'Extract from The Prelude' Key Quotes

“O__ sum___ eve____ (led by her) I fou__

A lit___ bo__ ti__ to a wil___ tr__”

“^^One summer evening^^ %%(led by her)%% ==I found==

A little boat tied to a willow tree”

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* ^^Context^^ - Romantic poem about nature, retelling an event from the poet’s own life.
* %%Key Technique%% - Personification of nature, initially seen as a benign, feminised force.
* ==Form== - First person speaker.
* Structure - Blank verse and frequent enjambment used throughout, echoing easy and natural flow of memories.

“its us___ ho__.

Str_____ I unl_____ her cha__,”

“its ==usual== home.

%%Straight%% I unloosed her chains,”

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* ==Language== - Makes it sound as if the narrator has seen it before and is familiar with it.


* %%Language%% - Word choice and placement at the start of the line stresses speed and lack of hesitation.
* Also shows that he is confident as he unties it.

“It was an a__ of ste____

And tro_____ ple_____, nor with___ the voi__

Of mou_____-ech___”

“It was an act of stealth

==And troubled pleasure==, nor without ^^the voice^^

^^Of mountain-echoes^^”

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* Language - He is very confident.
* ==Theme== - The speaker feels guilt at stealing the boat, foreshadowing the events that are about to come.
* Also shows that he does this for enjoyment but he knows that something is wrong.
* ^^Language^^ - Foreshadowing with mention of mountain here, but the tone is light.

“Sma__ cir____ glit______ id__ in the mo__,”

“^^Small^^ circles glittering %%idly%% in the moon,”

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* ^^Language^^ - Nature is presented as innocent and harmless.
* %%Language%% - Adverb shows nature’s effortless beauty which will change later in the poem.
* Theme - Nature is presented as beautiful and delicate and precious.

“She was an el___ pin____;”

“She was an ==elfin pinnace==;”

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* ==Magical experience==.
* Grandiose language creates a sense of the epic tradition e.g. grand tales of heroes on quests.

“I dip___ my oa__ into the sil___ la__,”

“I dipped my oars into the silent lake,”

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* Presents nature as delicate and graceful.
* Suggests that he is having a peaceful and relaxing time.

“Went hea____ thr____ the wa___ like a sw__;”

“Went heaving through the water like a swan;”

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* Simile - shows that he and the boat are very graceful/elegant.
* Perhaps shows effortless gliding.

“cr____ st___ …

a hu__ pe__, bl___ and hu__,”

“craggy steep …

a huge peak, black and huge,”

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* ‘craggy steep’ - Makes it sound threatening.
* Repetition of ‘huge’ - Clunky → lacks words to express what he saw.
* Shows how fear has affected the speaker, making him unable to think of other words.
* ‘black’ - associated with ideas of power and death.

“Upr_____ its he__.”

“Upreared its head.”

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Metaphor - Very violent → Makes it sound like a monster/ animal.

Personification becomes more threatening and less humanised - lacking gender.

“I str___ and str___ ag___,”

“I struck and struck again”

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* Harsh consonant cluster/alliteration contributes to the frightening effect, juxtaposing the power of the mountain and the helplessness of the speaker.
* Highlights panic and fear.
* Violent language may signify man’s battle with nature.

“Tow____ up bet____ me and the st___,”

“Towered up between me and the stars,”

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* ‘towered’ - Very imposing and threatening.
* This mountain separates the speaker from the stars which is a source of comfort suggesting that he can no longer feel relaxed and comfortable with this in his way.

“With tre______ oa__ I tur___,”

“With trembling oars I turned,”

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* He is petrified of nature and its power as seen by ‘trembling’.
* Emphasises how powerful nature can be.

“And thr____ the mea____ hom_____ went, in gr___

And ser___ mo__;”

“And through the meadows homeward went, in grave

And serious mood;”

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* The speaker has gone home and is still shocked.
* The speaker feels down and still perhaps shocked after what he saw and experienced.

“Th___ hu__ a dar_____,”

“There hung a darkness,”

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* Dark colour imagery.“
* This highlights the haunting effect of the experience on the speaker.
* The verb “hung” indicates that the narrator was unable to get rid of these disturbing thoughts and feelings.

“no ple_____ im____ of tr___,

Of s__ or sk_,”

“no pleasant images of trees,

Of sea or sky,”

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* Suggests that the speaker feels trauma as he no longer sees nature as beautiful.
* **Positive view of nature is obscured by his experience.**

“tro____ to my dre___”

“trouble to my dreams”

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* Vague language.
* The language used by the narrator to describe the effect of the experience is vague.
* This highlights how the narrator is confused and unsettled by the experience.