1. Extract from The Prelude

3. Some video links:
Reading with visuals:
BBC video:

4. What did you learn from the videos?

5. Context: Wordsworth
William Wordsworth ( ) was one of the first writers whose work was labelled ‘Romantic’. Much of his poetry is about humanity’s relationship with nature, inspired by the English Lake District, where he spent most of his life.
The Romantic poets helped change how people thought about the natural world. They believed that mankind does not control nature; it’s the other way round.
This extract is from Wordsworth’s long autobiographical
poem ‘The Prelude’, which was not published until
after his death. In the extract, the poem is ‘led by her’
that is, by nature- to the experience he describes.

6. Which other poem(s) you have studied is classified as Romantic?

7. ‘The Prelude: Stealing the Boat’
This extract describes how Wordsworth went out in a boat on a lake at night. He was alone and a mountain peak loomed over him; its presence had a great effect and for days afterwards he was troubled by the experience.

8. Form
The Prelude can definitely be viewed as an epic poem, in length at least. Epics are very long pieces of writing that usually deal with exciting, action- packed heroic events like wars or explorations. Although many of the events Wordsworth writes about are 'ordinary' they are given an epic quality, to fully describe the impact they had on his life.
The poem is unrhymed.
The name for this form, using the five beat rhythm, is blank verse.
It is often used in epic poems about mighty subjects yet here Wordsworth has used it to describe something very personal.

9. Structure
The first section is light in tone and focuses on the narrator’s journey onto the lake.
The tone becomes darker and more fearful as the mountain looms into sight.
The final section is contemplative, focusing on the transformative effect of the experience on the narrator and his inner conflict.

10. Extract from ‘The Prelude’
Nature is personified and feminised, as if it (she) is gentle, persuasive and to be trusted.
First person speaker for this autobiographical poem.
By placing the adverb at the start of the line, it underlines the narrator’s confidence and lack of hesitation.
One summer evening (led by her) I found
A little boat tied to a willow tree
Within a rocky cove, its usual home.
Straight I unloosed her chain, and stepping in
Pushed from the shore. It was an act of stealth
And troubled pleasure, nor without the voice
Of mountain-echoes did my boat move on;
Leaving behind her still, on either side,
Small circles glittering idly in the moon,
Until they melted all into one track
The oxymoron reflects the mixed emotions of the narrator, foreshadowing the events to come.
Imagery shows the incredible, but transient beauty of nature. The mood is gentle and relaxed – a contrast to what follows.

11. Of sparkling light. But now, like one who rows,
Caesura marks the switch of focus again to the narrator’s actions and the increase in pace.
Adverbial phrase emphasises the narrator’s youthfulness and his possible over-confidence, which contrasts with his feelings later on.
Of sparkling light. But now, like one who rows,
Proud of his skill, to reach a chosen point
With an unswerving line, I fixed my view
Upon the summit of a craggy ridge,
The horizon's utmost boundary; far above
Was nothing but the stars and the grey sky.
She was an elfin pinnace; lustily
I dipped my oars into the silent lake,
And, as I rose upon the stroke, my boat
Went heaving through the water like a swan;
Illustrates the vastness and openness of nature. Contrasts with his next view of the horizon which makes the view of the mountain appear more shocking.
Natural simile suggests a graceful movement through the water and indicates that he is in control. This contrasts with the following lines when fear and misgiving start to consume him.
Vocabulary:
elfin – small and delicate
pinnace – a small boat

12. When, from behind that craggy steep till then
The volta introduces a complete change in tone, emphasised by the caesura.
The simple vocabulary and use of repetition reflects his fear, making him unable to think clearly.
When, from behind that craggy steep till then
The horizon's bound, a huge peak, black and huge,
As if with voluntary power instinct,
Upreared its head. I struck and struck again,
And growing still in stature the grim shape
Towered up between me and the stars, and still,
For so it seemed, with purpose of its own
And measured motion like a living thing,
Strode after me. With trembling oars I turned,
And through the silent water stole my way
Back to the covert of the willow tree;
There in her mooring-place I left my bark,
-And through the meadows homeward went, in grave
Ugly image contrasts with beauty of ‘swan’ and ‘elfin’ earlier. Personification is dehumanised (‘its’) and lacking in gender to make it seem more fearful, and in the simile that follows.
Repetition implies his growing sense of panic.
Reinforced by the alliterative phrase, the mountain appears powerful, calm and in control compared to the narrator.
The verb underlines the size of the mountain. It now appears quite sinister, blocking out the stars – a source of light and comfort.
Verb suggests that he feels guilty, like an intruder.
The experience has created a reflective and sombre mood in the individual.

13. Metaphor for his unsettled feelings
And serious mood; but after I had seen
That spectacle, for many days, my brain
Worked with a dim and undetermined sense
Of unknown modes of being; o'er my thoughts
There hung a darkness, call it solitude
Or blank desertion. No familiar shapes
Remained, no pleasant images of trees,
Of sea or sky, no colours of green fields;
But huge and mighty forms, that do not live
Like living men, moved slowly through the mind
By day, and were a trouble to my dreams.
Vague language implies that he is struggling to come to terms with what he experienced.
Repetition of ‘no’ in this list show how profound Nature’s effect is, surpassing the stereotypical images.
Semantic field of depression emphasise the gloom that has descended on the narrator.
The power of the imagination is evident here, but also our powerlessness alongside the might of the natural world.
Nature is seen as a powerful, living entity with a significant influence over humans.

14. To what extent do you agree with the following statements
To what extent do you agree with the following statements? Explain your decision.
Completely agree
Not at all 1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
On the fence
Agree
Strongly Agree
The narrator feels guilty for stealing the boat and the grim shapes of the mountains appear to reinforce his guilt.
When you are on your own and it’s dark, ordinary sights and sounds can seem more powerful or mysterious.
The narrator is overwhelmed by the power of nature and feels insignificant.
The strange feelings he experienced that night have haunted him ever since.

15. There are four main feelings in the poem:
Explain the effects of writers’ methods, using relevant subject terminology. (Level /4)
Examine interpretations of writers’ methods, using subject terminology effectively. (Level )
Judiciously use subject terminology to support insightful analysis. (Level 6- 8/9)
There are four main feelings in the poem:
Feelings of the beauty of nature
Feelings of the power of man
Fear of nature
Feelings of the power of nature
Find at least one quote which represents each of these feelings and identify how devices or word types reflect these feelings.
Challenge: Choose a quote which shows more than one feeling and explore how it does this.

16. Exploding quotes It was an act of stealth
Explain the effects of writers’ methods, using relevant subject terminology. (Level /4)
Examine interpretations of writers’ methods, using subject terminology effectively. (Level )
Judiciously use subject terminology to support insightful analysis. (Level 6- 8/9)
Exploding quotes
The adjective ‘stealth’ implies that the speaker is proud of stealing the boat, as it connotes a clever and skilful act.
Links to ‘pleasure’ which, although an abstract noun, is also positive as it implies a good feeling of skill.
And troubled pleasure, nor without the voice
Of mountain-echoes did my boat move on
It was an act of stealth
Oxymoron of ‘troubled pleasure’ implies that the speaker is feeling mixed emotions, perhaps because of his actions, but perhaps because of the anxiety about nature.
The personification of the mountain’s ‘voice’ implies that it is already a dominant force, however here, it is apparently a positive force because it is moving him along.
However, the use of ‘echoes’ is ambiguous here, making the mountain still appear as a mysterious, and concerning, figure within the image.

17. There are four main feelings in the poem:
Explain the effects of writers’ methods, using relevant subject terminology. (Level /4)
Examine interpretations of writers’ methods, using subject terminology effectively. (Level )
Judiciously use subject terminology to support insightful analysis. (Level 6- 8/9)
There are four main feelings in the poem:
Feelings of the beauty of nature
Feelings of the power of man
Fear of nature
Feelings of the power of nature
Choose one of the quotes you have chosen, and explode it.

18. Revision Cards Context Card: A03 (6) What is it about: A01 12
Purpose / Message Card: A01 12
Key Quote Card: A02 12
Key Quote Card:

19. EXAMPLE REVISION CARD King, honour, human dignity, etcetera
A02: List, followed by the word ‘etcetera’ may suggest that these things are no longer important to him .
EXAMPLE REVISION CARD
King, honour, human dignity, etcetera
Dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm
A02: Contrast– ‘yelling alarm’ contrasts with the word ‘luxuries’. Patriotism vs reality of war.
A02: Simile – ‘luxuries’ are associated with things that are not necessary suggesting that patriotism, at this moment, is no longer important.