Poetry - The Prelude by William Wordsworth

Question 1

Give context for ‘The Prelude’

Answer 1

• Wordsworth was a romantic poet so he was in favour of resisting growing industrialism by remembering a simpler, natural past
• The extract from ‘The Prelude’ is an extract from a long, autobiographical poem. He wanted to present ideas from his past then explore their philosophical significance through the medium of nature and society

Question 2

Describe the dramatic monologue in ‘The Prelude’

Answer 2

It reveals the inner thoughts and feelings of the speaker as he describes a significant event from his childhood and how it shaped him

Question 3

Describe the three-part structure in ‘The Prelude

Answer 3

• 1st part: Describing taking the boat out and the speaker’s positive reaction to nature
• 2nd part: The turning point, when the speaker sees the peak and turns around
• 3rd part: The poet’s reflections and how the experience changed him

Question 4

Describe how the rhythm breaks in ‘The Prelude’

Answer 4

• The poet breaks iambic pentameter in some places (e.g. “The horizon’s bound, a huge peak, black and huge”)
• Shows how overwhelming the experience was and how nature’s power cannot be tamed

Question 5

Describe the speech-like rhythm in ‘The Prelude’

Answer 5

• The poet creates a realistic, speech-like rhythm through: blank verse (non-rhyming), iambic pentameter, enjambment, caesura
• The use of iambic pentameter gives the poem a sense of seriousness, indicating how significant this was in the speaker’s life

Question 6

Describe the tense in ‘The Prelude’

Answer 6

• Whilst it is generally in past tense, Wordsworth uses many present participles for description like “leaving”, “sparkling” and “glittering”.
• Through blurring past and present, it shows the reader how this experience has shaped him and how he still views the world in the present, as if he were experiencing it anew

Question 7

Describe the stanza structure in ‘The Prelude’

Answer 7

• It is in a single stanza emphasises the overwhelming power of nature
• This is heightened as there are no breaks or pauses, causing the reader to feel breathless and overwhelmed by the poem’s intensity, reflecting how Wordsworth was overwhelmed by the immensity of the mountain

Question 8

Finish the quote: ‘one summer evening…’ and describe it

Answer 8

• “One summer evening (led by her)”
• Personification of nature, although nature is powerful, indicated by the verb “led”, it is also benevolent and gentle

Question 9

Finish the quote: ‘The horizon’s bound…’ and describe it

Answer 9

• “The horizon’s bound, a huge peak, black and huge,”
• This contrasts from earlier on in the poem, where nature was characterised as benevolent
• Nature is now personified as something menacing and frightening
• “Black” is associated with ideas of power and death

Question 10

Finish the quote: ‘with purpose of its…’ and describe it

Answer 10

• “with purpose of its own And measured motion like a living thing, Strode after me.”
• The personfication suggests the mountain is powerful
• The alliteration of “measured motion”

Question 11

Finish the quote: ‘with purpose of its…’ and describe it

Answer 11

• “with purpose of its own And measured motion like a living thing, Strode after me.”
• The personification suggests the mountain is powerful
• The alliteration of “measured motion” highlights the mountain’s control
• “Strode after me” suggests the mountain is predatory

Question 12

Finish the quote: ‘There hung a…’ and describe it

Answer 12

• “There hung a darkness”
• This dark imagery highlights the haunting effect of the experience on the speaker
• The verb “hung” indicates that the narrator was unable to get rid of these disturbing thoughts and feelings

Question 13

Finish the quote: ‘Small circles glittering…’ and describe it

Answer 13

• “Small circles glittering idly in the moon,… Of sparkling light”
• The poet creates positive images of beauty at the starts, this presents nature as awe-inspiring and magical

Question 14

How are oxymorons used in ‘The Prelude’?

Answer 14

• There is a sense of foreboding early in the poem, shown by “troubled pleasure”
• This could suggest that the narrator feels some guilt

Question 15

How is repetition used in ‘The Prelude’?

Answer 15

• “I struck and stuck again” highlights the speaker’s panic and fear (and the violent language is introduced, signifying man’s battle with nature)
• The poem ends on a highly negative note. The repetitions of “no” highlights how nature, in eyes of the speaker, has lost all its former beauty and glory. Instead, became a source of pain

Question 16

Describe the contrast of confidence and uncertainty in ‘The Prelude’

Answer 16

• In the first section, there are hints of confidence (“proud of his skill”). The speaker implies his younger self was in control in the face of nature
• At the end, the language used to describe the effect of the experience is vague (“…and were a trouble to my dreams.”) This highlights how the narrator is confused and unsettled by the experience

Question 17

What can you compare ‘The Prelude’ to with the theme of the power of nature?

Answer 17

• Storm on the Island
• Kamikaze
• Ozymandias

Question 18

Give similarities between ‘The Prelude’ and ‘Storm and on the Island’

Answer 18

• Reveal conflict between nature and humanity
• Use of structure draws attention to the ways nature can feel overwhelming and powerful
• Personify aspects of nature to explore its power and authority
• Conclusions show poets to be in a reflective mood
• Have 10 syllables per line

Question 19

Give differences between ‘The Prelude’ and ‘Storm on the Island’

Answer 19

• Imagery in Prelude is picturesque and idyllic unlike Strom where it is chaotic and explosively fast paced
• Storm illustrates the power of nature in a harsh way, Prelude shows the power of nature in a subtle and is slowly shown

Question 20

Give similarities between ‘The Prelude’ and ‘Kamikaze’

Answer 20

• Discuss the power of nature in its relationship with mankind
• How powerful and overwhelming nature is to make mankind change

Question 21

Dive differences between ‘The Prelude’ and ‘Kamikaze’

Answer 21

In The Prelude, nature has an overwhelming effect but in Kamikaze it is it’s beauty that overpowers the pilot