The Prelude

Cards (8)

  • "Troubled pleasure"
    • Oxymoron - His actions have caused consequences
  • "A huge peak, black and huge, As if with voluntary power instinct, Upreared it's head"
    • Volta - Nature is now working against him
  • "I struck and struck again"
    • Repetition - Emphasises power of nature
  • "I dipped my oars" ... "Trembling oars"
    • Juxtaposition - Nature was on his side but is now against him
  • Links to:
    • Ozymandias - Nature will put you into place
    • Kamikaze - Patriotism & Nature (Nature is all powerful)
    • Storm on the island - Nature is powerful and violent
  • Themes:
    • Nature (Humans vs. Nature)
    • Power - Humans are arrogant to Nature's power
    • Pride - The cause of downfall
  • Key Message:
    The power of nature and the insignificance of man. Also how nature can shape a man’s identity.
  • Context:
    The Prelude is autobiographical. Wordsworth grew up in the Lake District. He was a Romantic poet, which meant that he wrote about the power of nature and how nature can shape man’s identity.