The prelude by william wordsworth5/22/2023 ![]() ![]() In the context of the Prelude, the motif of ruins serves as a reminder of a few ideas. Later, as an adult, the speaker finds himself nearly transported by Stonehenge. In Book Second, the speaker and his childhood friends explore an abandoned abbey, admiring the religious scenes depicted inside and the natural beauty that surrounds it. Many Romantic works of art focus on the melancholic beauty of ruins, and the Prelude is no exception. These cliffs are the first major appearance of that idea, representing a nature that is fiercely autonomous and even potentially threatening, instead of one that is simply beautiful, peaceful, and inanimate. Throughout the poem, Wordsworth returns to the idea that humans should feel humble in the face of the natural world, accepting its mysteries rather than trying to overtake it. ![]() While nature has long offered comfort and entertainment, here it morphs into a fully living entity-in fact, an entity with far more strength and wisdom than the human speaker. This is a life-changing moment for the speaker, in large part because of what the cliffs symbolize: the power of the natural world. ![]() The cliffs seem to come to life, inducing horror and awe in the speaker. ![]() In Book First, the young speaker steals a boat and steers it beneath huge cliffs. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |