Extract From "the prelude" Flashcards
Who wrote the prelude
William Wordsworth
When was it written
1798
What does he contrast
Natural world to the living world- he think natural world has more power- “struck and struck again” and “strode after me”
Give an example of a simile
“Measured motion like a living thing- links to the ideology of pantheism which emphasises Wordsworth’s romanticism
How are the events linked structurally
Conjunctions and enjambment- follow his adventure with him, stopping at moments of tension “upreared its head” (caesura) and flows to follow his movement “through the silent water stole my way”
What meter is it in
Iambic pentameter - close relation to the rhythm of the natural voice, suits the personal nature of the poem
What form is the poem
Autobiographical based on his childhood- everything might be hyperbolic as children tend to fear more easily- vulnerability made him fear nature more
Explain a motif in the poem
Willow tree- repeated motif with connotations of safety and security eg- “back to the covert of the willow tree”
Give a quotation that shows a shift in the poem
“The horizons bound, a huge peak, black and Huge”
-no one else would’ve feared the power of nature, his connection to nature allows him to understand the strengths of it
Finish the quotation “towered up ….
“Towered up between me and the stars”
Personal pronoun “me” emphasises the idea that only he knows the secrets and depths of nature&a his observations will be most accurate due to his relationship with it
What did the power of his creativity do
Create a physiological fear
Fear - “trembling oars”
What does the simile “like a swan” suggest
Power of nature- nature is calm on the surface but beneath is kicking and fighting or could be seen as resembling internal panic of boy
Give quotation that shows his guilt
“In grave and serious mood”
“Trouble to my dreams”
He’s plagued by guilt, he’s cheated nature by stealing the boat, power of creativity means nature haunts his sleep and makes him an outsider which isolates him - he can only confine in nature
Finish the quotation “no colours….
“No colours of green fields”
-cheated nature so he’s lost the luxuries and trust of it- natures not revealing itself to him anymore.
Green has connotations of hope- he’s lost hope
What were the 3 necessary ingredients for creativity
- a vital soul
- knowledge of the underlying principles of things
- a host of painstaking observation of natural phenomena
