'the prelude' - william wordsworth Flashcards
describe William Wordsworth:
- spent a lot of his life living in rural areas such as the Lake District
- lived with relatives in Cumbria, they didn’t get on, he contemplated suicide
- he therefore spent a lot of time outdoors, and believed nature could be like a parent/teacher
- Romantic poet. believed in special moments/experiences in our lives where we go beyond normal reality and appreciate the wider world of nature
- ‘The Prelude’ is autobiographical and focuses on his childhood and relationship with nature
what is Romanticism?
- a break from the ‘age of reason’, which valued logic, reason and structure. it placed a greater emphasis on emotions and imagination
- interested in personal responses and creative freedom (not tradition), the exploration of powerful emotions, an appreciation of beauty (of the natural world), and a focus on introspection, imagination and reflection
analyse the title:
‘prelude’ suggests an introduction to Wordsworth’s childhood. this could relate to the theme of time, and ideas of youthfulness and innocence
analyse the first 4 lines:
structure:
- ‘sun/was set’ enjambment emphasises ‘was set’, foreshadowing the idea of things ending
language:
- contrast between hot and cold in ‘frosty season’ and ‘the cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d’. nature and the domestic are contrasting and incompatible. alludes to Wordsworth’s dislike of his grandparents’ home but love of nature
- ‘I heeded not the summons’ the rebellion emphasises the persona’s youth. the first person ‘I’ focuses on the individual, a common characteristic of Romantic poetry
analyse lines 4-9:
structure:
constant caesura could represent persona’s passion, excitement and breathlessness
language:
positive tone in ‘happy time’, ‘time of rapture’, ‘exulting’, ‘I wheel’d about’ reflects the persona’s love for and enjoyment of nature
imagery:
‘proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, that cares not for his home’ the persona feels confident, strong, free. they like and associate with nature
analyse lines 9-15:
structure:
‘all shod with steel, we hiss’d along the polish’d ice’ sibilance reflects the sound of ice skating.
language:
‘and woodland pleasures’, ‘loud bellowing’, ‘we flew’, ‘not a voice was idle’ positive tone is maintained, persona is having fun
imagery:
childhood games are compared to hunting: loud, manic, intrinsically rooted in nature ‘chace’, ‘horn’, ‘pack’. by pretending to hunt, is the persona on the same side as nature, or on the opposite side?
analyse lines 15-22:
structure:
- ‘the precipices rang aloud, the leafless trees, and every icy crag’ nature is responding to the children by making the same noises as them, but it sounds sinister
- ‘of melancholy’ made to stand out through enjambment. the change in feeling is both strong and unusual for the persona. more pensive, melancholic tone created through use of caesura
language:
- ‘din’ negative connotations. too loud, long, unpleasant
- ‘meanwhile’, ‘leafless trees’, ‘din’, ‘alien sound’, ‘tumult’, ‘distant hills’, ‘melancholy’, ‘died away’ negative tone, showing persona’s change of attitude towards nature
- ‘alien sound’ suggests strangeness and unfamiliarity, the persona no longer feels comfortable in nature
imagery:
- ‘the orange sky of the evening died away’ the ‘death’ of the evening could represent a loss of innocence, or the death of the persona’s love for nature
what is the significance of the quote: ‘tinkled like iron’?
- seems sinister
- contrast. ‘tinkled’ suggests gentleness, delicacy. ‘iron’ is heavy. shows the innocence and youth of the children compared to the power of nature
what is the meaning of this poem?
autobiographical, depicts young Wordsworth playing in nature. see a glimpse of his negative view of home, and him playing games with friends. however, the ‘alien’ noises made by nature startle and unsettle him, and the poem ends on an uncertain note
what is the motivation for this poem?
as he’s a Romantic poet, he glorifies nature’s potential for enjoyment, which he took advantage of as a child when playing games. in line with Romanticism, he illustrates nature’s impact on the individual, resulting in a poem that is profoundly emotionally charged: nature can bring about great joy, but it can also bring feelings of ‘melancholy’, making the poem an honest celebration of nature
what is the mood of the poem?
generally, it’s one of ‘rapture’ as young Wordsworth has fun playing games as he ice-skates, a known hobby of his
however, towards the end, the tone becomes melancholic, as he’s startled by the sounds of nature around him
what are the themes in this poem?
- power (power of nature over humans and human emotion)
- nature
- love (persona clearly loves and enjoys being in nature)
- time (time in a person’s life: childhood. also sees a change occur, which can only occur with time passing)
- place (about how a persona interacts with their surroundings)
- man (individual person and their thoughts and feelings)
- death (metaphorical sense. the death of innocence, the end of childhood)
