"When we arrived in London, my sadness at leaving Paris was turned into despair. After my long stay in the French capital, huge, ponderous, massive London seemed to me as ugly a thing as man could contrive to make"
- James Weldon Johnson
About this Quote
This quote by James Weldon Johnson talks to the stark contrast in between Paris and London. After investing a long period of time in the French capital, Johnson was filled with sadness at the thought of leaving. However, upon getting here in London, this unhappiness quickly turned to misery. Johnson found London to be huge, ponderous, and enormous, and he felt that it was among the ugliest things man had actually ever produced. This quote speaks to the appeal of Paris and the absence of appeal in London, and how Johnson felt a deep sense of unhappiness at leaving the former for the latter. It likewise speaks to the power of cities to stimulate strong emotions in people, and how the beauty of one city can be so various from the beauty of another.
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