Nature Quotes

Question 1

Afternoons

Answer 1

“their beauty has thickened” - aged and grown plumper in the autumn of their years
also shows that he depicts the cycle of life in a more melancholic light.

“their children, so intent on finding more unripe acorns,” are already beginning to move forward in life while the mothers are left behind. The image of “unripe” acorns could symbolise the children’s immaturity, but also the idea that new life is only just beginning as the older generation fades into routine.

Question 2

To Autumn

Answer 2

“to bend the apples”
as the apples “bend” the trees and their gourd is swollen with Autumn making “plump hazel shells”.

Keats personifies autumn as a woman “sitting careless on a granary floor,” emphasising the comfort and ripeness of the season.

Keats’ use of tactile and visual imagery, like “soft-lifted by the winnowing wind,” adds to the sensual celebration of the season

“to load and bless / With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run,” to depict autumn as a time of abundance

“the soft-dying day” suggests that even in celebration, there is an underlying awareness of decay

Question 3

Death of Naturalist

Answer 3

admiration of the frogspawn calling them “jellied specks” as he described how he collects them in jars
however in the second stanza he describes them “gross-bellied” and “gathered there for vengeance.” the violent imagery and personification shows the speaker’s fear and confusion.
“the great slime kings were there for vengeance” suggests a lost of innocence”.

Question 4

The Prelude

Answer 4

“proud and exulting”
boys skating across the lake
The energetic verbs like “we hissed along the polished ice” and the comparison of movement to “an untir’d horse” reflect a sense of freedom and unity with nature
He recalls the “orange sky” and “distant hills,” showing how nature stays with him in memory

Question 5

As Imperceptibly As Grief

Answer 5

“made her light escape / Into the beautiful,” suggesting that summer leaves quietly and peacefully, much like the gradual easing of grief. The phrase “light escape” is gentle and euphemistic, reflecting how emotions like sadness can fade almost unnoticeably

“As imperceptibly as Grief / The Summer lapsed away,” immediately linking emotion and nature. The adverb “imperceptibly” suggests that time moves so slowly that its passing is almost invisible, mirroring how grief can settle in quietly