Prelude

Question 1

“One summer evening (led by her) I found

A little boat tied to a willow tree”

Answer 1

Wordsworth contrasts nature’s power with human actions as nature, personified, guides the speaker to a boat, symbolising the nurturing and guiding role of nature.

Question 2

“Straight I unloosed her chain, and stepping in

Pushed from the shore. It was an act of stealth”

Answer 2

The speaker steals the boat, suggesting a moment of rebellion against societal norms, yet finds pleasure in the act, hinting at the allure of nature’s freedom.

Question 3

“Like one who rows, proud of his skill”

Answer 3

The speaker’s pride in rowing reflects human confidence, but also foreshadows the impending confrontation with nature’s overwhelming power.

Question 4

“She was an elfin pinnace; lustily

I dipped my oars into the silent lake”

Answer 4

• Describing the personified boat as “elfin” adds a magical, supernatural quality to the poem.
• The speaker believes he can control nature.

Question 5

“… a huge peak, black and huge,

As if with voluntary power instinct,

Upreared its head … “

Answer 5

• The mountain’s emergence portrays nature as a sentient force, heightening tension and fear.
• Wordsworth shifts from a tranquil depiction of nature to one of ominous foreboding.

Question 6

“With trembling oars I turned”

Answer 6

• The trembling oars signify the speaker’s fear and the shift in power dynamics as nature becomes threatening.
• Wordsworth illustrates nature’s unpredictability and the speaker’s awe.

Question 7

“There in her mooring-place I left my bark”

Answer 7

Returning the boat signifies the end of the encounter, but the speaker is left with a troubled mind, indicating the profound impact of his encounter with nature and his understanding of his place within it.

Question 8

“… my brain

Worked with a dim and undetermined sense

Of unknown modes of being”

Answer 8

The encounter with nature alters the speaker’s worldview, leading to introspection and a sense of unease about the unknown aspects of existence.

Question 9

“Huge and mighty forms, that do not live

Like living men …”

Answer 9

The speaker’s thoughts are consumed by powerful yet lifeless images, symbolising the overwhelming presence of nature in his mind.

Question 10

“… No familiar shapes

Remained, no pleasant images of trees,

Of sea or sky, no colours of green fields;”

Answer 10

The speaker’s perception shifts from innocence to vulnerability, symbolising the loss of childhood security and the realisation of nature’s capacity for both beauty and danger.