The Prelude

Question 1

Reference to Winter 1st Line(The Prelude)

Answer 1

“In the frosty season when”

The poem is filled with imagery to do with winter and the end of the year as well as the end of the day.

Question 2

Fire (The Prelude)

Answer 2

“blaz’d”

There are images of warmth, contrasting the winter scene and image of darkness. The verb “blaz’d” suggests fire and comfort. This reflects Wordsworth’s warm feelings when looking back on her childhood.

Question 3

Personal pronoun (The Prelude)

Answer 3

“of us”

The pronoun “us” give sense of communal or shared happiness between the boys and in the larger community.

Question 4

Horse (The Prelude)

Answer 4

“like an untir’d horse”

The similie of a “untir’d horse” gives the idea the boys are untamed, still wild at heart, with no fear and full of energy to discover the world.

Question 5

Sounds snakes make (The Prelude)

Answer 5

“We hiss’d along”

The poet used verbs such as “flew” and “hissed” to show the movement and sounds of the boys, emphasising their skilful speed and their sense of freedom.

Question 6

Metal (The Prelude)

Answer 6

“tinkled like iron”

More wintery images allows us to imagine how cold the evening is. The similie “tinkled like iron” emphasises how deeply frozen the countryside yet it seems to make its own.

Question 7

Sadness (The Prelude)

Answer 7

“melancholy”

The idea of “melancholy” introduces us to a sense of sadness and an insight into Wordsworth’s nostalgia at these happier days of innocence which are now long passed. The tone seems almost wistful here, Wordsworth yearning for those simpler times of youth.

Question 8

Mandarin the fruit (The Prelude)

Answer 8

“Orange sky”

The final image reminds us the day is ending and so is ending and so is the year, and so did his childhood as he became an adult. The intensity of the orange sky and sparkling stars reflects the energy and vibrancy of youth, something that declines with aging process.