Extract from the prelude

Poem from power and conflict, GCSE, because the only two i can remember is ozymandias and London :’(

Who wrote extract from the prelude

Who wrote extract from the prelude

William Wordsworth

Who was William Wordsworth

• a romantic poet

• Challenges peoples thoughts

• Focuses of the power of nature and how people are either destroyed or strengthened by it

Context to the extract from The Prelude

Beginning of poem

• Semantic field of beauty

• Displays nature as romantic, and shows heated nature of poet.

‘Was nothing but the stars and the grey sky’

• ‘nothing’ connotes emptiness without nature

• Contrast between dark sky and bright stars shows nature’s beauty in a world darkened by humanity

• ‘Stars’ link back to the ideology of fate, showing that nature guides the future

Middle of poem

• Slowly disintegrating (shown by the juxtaposition that is littered throughout)

• Nature is slowly loosing its beauty

End of poem

• nature has been mistreated due to mankind and now turns against it

• A barricade has been created between mankind and nature

• Vulnerability and fear are created in the poet, nature is no longer beautiful or kind

Main messages of poet

• destruction of nature will ultimately lead to the destruction of mankind

• Without nature there is nothing

What is the enjambment used for

• To give a breathless pace/ feel

• To show the continuity of nature

What is the first person narrative used for

• to show vulnerability in the poet

• To show that the poet takes accountability for mistreating nature

• To show recognition in the poet, that he acknowledges the power and beauty of nature

‘The silent water stole my way’

• ‘silent’ portrays nature as beautiful and peaceful

• ‘Stole’ shows revenge of nature due to humanity mistreating it

• Personification of water allows it to take on human emotions to exaggerate how it has been mistreated

• Sibilance mirrors cunning and secrecy of nature, it is powerful so can take on many forms

‘There hung a darkness, call it solitude’

• ‘Hung’ is symbolic to suicide and how death is imminent without the beauty of the world, no one wants to live in a world without beauty

• ‘Darkness’ reflects the dark thoughts of the poet and how his mentality has changed

• ‘Solitude’ alludes to how alone the poet feels now that nature is no longer passionate and loving, could also show how nature not only holds all beauty, but holds all love.

• Semantic field of absence, without nature there is an abyss of

Context

• the prelude shows Wordsworth’s own development as a poet, and highlights his mentality towards nature and the wrongdoings done onto it by society

• Links back to Wordsworth’s childhood, when he used to go on boat rides in the lake, and compares his childhood views of nature (at the beginning) to his adult understanding (the end)