The Prelude (unfinished)

The Prelude (unfinished)

1. context and poets intentions

   • The poem describes the sheer thrill and exultation of children as they skate in the gathering darkness of a frosty day.
     • The Prelude is nostalgic in its thoughts about his childhood and the intense feelings of delight he experienced when he was walked or, as a child, played in the countryside.
     • Wordsworth was an expert iceskater
       • born in london
       • mother passed away when he was 8
   • Wordsworth uses imagery of sound, sight and the natural world to bring alive the vivid and joyous experience.
   • The poem has a nostalgic feel and Wordsworth looks back at the innocence and happiness of his childhood.
   • William Wordsworth was one of the first and most influential of the Romantic era

2. subjects and themes

   • freedom
     • narrator and his friends are compared to wild animals, e.g horses and wolves
       • the sense of freedom withing the children whilst they are immersed in nature is further emphasised by the way civilisation has been presented as oppressive and restricting
   • nature
     • humanity is part of nature and sometimes we can be made to feel very insignificant and small by the natural world
   • loneliness
     • he is often oh his own throughout the poem and this is important to him
       • he can think more clearly and is more affected by events and places as a result
   • the night
     • poem suggests that night allows you to see more clearly. This is ironic
   • growing up
     • sun setting, closing of day
       • realisation and loss of passion