Excerpt from The Prelude - R Flashcards
What is the poem about overall?
The poem is a reflection upon Wordsworth’s happy yet unpredictable childhood where he escapes to nature
Why was the poem written?
Wordsworth wrote the poem as a celebration of childhood & a subtle condemnation of adulthood/Industrial Revolution
What is the structure of the poem? What does it reflect?
The poem is written in iambic pentameter & uses enjambment which suggests time passing & growing up. Also uses caesura reflecting upon the narrator’s passion, excitement & breathlessness.
What is the rhyme scheme? What does it signify?
Blank verse - signifies how Wordsworth’s childhood was inconsistent and unpredictable
Name the first theme of the poem. Explain.
One theme of the poem is INNOCENCE. It is praise of childhood INNOCENCE & is a celebration of youthful freedom.
Name the second theme of the poem. Explain.
A second theme of the poem is NATURE. It celebrates the freedom nature provides, set in the countryside & rejecting the Industrial Revolution/adulthood
“frosty season”
fricative adjective
emphasises excitement, as children enjoy innocent delights eg. the weather
“I heeded not the summons”
rebellious tone
Wordsworth is refusing the responsibilities of adulthood by being disobedient
“village clock toll’d six”
symbolism
reflecting upon Industrial Revolution, as adulthood is being foreshadowed but the Wordsworth is refusing the reality of growing up
“alien sound Of melancholy”
mysterious tone/enjambment
suggests something unsual, as Wordsworth no longer feels at home in nature (SUBLIME!!)
“The orange sky of evening died away”
metaphor
implies nature has become bleak, fatalistic & uninteresting, also loss of innocence - adulthood is coming
