently is sentence structure. On both, the last six lines compose one sentence. This sentence in “Douglass” is used to ask for