The Prelude - William Wordsworth

Question 1

Child’s connection to nature - The Prelude

Answer 1

View of nature through awe and wonder - connection to the romantic sublime. Appreciation of nature. Portrayed through vivid imagery using sensory language such as “tinkled like iron” and “sparkling”
Gives the reader a sense of a poignant memory, connecting to pressure/fixation in the sublime.
Overwhelming beauty from “distant hills” creates a sense of awe/tranquility in their environment

Question 2

Temporary - The Prelude

Answer 2

“The orange sky of evening died away”
“an alien sound/of melancholy, not unnoticed” - out of place, the feeling of impermenance/excitement having to end and being replaced by a less carefree phase of life

Question 3

Childhood rebellion - The Prelude

Answer 3

Did not “heed the summons” - doesnt think about repercussions. Speaker derives an ultimate sense of contentedness from the play/is liberated in the moment. Positive depiction of the “din”, an otherwise unpleasant noise. Fixation on the moment, not thinking about future yet.

Question 4

Childhood play - The Prelude

Answer 4

“hiss’d” - sibilant sounds create a sense of continuous movement and animates the ice skating for the reader. “proud and exulting” showing them rejoicing in the everyday pleasure of being a child. Sensory image from onomatopoeic sounds “hiss’d” and “bellowing”
Imitates adults “woodland pleasures”

Question 5

Context - The Prelude

Answer 5

• autobiographical poem, wordsworth grew up in the Lake District
• Taken from the introduction ‘childhood and school times’
• Features Romanticism - childhood/innocence should be treasured, should appreciate beauty in unexpected people and ways. The sublime - nature is awe-inspiring and a source of inspiration