Prelude, by William Wordsworth Flashcards
Who is the speaker in the poem? What about?
William Wordsworth
First person in the past tense
vivid childhood memory
describes the sheer thrill and exultation of children as they skate in the gathering darkness of a frosty day
When? Where?
Lake District
Victorian era
Why?
The poem has a nostalgic feel and Wordsworth looks back at the innocence and happiness of his childhood
Context
William Wordsworth was one of the first and most influential of the Romantic era
The Prelude is nostalgic in its thoughts about his childhood and the intense feelings of delight he experienced when he was walked or, as a child, played in the countryside
grew up in the Lake district
Structure
- The poem begins with the end of the day and the warm light of the setting sun reflecting in the cottage windows
- In the middle of the poem, the young Wordsworth ignores his mother’s calls to come in for his tea and instead delights at skating with the other boys from the village. They are playing tag and chasing
each other across the ice and this reminds Wordsworth of a pack of hounds hunting a fox. - The end of the poem reflects the end of the day as the sun sets and the star appear
Title
Prelude - extract from
Analysis on the first line
‘And in the frosty season when the sun’
The poem is filled with imagery to do with winter and the end of the year as well as the end of the day
Analysis on ‘cottage’
Rural setting, sense of cosiness
‘twilight blaz’d’ analysis
There are images of warmth, contrasting the wintery scene and images of darkness.
The verb “blaz’d suggests fire and comfort.
This warmth reflects Wordsworth’s warm feelings when looking back on he childhood
What does the pronoun ‘us’ give a sense of?
The pronoun “us” give sense of communal or shared happiness between the boys and in the larger community.
What does the noun ‘rapture’ suggest?
The use of the noun “rapture” suggests a joyous ecstasy and a time of celebration.
Analysis on ‘untir’d horse’
The simile of a “untir’d horse” gives the idea the boys are untamed, still wild at heart, with no fear and full of energy to
discover the world
‘We hiss’d along the polish’d ice’ analysis
The poet uses verbs such as “flew” and “hissed” to show the movement and sounds of the boys, emphasising their skilful speed and their sense of freedom.
‘resounding horn’ analysis
Wordsworth summons up the idea of the hunt as the boys chase each other across
the ice – the imagery is vivid due to his use of the senses.
What do the verbs ‘rang’ and ‘tickled’ suggest?
The natural world is drawn as hard and frozen, but it has its own voice. The verbs “rang” and “tinkled” suggests the countryside is alive, almost with music.
What does the word ‘melancholy’ introduce?
The idea of “melancholy” introduces us to
a sense of sadness and an insight into Wordsworth’s nostalgia at these happier
days of innocence which are now long
passed.
The tone seems almost wistful
here, Wordsworth yearning for those simpler times of youth
What does the final image remind us of?
The final image reminds us the day is ending and so is the year, and so did his childhood as he became an adult. The intensity of the orange sky and sparkling stars reflects the energy and vibrancy of youth, something that declines with the aging process.
