extract from the prelude

• as the epic poem as a whole is autobiographical the speaker can be assumed to be a fictionalised version of William Wordsworth . This means the poem reveals many personal details of his life. This emphasised by the strong first person narration with the past tense which shows that the speaker is recalling events which are very clear to him and personally experienced
• cyclical structure - At the beginning his first instance was to steal the boat because he viewed himself as dominant and had no care for the consequences as he felt entitled to use the boat and to enjoy the nature. However, on his return "stole" becomes indicative of his humility and his fear in the face of nature's true power. This fear causes him to retreat to what is safe and familiar. This event humbles and haunts him in his dreams "trouble to my dreams" this as a huge contrast to the tone and mood at the start. this also helps the the reader to empathise with him
• The entire extract is a single stanza which emphasises the overwhelming power of nature. This is heightened because there are no breaks or pauses which causes the reader to feel breathless. This breathless pace is also intensified by frequent enjambment and connectives that prevent the reader from pausing , inciting a sense of vastness in the reader by making the poem feel endless and immense
• Wordsworth was born near the Lake district , he had a difficult childhood with his relatives. His parents died during his adolescence and was split up from his siblings . He developed an affection towards the Lake district as he spent most of his time there to escape his problems.