Hello there.

Welcome to your lesson on understanding the poem, "Extract from the Prelude".

I'm Miss Sutherland and I'll be teaching you today.

I'm really excited to read this poem and find out what it's all about with you.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain the physical and spiritual journey of Wordsworth in "Extract from the Prelude".

We have five key words today.

Let's go through them together.

The first is stealth.

Stealth means cautious, secretive action or movement to avoid detection.

Sublime.

Sublime is the mixed feelings of awe and terror in response to a phenomenon.

Arrogance.

Arrogance is being excessively proud and believing you are more important than others.

Supremacy.

Supremacy means the highest authority or greatest power.

And autobiographical.

Autobiographical means based on the writer's own life.

So there we have our five key words that are going to be really useful in unlocking today's learning.

Pause the video and make a note of them.

Let's go through our learning cycles then.

So in the first learning cycle we will read and try to understand what's really going on in the poem, because it's quite a complex and longer poem than you may be used to.

Wordsworth's journey is what we'll look at in our second learning cycle today.

We'll explore how Wordsworth not only goes on a physical journey, but also a spiritual one.

So let's begin with understanding the poem, "Extract from the Prelude".

The first thing I want you to do in today's lesson is read and enjoy, "Extract from the Prelude".

So open your anthology, read the poem to yourself, and make note of anything that comes to your mind as you read.

Pause video and get reading now.

I hope you enjoyed reading "Extract from the Prelude".

Don't worry if you don't know what's going on right now.

We are going to read it together and have a little think and discussion about what is happening in the poem.

Let's read through "Extract from the Prelude" to make sure we understand it.

We are going to break it down into segments, but bear in mind that there are no stanzas in this poem.

So this poem reads as a long poem with no breaks, no interruptions.

It's a free flowing poem.

Also "Extract from the Prelude" is an autobiographical poem.

The narrator is a young Wordsworth.

So essentially, Wordsworth wrote this poem about his own experience on a lake when he was younger, and we will look at the significance of this later in the lesson.

Let's read the poem together now.

"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 the mountain-echoes did my boat move on." So what is Wordsworth doing here and who do you think he's being led by? And then, what is Wordsworth lured into this journey by? Pause the video and have a think about those two questions now.

You may have said that Wordsworth decides on a summer evening unloose a boat that's been tied to a tree.

He says he's "led by her".

We are not sure who her is, but if we carry on reading, we might find out.

It seems like it's a maternal figure, though.

And what is Wordsworth worth lured into this journey by? Wordsworth says, "nor without the voice of mountain-echoes did my boat move on." So Wordsworth saying that the mountain echoes, the sound, the beautiful sounds of the mountain echoes made him want to get in that boat and go rowing on that lake.

So he's basically saying that nature lured him into his journey.

That gives us a clue then.

Perhaps the "her" that Wordsworth refers to in the opening line could be nature as well.

Many people suggest that perhaps Wordsworth refers to nature as his maternal presence since he did lose his mom at a young age.

So here we have, Wordsworth finds a boat that's tied to a tree.

He undoes the chain, and he gets in, and he's embarking on this wonderful journey on the lake because of how nature has captivated him.

Let's continue the reading.

"Leaving behind her still, on either side, Small circles, glittering idly in the moon, Until they melted all into one track Of sparkling light.

But now, like one who rows." Wordsworth is rowing and his oars make ripples on the water.

That's what he's talking about when he says those "Small circles glittering idly in the moon." So it looks a bit like this.

It's really beautiful.

How does Wordsworth describe nature? How would you summarise his presentation of nature here? Pause the video and have a think about that.

You may have said that Wordsworth describes nature in this mystical, magical way.

Look at that word, "sparkling" and "glittering".

Let's continue the reading.

"But now, like one who rows, Proud of his skill, to reach a chosen point With an unswerving line, I fix my view Upon the summit of a craggy ridge, The horizon's utmost boundary, far above." Wordsworth now approaches a mountainous range.

He approaches a craggy ridge.

So there are a few cliffs up ahead.

He calls the craggy ridge "the horizon's utmost boundary".

So we're seeing there how Wordsworth feels quite confident.

He feels like he's seen the highest point of nature and that's the craggy ridge in front of him.

Let's continue the reading.

"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." Wordsworth thinks the craggy ridge is the highest point and there is nothing but stars and grey sky behind it.

In this section how does Wordsworth show his confidence when rowing? Pause the video and have a little think about that.

You may have said that Wordsworth shows his confidence whilst rowing because he says he dipped his oars into the lake and his boat went heaving.

So it is showing here, so he's suggesting that he has quite a lot of control over the water and over the boat at this point.

Let's continue.

"When, from behind that craggy steep till then The horizons bound, a huge peak, black and huge As if with voluntary power instinct, Upreared its head." Now this part of the poem can be considered the the volta.

This is a visual representation of what occurs at this moment.

Can you describe it in your own words? Pause the video and have a go at discussing what's just happened to Wordsworth.

Wordsworth, in this section, has come across a mighty, huge mountain peak.

It's so vast, and it definitely surpasses the craggy ridge that Wordsworth saw in the earlier section of the poem.

Wordsworth was not expecting to see this.

"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." I want you to think it now about how Wordsworth used nature in this section.

Zoom in to all of those key words and phrases in purple there to help you understand Wordsworth's new presentation of nature.

Wordsworth seems to present nature in this section as almost intimidating, because he's saying that nature almost seemed out to get him.

Nature seemed to threaten him as "like a living thing, It strode after him." "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." A bark is a boat.

What has Wordsworth done now, and why? Pause video and have a little think.

So in this section, Wordsworth decides to get off that boat and leave it where he found it.

"And through the meadows homeward went, in grave And serious mood." Why do you think Wordsworth is in this mood? Pause the video and have a little think.

We can assume that the huge peak that Wordsworth saw has influenced his mood because as soon as he saw that he went back to the willow tree.

"But after I had seen, That spectacle for many days, my brain Worked with a dim and undetermined sense Of unknown modes of being." What happens to Wordsworth after he returns home? Have a little think.

After he returns home, Wordsworth cannot stop thinking about this incident.

You can see that because he says, "For many days my brain worked with an undetermined sense of unknown modes of being." So what's on Wordsworth.

So it seems that whatever is on Wordsworth mind, he can't quite comprehend it because he calls it "unknown modes of being".

"Over my thoughts There hung a darkness, call it solitude Or blank desertion.

No familiar shapes remained, no pleasant images of trees, Or sea, or sky, no colours of green fields, But huge and mighty forms that do not live Like living men, move slowly through the mind By day, and were a trouble to my dreams. Now, let's look at one of our key keywords in action.

The sublime is the mixed feelings of awe and terror in a response to a phenomenon.

How does this section link to the sublime and what phenomenon is Wordsworth reacting to? Pause the video and have a little think, now.

Wordsworth clearly shows his awe and terror here because he's saying that he was in complete solitude, in complete darkness, and he kept replaying huge and mighty forms in his mind.

So you can clearly see he's quite terrified.

But also you can see his awe, because he says that these forms, they do not live like living men.

He's saying that these modes of being what I've just seen is out of this world, is extraordinary.

So we can see there clearly Wordsworth experiences the sublime.

The second question though, is what is he reacting to? What's about these strong feelings of terror and fear terror and awe in Wordsworth? Perhaps it's that huge mountain peak that Wordsworth saw where he wasn't expecting it, and it surpassed all his expectations of what nature should and could look like.

Remember, Wordsworth was a young boy at the time of this incident.

We could suggest that perhaps this experience of seeing that huge mountain peak really overwhelmed him.

Therefore he experiences the sublime in response to that meeting with the huge mountain peak and what that whole experience represents for him.

Let's check your understanding now of the poem so far.

How does Wordsworth present nature towards the beginning of the poem? Remember that's the part where he remarks how his ripples sparkle and glitter.

Pause video and answer that now.

At the beginning of the poem, Wordsworth describes nature as beautiful and calm.

Remember, he presents a certain tranquillity as he describes the ripples glittering and sparkling in the water.

What marks the volta of the poem? Remember, the volta is the sudden change in emotion.

Pause the video and have a think now.

The volta of "Extract from the Prelude" is when Wordsworth sees a huge mountain peak.

After that moment, Wordsworth is completely changed.

He's no longer that confident young boy he was when he set out on the water.

He is terrified.

Remember he trembles as he returns home, and he returns home in a grave and serious mood.

Very different to what he felt at the beginning of the poem.

How does Wordsworth present the mountain peak? Pause the video and think about that now.

Wordsworth presents the mountain peak as intimidating.

Remember he says it seemed to stride after him.

He referred to the fact that it seemed like it was a living thing that had decided to threaten him.

Now let's go onto a practise task to show your complete understanding of that section of the lesson.

"Extract from the Prelude" is a long, complex poem not separated into stanzas.

So it's important to be able to track the events of the poem before we begin to analyse it.

And that's what we've just discussed together throughout the first learning cycle.

But it's now time for you to write a summary independently of "Extract from the Prelude".

Here's your checklist for your summary.

You need to include who is in the poem.

What do they do? When do they do it? What did that person encounter? And what state does the narrator end in, and why? So you are tracking the events from beginning to end of the poem.

Here are some of the key words you can use to elevate your response.

Confidence, sublime, journey, nature, and terror.

Pause video now and start writing your summary.

Of "Extract from the Prelude".

Off you go.

Let's look at Andeep's summary.

He wrote "In 'Extract from the Prelude', a young Wordsworth finds a boat tied to a tree on a summer evening.

He takes his boat and sets off across the lake.

He initially seems calm and content with his journey.

He is confident that the craggy ridge is nature's highest point.

He then encounters a huge peak which terrifies him.

He returns home almost scarred by what he has seen." Here We can see that Andeep has managed to use all of the keywords from our list except the word "sublime".

I want you to try and edit or add a sentence or two to help Andeep use the word "sublime" accurately and meaningfully.

I know that's a really tricky word, but I think with your help, Andeep can manage to use that word.

Pause the video and discuss how you might fit the word "sublime" into Andeep's response.

Andeep could have written "In 'Extract from the Prelude', A young Wordsworth finds a boat tied to a tree on a summer evening.

He takes his boat and sets off across the lake.

He initially seems calm and content with his journey.

He's confident that the craggy ridge is nature's highest point.

He experiences the sublime when met with a huge peak.

He returns home scarred and awestruck by what he has seen as it revealed to him the supremacy of nature." So, Andeep's response now uses the word sublime, but also expands on exactly why Wordsworth experiences the sublime in this moment.

So, Andeep said, now with your help, that Wordsworth experiences the sublime when met with the huge peak.

So it shows how the huge peak inspired those feelings of awe and terror.

But he's also explained why the huge peak inspired awe and terror.

It's because that huge peak revealed nature's supremacy to Wordsworth.

So in other words, this was the moment Wordsworth revealed how man was inferior to nature and nature was superior to man.

Great writing, there.

Now let's look at Wordsworth's physical and spiritual journey.

Like Shelly and Blake, Wordsworth was also a romantic poet and his status as a Romantic poet is really important when we consider the spiritual journey that he goes through in the poem.

So, discuss now what elements of the romantic can you see in the poem.

Pause the video and discuss that with your partner now.

Like many romantic poets, Wordsworth, reveres nature in his poem.

So we can see that a commonality between perhaps "Ozymandias" and "Extract from the Prelude" is how they show nature to be supreme in nature to be highly respected.

"Extract from the Prelude" is an autobiographical poem.

So that's another thing we need to consider when we think about Wordsworth's journey.

It represents a real journey that young Wordsworth took on his boat whilst living in the late district.

It also represents a spiritual journey, hence Wordsworth subtitled this poem, "The Growth of the Poet's Mind." Wordsworth felt as if this experience narrated his growth as a person.

We are going to explore Wordsworth physical and spiritual journey in this section of the lesson.

Let's answer this question quickly to check your understanding.

"Extract from the Prelude" depicts an imagined experience.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think now.

Well done if you said false.

"Extract from the Prelude" does not depict an imagined experience.

Why is that? Justify your answer now.

Pause the video and have a think.

We know "Extract from the Prelude" is not an imagined experience because it depicts a real moment from Wordsworth's own early life.

Now, answer the questions to create an annotated timeline of Wordsworth's physical and spiritual journey.

So, as Wordsworth embarks on his rowing journey, the further he gets into it, the more he learns on a spiritual level.

The first question to answer is, "How does Wordsworth show his innocence as he approaches the willow tree?" "What does the word 'stealth' show about Wordsworth's actions at this point?" "What is Wordsworth's initial impression of nature based on the quote, 'small circles, glittering idly in the the moon'?" "How does Wordsworth show his arrogance as he approaches the craggy ridge?" "'A craggy ridge, the horizon's utmost boundary,' How does Wordsworth show his naivety?" And "How his Wordsworth changed after seeing the huge peak? What lesson did he learn?" Pause the video, and complete that timeline to depict Wordsworth's physical and spiritual journey now.

Let's go through some ideas.

Wordsworth shows his innocence at the beginning of the poem as he says he was "led by her".

He suggesting that he did not intend to steal this boat.

The word "stealth" suggests that Wordsworth is aware, though that he is doing something prohibited, which suggests he's beginning to cross boundaries that he should not.

This is our first indication of the idea of man being audacious and thinking about only their own interests.

"Small circles glittering idly in the moon" suggests Wordsworth sees beauty and tranquillity in nature.

Wordsworth is proud of his skill and comments on the impressiveness of rowing in an unswerving line.

So that could show how he's a little bit arrogant.

It's not only is he audacious in stealing the boat, but he's also arrogant because he believes he is doing an amazing.

Because he believes he's showcasing excellent rowing skills.

"A craggy ridge, the horizon's utmost boundary." In this quote, Wordsworth's naivety is revealed because he thinks the craggy ridge is nature's highest point.

Of course, it's not.

The huge peak that he later sees really does show him the truth of nature's power and dominance.

And lastly, Wordsworth is humbled by nature's supremacy and his experience of the sublime is ingrained in his memory.

Remember, how he goes home and thinks for so many days about this one experience.

And darkness hung over him because of it.

And perhaps that's because Wordsworth did not expect to be humbled by nature.

Wordsworth set out with all the confidence in the world and he did not expect nature to reveal itself in such a way that it did.

It's almost like when he gets home he questions who he is because of the way that nature made him feel.

Great job today.

"Extract from the Prelude" can feel like an intimidating poem at first, but it really is wonderful once we get to the bottom of Wordsworth's journey.

Here's what we've learned today.

"Extract from the Prelude" is an autobiographical poem, subtitled "The Growth of the Poet's Mind", documenting his formative experiences.

In "Extract from the Prelude" the narrator, a young Wordsworth, goes on a literal and spiritual journey.

The sublime is the mixed feelings of awe and terror in response to a phenomenon.

And of course, Wordsworth experiences the sublime during his journey.

His transition from initial arrogance to humbled retreat suggests that man should respect nature's supremacy.

Perhaps that is Wordsworth's message for his poem, "Extract from the Prelude".

Thank you so much for joining me in today's lesson.

I hope you've enjoyed it, and I hope you're more confident with the poem, "Extract from the Prelude".

I hope to see you in another lesson very soon.