𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞

• who was The Prelude written by?

  William Wordsworth.
• when did Wordsworth live from and until?

  1770 - born.

  1850 - died.
• where was the poet of the Prelude born?

  England.
• why was Wordsworth's early life depressing?

  he had a troubled relationship with his father and hated his family on his mother's side.
• what happened when Wordsworth was in his mid-teens?


  his parents died, he was separated from his siblings, and sent to live with his mother's side of the family in the Lake District whom he hated.
• why did Wordsworth choose not to commit suicide?

  nature saved him.
• what was Wordsworth an early supporter of?

  French revolution.
• what type of poet was Wordsworth?

  romantic poet.
• when did Wordsworth begin writing The Recluse?

  1798.
• did Wordsworth finish The Recluse?

  no, he only finished 2 parts.
• what is the form of The Prelude?

  an epic poem.
• what verse and meter is The Prelude written in?

  blank verse with no rhyme scheme but there is iambic pentameter.
• how is The Recluse described?

  philosophical and contains adventures and historic acts.
• what part of The Recluse is The Prelude?

  part 1.
• what is The Recluse?

  a 3 part poem by William Wordsworth that contains The Prelude.
• what two poems does The Prelude compare with best?

  • Storm On The Island.

  • Exposure.
• what does the use of enjambment in The Prelude create?

  an overwhelming feeling and an urge to communicate.
• what effect does the singular verse of The Prelude create?

  overwhelmingness and sympathy with Wordsworth.
• line 1; '(led by her)'. what technique is used?


  personification of nature.
• line 3; 'its usual home'. what is Wordsworth defending?


  his actions later in the poem.
• line 5; 'stealth'. what connotations does this word have?

  sneakiness or slyness, he is presented as selfish and proud.
• line 6; 'troubled pleasure'. what technique is used here?


  oxymoron.
• line 9; 'circles glittering'. what imagery is used?

  positive magical imagery.
• line 10; 'melted into one track'. how is a sense of comfort demonstrated?

  unity.
• line 11; 'sparking light'. what imagery is used here?

  positive imagery.
• line 12; 'proud'. how is Wordsworth presented here?


  arrogant.
• line 12; 'chosen'. does Wordsworth feel in control here?

  yes.
• line 13; 'unswerving line'. what does Wordsworth believe about nature here?


  mankind is united with nature.
• line 15; 'utmost boundary'. what does Wordsworth find here?

  he believes this is the peak of the mountain. this shows his arrogance and is metaphorical for mankind thinking it knows everything.
• line 17; 'she'. what technique has been used on the boat?

  personification.
• line 17; 'elfin pinnace'. what does this suggest that Wordsworth views the boat as?


  a magical sailing vessel.
• line 20; 'went heaving through the water like a swan'. what does this simile highlight?


  elegance.
• line 21; 'when'. what has happened here?


  the turning point of the poem.
• line 21; 'craggy steep till then'. what does this line build?

  tension and suspense.
• line 22; 'huge'. what does the repetition suggest?

  the vocabulary used is less expressive, the ability to communicate has been lost.
• line 24; 'its'. what does this pronoun change about the poem?

  personification disappears as Wordsworth is essentially losing his vocabulary and his ability to define things.
• line 27; 'for so it seemed'. what perspective change does this hold?


  his perspective has changed as an adult- he is more aware now.
• line 29; 'strode after me'. what word class is this and what does it suggest?

  it is a verb. he cannot escape nature and suddenly seems insignificant and powerless.
• line 29; 'trembled'. what does this verb mean?

  he is scared.
• line 31; 'covert of the willow tree'. what does this metaphorically mean?


  he is afraid because mankind has lost power.