Activity A Activity B Activity C Activity D Activity E Activity F Excerpt from The Prelude – by William Wordsworth– Choose a task Activity A Activity B Activity C Activity D Activity E Activity F

Activity A Excerpt from The Prelude – by William Wordsworth– Read the poem a few times. How are the ideas in the poem organised? Menu And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. Look at the ideas the poet deals with and the descriptions in the poem. Divide the excerpt into three different parts or sections. Click show the 3 highlighted sections. How would you summarise each highlighted section of the poem?

Activity B Excerpt from The Prelude – by William Wordsworth– What does the poet mean by ‘the summons’ here and why do you think he ignores it? Menu And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. Look at the third line here. What picture does this present? Who might be summoning the child here?

Activity C Excerpt from The Prelude – by William Wordsworth– How is mood and atmosphere created here? Menu And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. Select the adjectives which you think help to convey how the child feels. What effect do you think they have? Click to highlight in blue. Which simile is used to describe how the poet feels here? Why do you think he uses it? Click to highlight.

Activity D Excerpt from The Prelude – by William Wordsworth– How does the poet convey the sounds and movements in this part of the poem? Menu And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. Select words and phrases which tell you which sounds were heard. How do these help to create the scene described? Click to highligh in red. Why is the image of a hunt used to describe children at play?

Activity E Excerpt from The Prelude – by William Wordsworth– This poem is an excerpt from a longer poem. The excerpt deals with memories of childhood. What kind of childhood do you think he had? Menu And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. Why do you think the poet describes childhood as ‘a time of rapture’?

Activity F Excerpt from The Prelude – by William Wordsworth– In this part of the poem, nature responds to human activity in different ways. What is the poet telling us about nature? Menu And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. And in the frosty season, when the sun Was set, and visible for many a mile The cottage windows through the twilight blaz’d, I heeded not the summons: - happy time It was, indeed, for all of us; to me It was a time of rapture: clear and loud The village clock toll’d six; I wheel’d about, Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse, That cares not for his home. – All shod with steel, We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games Confederate, imitative of the chace And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn, The Pack loud bellowing, and the hunted hare. So through the darkness and the cold we flew, And not a voice was idle; with the din, Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud, The leafless trees, and every icy crag Tinkled like iron, while the distant hills Into the tumult sent an alien sound Of melancholy, not unnoticed, while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west The orange sky of evening died away. Pick out the words and phrases which tell you how nature responds to human activity. Click to highlight phrases. What impressions of nature do you get from each of these? How does the poet signal a change of tone in these lines?