The Prelude Flashcards
what happens in The Prelude?
it begins on a summer evening when the narrator finds a boat tied to a tree, he takes it out on the lake. He describes beautiful scenes but when he turns around to go home his view on nature changes
“One summer evening (led by her)”
unclear, led by the boat, led by nature - personification
“a little boat tied to a willow tree”
happy, rural image, calm and natural
“troubled pleasure”
oxymoron - he is taking and exciting risk, he knows what he is doing is wrong, but he likes the buzz he gets from doing it
“glittering” “sparkling light”
beautiful imagery, non-threatening, magical
“proud of his skill”
arrogant, thinks he has power over nature which contrasts with hoe he feels at the end when he realises how powerful nature is
“The horizons bound, a huge peak, black and huge”
a mountain appears on the horizon. very different language now - darker and threatening
“Upreared its head”
mountain is personified. Ugly image - contrasts to earlier beautiful images of the boat
“I struck and struck again and growing still on stature”
as the narrator rows away from the mountain, it starts to become bigger and bigger, he is living a nightmare
“trembling oars”
personified, he has lost his confidence. His ego has disappeared be intimidation of nature. it will always win
“back to the covert of the willow tree”
he wants to go back to comfort, what he knows. he wants protection
“trouble to my dreams”
unsettling image, shows how affected he is, we empathise with him. huge contrast to the beginning of the poem
what themes are in ‘The Prelude’?
power of nature, memory, fear, pride, individual experience
the power of nature in The Prelude?
the narrator initially seems inspired and relaxed by nature but what a mountain appears it is personified and made to seem terrifying. the narrator thinks that it “strode after” him, nature made him return the boat he stole - influences our behaviour
fear in The Prelude?
the narrator’s mood changes from carefree confidence to deep fear after encountering the mountain, it has a lasting effect. the mountains solid “stature” and “measured motion” is contrasted with the speaker’s “trembling”
