Extract from, The Prelude - William Wordsworth Flashcards
‘unloosed (…) stepping (…) pushed’
the triplet creates a rapid movement pace as he is filled with excitement.
‘huge (…) huge’
repetition emphasises his loss of words as he is struck by the sheer beauty and intimidation of nature.
‘A little boat tied to a willow tree
Within a rocky cove, it’s usual home’
Juxtaposition boat and rocky cove metaphor for his childhood trying to find the good within the bad (orphaned at young age, wanted to share his experience with others)
‘troubled pleasure’
Oxymoron - he knows it is forbidden but still experiences joy from it, maybe the feeling of rebelliousness ignites his pleasure
‘Struck and struck again’
The repetition of the verb struck shows that he is finding some difficulty to escape, because he feels such an overwhelming sense of panic he is almost Tranquillised by his own fear and cannot move
‘Heaving through the water like a swan’
Juxtaposition of the swan and heaving in the smilie, swan has connotations of white and purity and innocence, he is finding it difficult to live in this unknown habitat, which is his life.
‘Dreams’
Cyclical structure - ends and begins in dream like state, potentially it never happened, it’s was all a night mare
