the prelude Flashcards
who wrote the poem?
William Wordsworth
what are the main themes in the poem?
- nature
- change and transformation
- sense of place
- passage of time
what are the possible links?
- death of a naturalist (nature + time)
- to autumn (nature + time)
what are the main feelings and attitudes in the poem?
- nostalgia
- awareness
what is the poem about?
it’s written by an adult who is looking back nostalgically on his childhood memories. it begins on a winter evening when the narrator is playing outside. it’s getting dark, which is the time he’s supposed to go home, but he doesn’t because he’s having a good time. the narrator describes the fun he and his friends are having ice skating. the adult narrator then reflects on nature and suggests humans are distanced from it
what is the form of the poem?
blank verse - unrhymed iambic pentameter create a steady rhythm with makes the poem sound like natural speech
what perspective is the poem written from?
first person narrative, adult narrator is looking back on his own memories, it’s personal and his childhood seems almost idyllic
what kind of language and imagery does the poem use?
language of movement, natural imagery, and use of sounds
what does the use of short, monosyllabic verbs do?
increase the pace of the poem which reflects the speed of their movements and their youthful energy
what does the narrator compare himself and the other children to an why?
he compares the group of children to a pack of hunting dogs and himself to a horse which suggests that they have a close connection to nature. however, dogs and horses are often domesticated, which hints that the children aren’t truly a part of nature
what kind of soundscape is used in the poem?
sibilance and onomatopoeia which allow the reader to imagine the sounds in the poem. the poet also uses sensory imagery to contrast humans and nature - humans are noise, but nature’s sounds are more delicate and unusual
what are the first three lines of the extract?
And in the frosty season, when the sun / was set, and visible for many a mile / The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d,
what are the annotations of ‘in the frosty season’?
the poem is filled with imagery to do with winter and the end of the year as well as the end of the day, sets up a wintery scene for the reader
what are the annotations of ‘the cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d’?
- cottage shows a rural setting and gives a sense of coziness
- the bright lights of the cottage echo the setting sun, creating a scene of light and warmth
- there are images of warmth which contrast with the wintery scene and images of darkness. ‘blaz’d’ suggests fire and comfort. the warmth reflects poet’s feelings looking back on childhood
what is the second group of three lines? ( after ‘through the twilight blaz’d’)
I heeded not the summons: - happy time / It was, indeed, for all of us; to me / It was a time of rapture; clear and loud’
what are the annotations of ‘I heeded not the summons’?
the narrator rebels by not going home, showing his youthful enthusiasm and excitement
why does Wordsworth use caesura? (‘for all of us; to me’ and ‘time of rapture; clear and loud’)
create pauses mid-line suggesting the narrator is breathless and excited
what is the third group of three lines? (after ‘clear and loud’)
The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, / Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, / That cares not for his home. - All shod with steel,
what are the annotations of ‘for all of us’?
pronoun gives sense of communal/shared happiness between the boys and in the larger community
what are the annotations of ‘time of rapture’?
suggests a joyous ecstasy and a time of celebration
what are the annotations of ‘I wheel’d about’?
emphasises that the narrator is fast, energetic and excitable
what are the annotations of ‘Proud’?
starting the line with ‘proud’ highlights the narrator’s confident and carefree attitude
what are the annotations of ‘like an untir’d horse’?
simile gives the idea that the boys are untamed, still wild at heart, with no fear and full of energy to discover the world, also associates narrator with strength, youthful energy, and nature
what is the fourth group of four lines?
We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games / confederate, imitative of the chace / And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, / The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare.
