the prelude Flashcards
what is the prelude about
poem centres on Wordsworth’s childhood memory in the Lake District where he steals a boat and rows it into the middle of a lake.
-Steals a boat and rows out onto the lake
● Watches ripples as he easily rows whilst focusing on a fixed point
● Starts to see the mountain grow bigger than he thought it was
● Realises the immensity of the mountain and of nature
● Scared and starts to row back to the shore
● Haunted by the event for days after
● Has changed how he views nature and how he views humanity
context on william wordsworth
-difficult childhood as he had a troubled relationship with his father and other relatives. Both parents died during his adolescence ,as a result, he was split up from his siblings and sent to live with different relatives. He spent a lot of time avoiding his mother’s family, who treated him so badly he considered suicide. He developed a deep affection for the Lake District as he spent so much time outside to escape his problems
-Wordsworth was a romantic poet, which meant he was in favour of resisting growing industrialism by remembering a simpler, natural past. The changing shape of industrial Britain is likely the force that inspired him to explore his own moral and spiritual development
significance of this poem being written during the romantic movement
Romanticism stemmed from the enlightenment period which focused on objective science, logic and rationality.
➔ Writers at the time wanted to reject the cold unemotional rationalism of the enlightenment and instead use a more emotional and subjective view of the world. ➔ looked to the beauty of nature and past life in order to protest against the changing face of the world which was happening due to industrialisation. The romantic writers would also follow enlightened values of protesting institutions and sources of power (church / monarch / army), and use their work to comment on society and how it should be reformed.
➔ They tended to use everyday language to make poems accessible to all.
➔ The period can be considered a reaction to the industrial revolution, as writers often expressed their dislike of urban life.
As Wordsworth was a romantic poet, this means he wished to write literature which challenged people’s preconceptions and viewpoints at the time.
main idea 1 -
power of the prescence of the sublime
(led by her)
Wordsworth uses personification to describe nature. He opens the poem with reference to being “(led by her)” which shapes how the reader views the whole poem. His reference to nature as “her” or “she” is an allusion to the idea of Mother Nature, a common theme across mythology.
➔ Nature can be seen as female in that it is responsible for the feminine task of creating, sustaining and nurturing life – just as a mother does.
‘her’ - ambiguity, no initial threat
➔ By using personification, Wordsworth is able to contrast the role of nature to the role of a human – whilst women nurture a single child; nature nurtures an entire planet thus demonstrating its superior power. Equally, nature’s power is demonstrated by the speaker being “led by her”, suggesting the speaker is not in control of his actions and in a way elevates blame from him for any negative actions.
Wordsworth references nature in parenthesis [“(led by her)”] suggesting it was added later. This implies he was unaware of this control until his moment of revelation when he realised nature’s supremacy. Th parenthesis also works to imply that nature was in control of the revelation of the peak, revealing itself to him with the intention to humble him
main idea 2
- ascension of the power of nature,
epiphany
‘the horizon’s bound, a huge peak, black and huge,’
‘like a living thing,
Strode after me’
in The Prelude, failed attempts of mankind to overpower and manipulate a force beyond its control are displayed.
‘the horizon’s bound, a huge peak, black and huge’= a volta, turning point, intimidating
comma= caseura= fear , unsettling , uncertain
Mountain seems to be living with intent – wanted to reveal itself. This phrase also suggests the reader can empathise with the speaker’s fear and anxiety, and it juxtaposes to how nature was working with him at first, but now has turned against him.
-The true power of nature is now being revealed and the speaker is struggling to continue on his journey - nature has ultimate control.
The illusion of control is broken as the mountain rises from the water, and nature’s supremacy becomes apparent
-‘strode after me’ he realises how insignificant he is compared to the mountain, he respects it simutaneously
‘strode’ verb= initiating the idea of a chase, panic, he tries to escape its territory, he is alarmed,The initial calm and relaxed rowing is contrasted with the frantic rowing back to shore
main idea 3
loss of eloquence as the writer becomes weaker on its journey
As the poem progresses and the speaker becomes overwhelmed by the mountain the language becomes less sophisticated.
➔ At the start of the poem the language is poetic and descriptive, such as “elfin pinnace” and “small circles glittering idly”.
She was an elfin pinnace. The combination of the archaic “pinnace” (a small boat) and its adjective “elfin” (small and delicate but also ‘elf-like’) is later contrasted with the “huge peak” to emphasise the powerlessness of the speaker in comparison to nature.
➔ However, the revelation of nature’s true power renders him literally speechless and his descriptions become more simplistic and clumsy. He repeats the adjective “huge” at the beginning and end of “a huge peak, black and huge” to compensate for his devolved vocabulary.
➔ Wordsworth’s description focuses on simple statements of size and colour. This shock at the limits of his world being redefined – the “craggy ridge” is no longer the “horizon’s bound” – is reflected by his inability to continue to define the world with his language. Repetition The repetition of “huge” also emphasises the sheer size of the mountain. Perhaps Wordsworth couldn’t think of a comparison to how big the mountain is as it is incomparable. ➔ The repetition sounds like stuttering, which may suggest he nervous and intimidated in the face of such raw power.
structure
Wordsworth employs a cyclical structure in his poem to emphasise that the change that took place during the journey was internal and psychological rather than external and physical. It begins and ends in the mooring of the boat - his journey begins and finishes in the same place
there are subtle changes which are shown through Wordsworth’s use of a linguistic echo.
When the speaker sets out in his stolen boat it is “an act of stealth” then when he returned home he “stole my way back to the covert of the willow tree”.the psychological change of the speaker is shown to the reader through the change from the speaker’s “stealth” to him being afraid and “stole” away back to the land.
➔ At the beginning he stole the boat because he viewed himself as dominant and had no care for consequences whereas at the end he “stole” away because he feared the consequences of challenging nature’s omnipotence.
➔ In the first instance, the stealing is literal and symbolic of the speaker’s arrogance in feeling entitled to the use of the boat and to the enjoyment of nature.
➔ However, on his return, “stole” becomes indicative of his humility and his fear in the face of nature’s true power. This fear causes him to retreat to what is safe and familiar.
Enjambment Wordsworth’s use of this device makes the poem flow but also gives a sense of a lack of control from the lack of structure. This makes the poem feel like a stream of consciousness. The enjambement suggests an uncontrollable urge to convey the power of nature, hinting that he wants to try and express what he felt.
