Extract from the prelude by Wordsworth

Subdecks (1)

Cards (13)

  • “One summer evening led by her”
    • personification to show this is a romantic poem
    • demonstrates his arrogance as he gives nature an identity, he believes he can control nature.
    • nature leads him out there in order to teach him a lesson which portrays the unconquerable power of nature.
  • “Straight, I unloosed her chain and pushed from the shore”
    • “unloosed” and “pushes are active verbs to show he is taking control
    • He believes he is undermining the power of nature- this illusion of power is later shattered by nature
    • exhibits the false self-assurance of man
  • “It was an act of stealth”
    • “Stealth” is sneaky and sly
    • he believes he is deceiving nature
    • He knows this action is morally wrong, shows how humans succumb to their hubris.
    • Takes whatever he wants without thinking of the consequences -link to “proud of his skill” - pride
  • “Small circles glittering idly in the moon until they melted all into one track of sparkling light“
    • Semantic field of beauty and elegance
    • “sparkling”, “moon”- celestial imagery which establishes nature as a higher power to consolidate its power over humans
    • Very romantic positive imagery- which is contrasted later in the poem
  • “Lustily I dipped my oars into the silent lake”
    • “Lustily” - greedy, voraciness, lasciviousness of humans
    • “silent” - peaceful and tranquil imagery
    • “dipped”- graceful, prideful imagery, suggesting he thinks he still has a chose.
  • Volta: “My boat went heaving through the water like a swan”
    • “Heaving” a violent active verb, delineating he no longer has a choice.
    • juxtaposes the previous sophisticated, idyllic imagery
    • “swan” suggests the enigmatic nature of nature, nature can be many forms at once- vengeful yet graceful.
    • nature should not be disparaged
  • ” A huge peak, black and huge“
    • “Black” has ominous connotations of fear and danger, foreshadowing natures revenge.
    • the repetition of huge conveys he is flabbergasted by this revelation, it has diminished his previous dramatised vocabulary.
    • self-realisation, there is much more In the world than he sees.
    • Humans don’t know everything and they’re very minute compared to the vastness of nature.
  • “Its”
    • The personification disappears
    • The poet loses the power to define nature
    • He no longer sees the alluring side to nature
    • shows how surprised he is- nature has broken his bubble of pomposity.
  • ”Towered”
    • He finally sees that nature is sublime and superior
    • link to “trembling” he fears nature
    • juxtaposes his previous facade of self-pride