the Prelude Flashcards
(8 cards)
how does the prelude compare to storm on the island
- Both Poems present nature as as an overwhelming and unstoppable force
- both poems present the conflict between Nature and mankind
- both poems present Nature’s psychological impact
the narrator depicts the “little boat” as an “elfin pinnace”
-the poet initially recalls the events of the poem through a mythical lens to convey his experience as fairy-tale-like
-the metaphorical description of his boat as an “elfin pinnace” evokes an sense of enchantment, transforming the mundanity of boating into something akin to fantasy
-the narrator’s initial awe at the natural world and the contrast with his realisation of nature’s vastness and potential for fear allows the poet to explore the concept of ‘The Sublime’- an idea in romantic poetry to provoke thoughts on humanity’s insignificance and the mysteries of the universe
“led by her”
-the poet characterises Nature as a conscious entity in order to quantify it’s magnificence in comparison to man to highlight the our inferiority
-he does this initially through the portrayal of nature as a guiding figure who “led” him towards the boat
-he specifies nature’s gender through the female pronoun “her”
-in romantic poetry, women embodied ideals of beauty and were therefore associated with gentleness
-this lulls the narrator into a fruitless sense of security of nature as a wholly merciful being
-this feminisation of nature could also alludes to the idea of nature as a maternal figure
“upreared its head” and “strode after” him with “measured motion”
-this vivid imagery of the mountain as a living personage who is pursuing the speaker with steadfast strength and determination, demonstrating the power of nature
the verb “strode” is implicit of a deliberate, unstoppable advance
-the phrase “measured motion” reconfirms this as provides the idea of a calculated pace
-the alliterative ‘m’ sound of the phrase “measured motion” alongside the disyllabic nature of both words reinforces natures steady, predatory movement
as the poem progresses, there is a sudden Volta as nature transforms into a “huge peak, black and huge”
-a vivid description of a mountains peak, emphasising it’s overwhelming size
-the deliberate repetition of the adjective “huge” to emphasise the extent of the peak and it’s impact on the narrator
-furthermore, the repetition of the simplistic adjective “huge” demonstrates the overt loss of eloquence, perhaps to elucidate nature’s imposing presence and the profound nature of his encounter as the narrator is unable to fully comprehend what he witnessed
-perhaps the poet highlights this fluctuation on the image of nature in order to express his sentiment that man was underestimating the power of the natural world and overestimating their own significance-an idea expressed in many works of the poets era such as John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”
“no pleasant images of trees…but huge and mighty forms…were a trouble to my dreams”
-the poet clarifies the immense psychological impact of nature through the idea of the peaks plaguing his conscience
-the imagery constructed by nature’s description as “huge and mighty” highlights the speakers newfound understanding of nature’s awe-inspiring nature
-furthermore, the complete deterioration of the narrator’s lexis could emphasise the overwhelming and all-consuming quality of nature as it seems to have unraveled his psyche
-the poet depicts the lasting impact of nature on the narrator which alters his mindset of nature from a familiar landscape to a more formidable and potentially dangerous force
-perhaps the poet-a Romantic- does this in order to highlight the consequences of man’s hubris and false-sense of control over nature and to admonish human attempt to impose order onto nature as a criticism on industrialisation sweeping through Europe at the time
stanza
the poem is written in a single stanza which denies the reader a pause and could make them feel breathless, perhaps emphasising the overwhelming intensity of nature
iambic pentameter
reflects the form of natural speech, reinforcing the idea of self-reflection as the narrator struggles with his the upheaval of his initial ideas of nature
