Excerpt from The Prelude- William Wordsworth Flashcards
What does the poem as a whole describe?
Sheer thrill and exultation of children as they skate in the gathering darkness of a frosty day
What does Wordsworth use to bring alive the vivid and joyous experience?
Imagery of sound, sight and the natural world
What feel does the poem have and what does Wordsworth look back at?
Nostalgic feel and he looks back at the innocence and happiness of his childhood
What poet was Wordsworth described to be?
One of the first and most influential poet of the Romantic era
What is the poem nostalgic in?
Thoughts and intense feelings of delight he experienced when he was walked or played in the countryside
What does the poem begin with?
End of the day and the warm light of the setting sun reflecting in the cottage windows
What happens in the middle of the poem?
Young Wordsworth ignores his mother’s calls to come in for his tea and instead skates with other village boys
What are the boys playing in the poem and what does this remind Wordsworth of?
Tag and chasing each other across the ice which reminds Wordsworth of a pack of hounds hunting a fox
What does the end of the poem reflect?
End of the day as the sun sets and the stars appear
What are the possible themes and links to other poems?
Natural world and passing of time- Death of a Naturalist, To Autumn
What does the wintery imagery the poem opens with such as “frosty” suggest and what are they contrasted with?
The premature end of a wintery day and contrasted with warm images like “blaz’d” and “the sun”
What verbs suggest rapid movement?
“wheel’d”, “hiss’d” and “flew”
What does the noun “rapture” suggest?
Intense enjoyment of the boys skating on the lake
What represents the natural world in the poem?
“woodland pleasure” and “leafless trees”
What does the description of the skaters- “shod with steel” like “untir’d” horses, chasing the “hunted hare” portray?
Portrays humans as animals
