Compare the ways poets present ideas about power in ‘The Prelude’ and in one other poem
from ‘Power and Conflict’.
Form:
1. Epic poem - used to tell tales of intense adventures + heroic feats - nature is
personified as heroic + it tells the story of Wordsworth’s early life
Opening:
1. “One summer evening (led by her) I found, A little boat tied to a willow tree”
- stealing is a natural act - nature has been personified as ‘her’
- enjambement - overwhelming impact of nature - he’s in awe - blurts out his
thoughts in an unordered way
2. “I unloosed her chain”
- has been summoned by nature - now has intense desires - allowing himself to
have sexual fantasies + liberation
3. “It was an act of stealth”
- man is shown to be selfish - takes what he wants from nature - without asking
- pride of man - feels dominant
- knows what he’s doing is wrong - but it has been approved by nature
Structure:
1. Blank verse - no rhyme scheme - but use of iambic pentameter - due to
Milton’s influence - disregards the stanza form -
- Milton’s influence in making philosophical poems written in blank
verse - uses the poem to show nature’s power
2. One long verse - reader is overwhelmed by the poem - in the same way that
young Wordsworth is during his experience with nature
3. volta - “when” - revelation of subject + verbs - delayed by Wordsworth
increases tension + suspense - readers can empathise with the poet’s feelings at
the time
,Language:
1. “And lead us not into temptation”
- nature is deliberately tempting him - exploiting his youth
- alludes to the Lord’s Prayer
- Eve seduces Adam - tricking + fooling him
2. “like a swan”
- simile - symbolic of innocence + purity - mocked because he commits an “act of
stealth”
- ruins something innocent - gives himself the false idea of being innocent
- can enjoy sexual pleasure + reconnect with his true love - nature
3. “silent water stole my way”
- sibilance - shows sinisterly of nature - is a thief
- stole pleasure + fulfilling aspect of sex - now he’s haunted by guilt - has done
nothing wrong - is only now recovering
- juxtaposes with the idea of innocence
Ending:
1. “trouble to my dreams”
- wonders if he’ll ever be able to survive these dreams + the guilt he’s experiencing
2. “darkness… no pleasant images”
- his virginity had been taken from him by nature - had been robbed of sexual
pleasure + good sexual experiences - has scared him for life
3. “like living men”
- he’s confused about it - has nobody to confide in - toxic masculinity
- has to keep this a secret - due to the societal pressures that exist for men
, Compare the ways poets present ideas about power in ‘Storm on the Island’ and in one other
poem from ‘Power and Conflict’.
Form:
1. Dramatic monologue - the other side cannot tell their story - imbalance in the
relationship between speaker + nature - only one dominant voice
- nature’s lack of voice shows how indifferent nature is to what’s
happening + doesn’t care about impact on speaker
Opening:
1. “We are prepared: we build our houses squat”
- “we” - first person plural - collective sense of unity + strength in unity + the
sense of solidarity in the face of Catholic opposition
2. “Sink walls in rock”
- buildings are a metaphor for people - suggests they may be stuck - they cannot
escape where they live
- political message: can’t escape conflict between Catholics + Protestants
3. “This wizened earth”
- includes the word ‘wise’ - suggests something is wrong with the wisdom - the
country is also like this - not a healthy place to live
- could also suggest the earth is completely shrivelled up
Structure:
1. one long stanza - no stanza breaks - reflects the lack of breathing space -
reflects the overwhelming situation the speaker finds themselves in - how
dangerous the storm actually is
2. enjambment - creates constant barrage of information - reflects the relentless
barrage of the storm on the house
from ‘Power and Conflict’.
Form:
1. Epic poem - used to tell tales of intense adventures + heroic feats - nature is
personified as heroic + it tells the story of Wordsworth’s early life
Opening:
1. “One summer evening (led by her) I found, A little boat tied to a willow tree”
- stealing is a natural act - nature has been personified as ‘her’
- enjambement - overwhelming impact of nature - he’s in awe - blurts out his
thoughts in an unordered way
2. “I unloosed her chain”
- has been summoned by nature - now has intense desires - allowing himself to
have sexual fantasies + liberation
3. “It was an act of stealth”
- man is shown to be selfish - takes what he wants from nature - without asking
- pride of man - feels dominant
- knows what he’s doing is wrong - but it has been approved by nature
Structure:
1. Blank verse - no rhyme scheme - but use of iambic pentameter - due to
Milton’s influence - disregards the stanza form -
- Milton’s influence in making philosophical poems written in blank
verse - uses the poem to show nature’s power
2. One long verse - reader is overwhelmed by the poem - in the same way that
young Wordsworth is during his experience with nature
3. volta - “when” - revelation of subject + verbs - delayed by Wordsworth
increases tension + suspense - readers can empathise with the poet’s feelings at
the time
,Language:
1. “And lead us not into temptation”
- nature is deliberately tempting him - exploiting his youth
- alludes to the Lord’s Prayer
- Eve seduces Adam - tricking + fooling him
2. “like a swan”
- simile - symbolic of innocence + purity - mocked because he commits an “act of
stealth”
- ruins something innocent - gives himself the false idea of being innocent
- can enjoy sexual pleasure + reconnect with his true love - nature
3. “silent water stole my way”
- sibilance - shows sinisterly of nature - is a thief
- stole pleasure + fulfilling aspect of sex - now he’s haunted by guilt - has done
nothing wrong - is only now recovering
- juxtaposes with the idea of innocence
Ending:
1. “trouble to my dreams”
- wonders if he’ll ever be able to survive these dreams + the guilt he’s experiencing
2. “darkness… no pleasant images”
- his virginity had been taken from him by nature - had been robbed of sexual
pleasure + good sexual experiences - has scared him for life
3. “like living men”
- he’s confused about it - has nobody to confide in - toxic masculinity
- has to keep this a secret - due to the societal pressures that exist for men
, Compare the ways poets present ideas about power in ‘Storm on the Island’ and in one other
poem from ‘Power and Conflict’.
Form:
1. Dramatic monologue - the other side cannot tell their story - imbalance in the
relationship between speaker + nature - only one dominant voice
- nature’s lack of voice shows how indifferent nature is to what’s
happening + doesn’t care about impact on speaker
Opening:
1. “We are prepared: we build our houses squat”
- “we” - first person plural - collective sense of unity + strength in unity + the
sense of solidarity in the face of Catholic opposition
2. “Sink walls in rock”
- buildings are a metaphor for people - suggests they may be stuck - they cannot
escape where they live
- political message: can’t escape conflict between Catholics + Protestants
3. “This wizened earth”
- includes the word ‘wise’ - suggests something is wrong with the wisdom - the
country is also like this - not a healthy place to live
- could also suggest the earth is completely shrivelled up
Structure:
1. one long stanza - no stanza breaks - reflects the lack of breathing space -
reflects the overwhelming situation the speaker finds themselves in - how
dangerous the storm actually is
2. enjambment - creates constant barrage of information - reflects the relentless
barrage of the storm on the house
