The Prelude

• The speaker tells the reader about an "act of stealth". What is he referring to?

  He has stolen his boat from the usual place - The "act of stealth" is the poet stealing the boat from "its usual home" and rowing it out onto the water.
• Which of these best describes the speaker's changing emotions throughout the poem?

  1. He is calm and confident at first, then feels disturbed during the day and at night.
  2. He is over-confident at first, then feels calm during the day and unhappy at night.
  3. He is disturbed and troubled at first, then feels calm during the day and at night.
  4. He is calm and confident at first, then feels happy during the day and at night.

  1
• Which word in the poem, found between lines 5 and 10, comes from the same semantic field as "sparkling"?

  Glittering
• What word completes the quotation from "The Prelude: Stealing the Boat"?"It was an act of stealthAnd __________ pleasure"

  Troubled - "Stealth" shows that the boy knows that he shouldn't take the boat, but he is seizing the opportunity. The oxymoron in "troubled pleasure" highlights the excitement that this stolen moment brings.
• What word completes the quotation from "The Prelude: Stealing the Boat"?"She was an __________ pinnace"

  Elfin - He compares the boat to a fairy boat - there is something magical and otherworldly about the lake that evening. It suggests the speaker has a rich imagination. Elves were thought to be mischievous.
• Which of these quotations is most relevant to the theme of the power of nature in the poem "The Prelude: Stealing the Boat"?

  1. "straight I unloosed her chain"
  2. "lustily / I dipped my oars into the silent lake"
  3. "small circles glittering idly in the moon"
  4. "the grim shape / Towered up between me and the stars"

  4 - The word "grim" suggests the mountain (because of its sheer size) is something to be feared. The speaker is suddenly aware of how small and insignificant he is in this landscape. "Towered" reinforces the idea that the mountain, which has now come into view, dwarfs everything else.
• What three words complete the quotation from "The Prelude: Stealing the Boat"?"a huge peak, black and huge,As if with voluntary power instinct__________ __________ __________"

  Upreared its head - His imagination is now running wild and the speaker gives the mountain a sense of movement, turning it into a "huge" monstrous creature.
• What word completes the quotation from "The Prelude: Stealing the Boat"?"With __________ oars I turned"

  Trembling - He is now afraid; compare this description of his rowing to his earlier lines, "I rose upon the stroke, my boat / Went heaving through the water". His confidence has gone.
• What word completes the quotation from "The Prelude: Stealing the Boat"?"O'er my thoughtsThere hung a __________"

  Darkness - The speaker has been made aware of his insignificance, and of the power of his imagination. The experience has frightened him and he is no longer as carefree.
• What word completes the quotation from "The Prelude: Stealing the Boat"?"moved slowly through the mindBy day, and were a __________ to my dreams"

  Trouble - He is haunted by "huge and mighty forms" day and night. Compare the use of "trouble" here to "troubled pleasure" at the start of the extract - the speaker has been profoundly affected by his experience.
• How does the poet present the power of nature?

  The poet suggests that nature is both beautiful and disturbing in it's power - This is an interpretation that can be supported with evidence from the poem. Wordsworth shows how beautiful and tranquil nature is at the start of the poem but, by the end, the speaker is frightened and disturbed by its power.
• The poet presents the effects of nature by creating a vivid __________ between the "sparkling light" on the water and the "grim shape" of the mountain.

  Contrast - The poet presents the effects of nature by creating a vivid contrast between the "sparkling light" on the water and the "grim shape" of the mountain.
• Which technique is used in the quotation, "heaving through the water like a swan"?

  Simile - A simile is the comparison between two things to make the description more vivid. In this case, Wordsworth states that the boat heaves through the water "like a swan", making it seem calm and graceful.
• Which technique is used in the quotation, "upreared its head"?

  Personification - Personification is when a non-living thing is described with human characteristics. Here, Wordsworth states how the mountain "upreared its head", which makes it sound alive and menacing.
• The quotation "troubled-pleasure" hints at the speaker's mood early on in the poem. What are some interpretations?

  The phrase "troubled-pleasure"

  Shows that the speaker felt a little bit of happiness when he stole the boat

  Shows that the speaker was in two minds about stealing the boat

  Shows that the speaker felt a bit guilty about stealing the boat.
• What is the effect of the poet's use of the word "grave" in the quotation, "in grave/ and serious mood…"?

  It shows he feels worries and suggests death - The use of the word "grave" underlines the seriousness of his mood but could also hint at something more serious as the word "grave" suggests death or dying.
• Wordsworth shows the power of the mountain in the quotations, "Strode after me" and "black and huge". __________.

  These quotations show the menace of the mountain, as it is enormous and appears to follow the speaker - The quotation "strode after me" suggests that the mountain appears to follow the speaker, and the quotation "black and huge" shows the size and menacing nature of the mountain.
• Imagine you are writing an essay analysing how Wordsworth presents the power of nature. Which of these poems has the closest connection to "The Prelude: Stealing the Boat" in the way the poet approaches this theme?

  Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland's "Kamikaze" is about a Kamikaze pilot who does not complete his mission. His daughter suggests this was because he saw the beauty and power of nature.
• Which structural technique is used in this section of the poem?"...my boatWent heaving through the water like a swan;When, from behind that craggy steep til then"

  Volta - Wordsworth uses a volta in the middle of his poem. This is the term used for a turning point in the mood and tone of the poem. Wordsworth shows this by using the word "When" directly after his calm simile of a swam on the water.
• Pretend you are writing an essay analysing the poem. What completes this sentence?The speaker repeats the word "no" at the end of his poem to describe the impact the experience has had on him. He uses this because __________.

  It suggests he sees more to nature than just its beauty; they are also disturbing and powerful images - the repetition of "no" at the end of the poem next to all of the beautiful side of nature suggests that he still has those images, just that the more disturbing and powerful images have taken over.
• Imagine you are writing an essay about how Wordsworth expresses humans' powerlessness against nature in "The Prelude: Stealing the Boat". What quotation would be best example of this?

  And growing still in nature the grim shape / towered up between me and the stars - Shows how the mountain grew and "towered" above the poet and shows how he could do nothing to stop it. As a Romantic poet, Wordsworth is highlighting his (and other poets') beliefs that humans were insignificant in size and power compared to nature and could do nothing to stop this.
• The speaker has been disturbed by the power of nature in TP. Why are these good examples?

  1. "Like living men, moved slowly through my mind/ by day, and were a trouble in my dreams."
  2. "…my brain/ worked with a dim and undetermined sense/ of unknown modes of being"
  3. "O'er my thoughts/ there hung a darkness, call it solitude/ or blank desertion"

  Show the speaker's thoughts are disturbed/make him think differently. This was a common theme in his poetry, showing he wanted his readers to know how nature and his experiences with nature had shaped his thinking and personality.