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.

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.

Teacher tip

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Worksheet

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

In which century was 'The Prelude' published?

17th century

18th century

Correct answer: 19th century

20th century

Q2.

What does the 'The Prelude' tell the story of?

Wordsworth's childhood spent at home with his family

Correct answer: Wordsworth's childhood spent ice-skating with his friends

Wordsworth's childhood spent isolated at boarding school

Wordsworth's childhood spent without his mother

Q3.

How did Wordsworth describe the group of children in 'The Prelude?

like wild horses

Correct answer: like hunting dogs

like a shoal of fish

Q4.

What method does Wordsworth use in the following quotation from 'The Prelude': "Proud and exulting, like an untir’d horse"?

Correct answer: simile

metaphor

pathetic fallacy

onomatopoeia

Q5.

Complete the quotation from Wordsworth's 'The Prelude': "The windows through the twilight blaz'd,".

Correct Answer: cottage

Q6.

Starting with the first, put the following quotations from 'The Prelude' in chronological order.

1 - And in the frosty season, when the sun

2 - I heeded not the summons: – happy time

3 - It was a time of rapture: clear and loud

4 - The village clock toll'd six; I wheel'd about,

5 - We hiss'd along the polish'd ice, in games

6 - Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud,

7 - The orange sky of evening died away.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

Which of the following is the definition of insignificant?

playful misbehaviour

causing a person to feel less confident because of feelings of awe or admiration

Correct answer: unimportant by comparison to something or someone else

not thinking logically or reasonably

Q2.

Which of the following emotions might 'The Sublime' evoke?

indifference

Correct answer: horror

Correct answer: awe

disappointment

enthusiasm

Q3.

Which of the following quotations illustrate Wordsworth's playfulness in 'The Prelude'?

Correct answer: "I heeded not the summons: – happy time"

"Meanwhile, the precipices rang aloud,"

Correct answer: "We hiss’d along the polish’d ice, in games"

"The leafless trees, and every icy crag"

"Into the tumult sent an alien sound/ Of melancholy"

Q4.

Which of the following quotations from 'The Prelude' illustrates Wordsworth's faint horror at the power of nature?

"And woodland pleasures, the resounding horn,"

"while the stars, Eastward, were sparkling clear"

Correct answer: "while the distant hills/ Into the tumult sent an alien sound"

"The cottage windows through the twilight blaz'd"

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.

Correct Answer: Romantic

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'?

Correct answer: it shows the speed at which the group are travelling across the ice

it shows that the boys are doing tricks on the ice, like spins and jumps

Correct answer: it shows how euphoric and elated the group are whilst skating together

it shows how the group have been liberated by their lack of responsibility

it foreshadows the care-free futures the children will grow up to have