the prelude Flashcards
1
Q
overview
A
In this excerpt from The Prelude, Wordsworth describes his feelings of awe by recounting his childhood memories of skating in the Lake District with his friends. It is getting dark but the doesn’t want to go inside because he feels free. Eventually, Wordsworth’s description of nature becomes more sinister as the poem continues and the boy is outside for longer. Like other Romantic’s Wordsworth admires the beauty of nature. This is part of a longer poem – a traditional epic poem is a long narrative poem about adventure and Wordsworth as the hero. However, he writes about ordinary subjects and experiences and elevates them to make them epic.
2
Q
beginning
A
- At the start, Wordsworth describes how the ‘cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d.’ This creates the impression that the setting of the poem is a cosy rural village which might be a comforting childhood memory.
- His mother calls him home but he does not listen and continues skating. Instead, he describes how it was a time of ‘rapture’ which could suggest how he is all consumed by the joy of skating and the fun he is having.
3
Q
middle
A
- Next, ‘the village clock toll’d six.’ The bell is ringing to show it is late however the word ‘toll’d’ is significant because it is the sound a bell makes when someone has died. This could symbolise how his happiness is dying because he has to go inside.
- Wordsworth compares himself to an ‘untir’d horse’ which suggests he is energetic because horses have lots of energy and stamina. The fact that the poet choses to compare himself to an animal reminds the reader of his love for nature and he uses the positive relationship between the boy and the horse to show how there is no conflict between man and nature.
4
Q
end
A
- Wordsworth describes the ‘alien’ sounds that the hills make. This creates a shift in the poem as nature is no longer seeming so positive but is presented in a frightening way. The word ‘alien’ suggests a supernatural force and the sound was not ‘unnoticed’ which suggests how Wordsworth is aware of the threat of nature.
- At the end of the poem ‘the orange sky of evening died away.’ Here, Wordsworth is using nature as a metaphor for his childhood ending as it suggests that the evening is like his childhood fading into adulthood. He is aware that he is on the cusp of adulthood and this is presented as a dark thing or something scary. This gives the reader the impression that he might not be safe playing outside for much longer.
5
Q
form & structure
A
- The lack of rhyme makes the poem sound like a narrative/story which reflects how he is retelling a memory about his childhood
- He uses vivid imagery through the use of senses which helps the reader get a sense of the setting.
