Circle all references to landscape or nature in this list of words and then create a visual representation of the landscape. Challenge – Highlight any ‘colour’ words. What are the connotations? How do they help to establish mood and atmosphere?
The Prelude Context: ‘The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet’s Mind’ is an autobiographical poem by William Wordsworth It was written in 13 long sections (or books) between 1798 and 1850 Wordsworth called it ‘a poem on the growth of my own mind’ this extract is taken from a section based on Wordsworth’s schooldays and boyhood in the Lake District
Summary The boy steals / borrows / takes a boat and rows out into the lake. He rows slowly / skilfully / lustily, keeping a straight course by aiming for a ridge’s summit / huge peak / grim shape. The growing size of one of the peaks terrifies / unnerves / disturbs him and he turns around. He leaves the boat where he found it and returns home, but for days afterwards is disturbed by nightmares / ghostly images / dark thoughts. Think – pair – share: which italic and underlined words do students feel are the most appropriate word choices to summarise the poem.
Exploring Language and Structure In groups of 4, students to have a different focus point: narrative viewpoint; theme; personification and sensory language. They should annotate their poems on their focus and then share ideas.
MOODS AND FEELINGS... Analyse the moods and feelings of the writer and how they change as the poem progresses. You could use the below as starting points: At the beginning of the poem, the boy feels... As he beings to row, he... As he rows further, he notices... He returns home feeling... For sometime after that, he ... To conclude, the reader can see that his feelings change from... Challenge – Use key subject terms e.g. simile, personification, blank verse, juxtaposition etc.
True or False? He owns the boat he travels in. The moon is out during his journey. He has a destination in mind for his journey at the start of the poem. He heads towards a mountain peak. He comes across a swan on the lake. He comes across a monster on the lake. He is frightened by what he sees. He quickly forgets what happened to him on the lake. He has pleasant memories of his day on the lake. He is disturbed by what he sees on the lake.
Answers... He owns the boat he travels in. The moon is out during his journey. He has a destination in mind for his journey at the start of the poem. He heads towards a mountain peak. He comes across a swan on the lake. He comes across a monster on the lake. He is frightened by what he sees. He quickly forgets what happened to him on the lake. He has pleasant memories of his day on the lake. He is disturbed by what he sees on the lake.