excerpt from "The prelude" - William Wordsworth Flashcards
who was he
he was an English, romantic poet
where did he grow up
due to family issues he had to move away from his parents and live with his grandparents who lived in the lake district
did he like his grandparents
not particularly meaning he spent a lot of time outdoors
what did Wordsworth love doing
ice skating
what is the background with this poem
he started writing it in his 20s and never finished it - even tough it was 14 books long
what is the prelude
its autobiographical and focuses on Wordsworths childhood and relationship with nature
why is the title of this poem important
prelude = a sort of introduction which could relate to the theme of time
context tells us that it is about wordsowrths childhood
“was set”
enjambment emphasizes this line which could foreshadow the idea of things ending
“frosty season” “twilight blazed”
contrast between cold and warm suggests that nature and the domestic is incompatible
“I heeded not the summons”
the first person persona is presented as rebellious
what could the use of caesura represent
the personas passion and excitement and breathlessness
“happy time”
the positive tone reflects the personas love for the enjoyment of nature
“proud and exulting, like an united horse that cares not for his home”
the persona feels confident, strong and free like a horse
“shod with steal”
referencing nature and ice skating
“we hissed along the polished ice”
the sibilance reflects the sound ice skating
what does the persona compare their game too?
childhood games are compared to hunting: loud, manic, and intrinsically rooted in nature
“din”
negative connotations: too loud, too long, too unpleasant
“the precipices rang aloud, the leafless trees and every icy crag”
nature is responding to children by making the same noise as them, yet it sounds sinister
“alien sound”
suggests a strangeness and unfamiliarity - the persona no longer feels comfortable with nature
towards the end of the poem, how has the tone changed
a negative tone is used to show the persons change of attitude towards nature
“of melancholy”
why has enjambment been used for this line
its made to stand out
the change of feeling is both strong and unusual for the persona
“the orange sky of the evening died away”
the death of an evening could represent the loss of innocence
what is the meaning of this poem
- autobiographical poem
- glimpse of his negative view towards home
- we see him playing games outside in nature with his friends
- the alien noises made by nature startle him and change his view on nautre
what is the mood for this poem?
- one of rapture
- happy playful tone
- towards the end the tone become melancholy as he is startled
