Analysing 'Excerpt from The Prelude' by William Wordsworth
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can analyse how Wordsworth portrays his younger playfulness in contrast with the sheer power of nature.
Key learning points
- Wordsworth conveys a sense of childlike innocence and naivety in his poem by portraying his younger self as mischievous.
- Wordsworth uses figurative language to convey the euphoria and excitement of the group as they skate.
- The Sublime is the meeting of our internal emotions, with the external, natural world.
- Wordsworth successfully portrays the beauty, magnitude and superiority of nature in the poem.
- Wordsworth ends the poem with a foreboding tone, perhaps to represent the darkness that would imminently enter his life.
Keywords
The Sublime - the meeting of our internal emotions, with the external, natural world
Mischief - playful misbehaviour
To humble - causing a person to feel less confident because of feelings of awe or admiration
Insignificant - unimportant by comparison to something or someone else
Irrational - not thinking logically or reasonably
Common misconception
Students think that because Wordsworth loved nature, he couldn't be frightened of it.
Wordsworth respected and loved nature - he understood the sheer size and power of nature versus his own existence. His own insignificance in the face of such astonishing and breath-taking views arguably made him feel slightly fearful.
Teacher tip
It would be great to show students videos of the Lake District, to show them the size of the hills and lakes so that they can better understand the concept of the sublime. You may also wish to read the 'Boat extract' from 'The Prelude' too - again this shows the idea of the fear of nature.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the Eduqas poetry anthology for this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In which century was 'The Prelude' published?
Q2.What does the 'The Prelude' tell the story of?
Q3.How did Wordsworth describe the group of children in 'The Prelude?
Q4.What method does Wordsworth use in the following quotation from 'The Prelude': "Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse"?
Q5.Complete the quotation from Wordsworth's 'The Prelude': "The windows through the twilight blaz'd,".
Q6.Starting with the first, put the following lines from 'The Prelude' in chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is the definition of insignificant?
Q2.Which of the following emotions might 'The Sublime' evoke?
Q3.Which of the following quotations illustrate Wordsworth's playfulness in 'The Prelude'?
Q4.Which of the following quotations from 'The Prelude' illustrates Wordsworth's faint horror at the power of nature?
Q5.The poets (like Wordsworth) were fascinated by the idea of the Sublime - the feeling of slight horror we get when confronted with the sheer enormity and presence of nature.
Q6.What are the possible effects of the word "flew" in the line: "So through the darkness and the cold we flew," from 'The Prelude'?
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Analysing 'Excerpt from The Prelude' by William Wordsworth, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Analysing 'Excerpt from The Prelude' by William Wordsworth, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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