Prelude Flashcards
(13 cards)
Rough plan
Opening - memory of happiness
Middle - children with nature
End - adult view of nature
Opening quotes
âThe cottage windows through the tiwlight blazâdâ
âI heeded not the summons: - happy timeâ
Middle quotes
âProud and exulting, like an untirâd horseâ
âConfederate, imitative of the chaceâ
End quotes
âMeanwhile, the precipices rang aloud,â
âthe tumult sent an alien sound/Of melancholy, not unnoticedâ
âThe cottage windows through the tiwlight blazâdâ
- rural location with cottage windows, which symbolises human warmth as opposed to cities
- last rays of sun convey warmth as they âblazâdâ, perhaps reflective of how adult speaker feels about upcoming childhood memories
- blazed may reflect intensity of childhood emotion where everything is heightened
- this juxtaposes the âfrosty seasonâ, indicating that these memories bring warmth to life
- noun âtwilightâ could be reflective of memories - known to be a balanced moment between night and day in the same way memories are neither past nor present
âI heeded not the summons: - happy timeâ
- personal account through âIâ
- child rebels as he enjoys nature with his friends, ignoring the calls to come back
- demonstrates defiance, ignorance and joy
- caesura created shows a break in thought, showing how the memory makes the speaker reflect emotionally
- enjambment of simple phrase âhappy timeâ implies this joy flowed throughout his childhood like words flow
âProud and exulting, like an untirâd horseâ
- simile evokes energy about the children who are playing in nature
- nature empowers children
- âuntirâdâ suggests health and confidence, highlighting how nature enhances a childâs health
- one may see the humans represented as animals as dehumanising, whereas many may suggest they have become one with nature
- doesnât just observed but becomes it
âWe hissâd along the polishâd iceâŚ/Confederate, imitative of the chaceâ
- children are all joined together âconfederateâ, perhaps even together with nature, immerses reader in detai;s
- sibilance reflects ice skating sounds
- loved skating on lake esthwaite
- hissed - a sound of skating and of secrecy
- hunting was common at the time and children chasing each other being âimitative of the chaceâ reflects how they are intrinsically rooted in nature whilst blending adult actions
- caesurae mirrors speed, excitement like their momvement
- gradual loss of innocence since âimitativeâ suggests mocking the adult world to come
âMeanwhile, the precipices rang aloud,â
- through adverb âmeanwhileâ a volta emerges symbolising shift from childhood memory to adult life
- images of âprecipicesâ may be reminiscent of description of âtwilightâ
- both are liminal, precipice a threshold between solid ground and fall whilst twilight represents shift from day to night (death vs time?)
- âprecipicesâ seem more dangerous with connotations of death
- perhaps a result of the precautious disposition of adults as opposed to innocent, free children
- shifts of perceptions of nature with progression of time, loss of childhood innocence
âthe tumult sent an alien sound/Of melancholy, not unnoticedâ
- juxtaposing previous descriptions, a loud confusing sound perhaps demonstrating mixed perceptions of nature
- âalien soundâ conveys uncomfortableness
- use of synaesthesia as melancholy not usually associated with sound, indicating that the sadness is the adultâs nostalgia for childhood happiness
- double negative suggests humans cannot fully comprehend nature, hence dangerous
Structure
Blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) - mimics natural speech, giving a reflective tone
Chronoligcal narrative as narrator navigates out of memory
Constant enjambment suggesting that time progresses swiftly, continuous movement of thoughts and nature
Volta
Beginning twilight to end evening - suggesting how quickly time moves, loss of innocence so gradual yet fast
Context
- romantic poet with elevated view of nature, lived in lake district
- autobiographical poem which reflects his childhood, evolving with nature
- coined the phrase âspots of timeâ referring to memories
- ideals of liberty and equality influenced by French revolution, but became disillusioned by its violence
- loved ice skating on Esthwaite Lake
- contemplated suicide, detachment from family
Overview
Wordsworth uses âExcerpt from The preludeâ as a vehicle to celebrate childhood innocence and their interactions with nature, which gradually decrease with the passing of time into adulthood. His upbringing in Lake District as well as his detachment from some of his family allowed him to connect with nature, having an impact on this poem,
