The+Prelude

//The Prelude// by William Wordsworth is one of my favorite poems thus far because it describes an experience. I am all about life experiences myself; what makes this poem stand out is that I literally feel as though I am immersed in the described scene. Reading the poem reveals the breathtaking imagery; not only can I picture the scene in my mind, I feel as though I am there, climbing a mountain alongside a man, standing above the clouds and gazing at the moon and stars.

I loved the details and choice use of adjectives. Perhaps more than I liked the description was the author's connection to how seeing Nature made him feel; it stirred his soul and mine as well:

//The universal spectacle throughout Was shaped for admiration and delight

That dark deep thoroughfare, had Nature lodged The soul, the imagination of the whole.//

Overall, what was your reaction to the poem? Some may find it too "flowery" due to the description, but I find it beautiful. For those who liked it, why? What particular lines struck you? 1204244926

I also find this poem beautiful because of the great use of imagery and personification of nature. It is evident by this poem that Wordsworth wrote in the style of Romanticism because there is a great emphasis on emotion. I, too find that I can imagine myself being in the poem because there is so much vivid discription. The part that stands out to me the most is: There is such beautiful personification of nature and thought. It shows feeling as opposed to reason, which ruled the Enlightenment and Romanticism was a movement against Enlightenment. 1204247939
 * THUS while the days flew by, and years passed on, || ||
 * From Nature and her overflowing soul || ||
 * I had received so much, that all my thoughts || ||
 * Were steeped in feeling; I was only then || ||
 * Contented, when with bliss ineffable || ||
 * I felt the sentiment of Being spread || ||
 * O’er all that moves and all that seemeth still; ||

What I liked about this poem is that not the whole poem, but rather words and phrases immediately sparked pictures in my mind, images for scenes in my own life, memories of moments that will never leave me. For example, "The moon stood naked in the heavens, at height Immense above my head." I often think about the moon and how no matter where you are, everyone's looking at the same moon. Like it may sound cheesy, but I have a best friend who moved away, and some nights we'll call each other and tell each other to go outside and just look at the moon. Somehow it makes missing each other a little easier. I also like to think about and question my size compared to the size of the earth and the universe. I like how this poem touches on that as well. It describes scenes in nature as well as touching on the deep thought provoking wonders. This poem seems to describe so many things about nature, in the sky, on the ground, the changes in weather, our senses, our emotions connected with the environment around us, and so much more. I agree that this is a beautiful poem. And no, I do not think that it is too "flowery." This would be a good poem to just curl up with, one of those poems that has the ability to take you somewhere else, someplace that you would rather be. 1204253176

What I like about the poem is its calming effect. We get so caught up in the harsh realities of the world and our incompetence that we forget to slow things down. We get frustrated with the world, and only focus on the things happening within our minds. We forget to look out of ourselves and appreciate what surrounds us. The world is so much greater than we are as individuals, and if such wonder is possible, it makes one think about just what else might be. Things such as nature help us to focus on what we do have, what we always have, especially when times are tough. Also, if someone could actually explain in depth the second couplet AWr mentioned that would be great because I think I get it but I'm not sure. It reads: //That dark deep thoroughfare, had Nature lodged The soul, the imagination of the whole. 1204254798 // I too liked this poem. I think what I liked most was the subject matter, nature, and the focus on emotion and the experience and not logic. It was so easy to understand and the imagery was so vivid that it made the whole poem jump out and come alive in a way. I do not believe that this poem was too flowery or anything like that. I am going to take a shot at that couplet that Sam had a question on but I don’t know if I’m right so if any one has any other opinions, let me know...anyway, to me the dark deep thoroughfare represents the journey up to the top of the mountain. It was a night, he was probably under the cloud cover or surrounded by fog which made night even darker. It was deep and a thoroughfare because it was difficult and took a lot of time. I think the part about Nature lodging the soul means that the beauty and wonder of nature just completely took hold of him. It made such a beautiful and magnificent impression on him that the only thing he could do was stare with wonderment. It was this wonder and awe that took hold of his soul, or in other words lodged it. And then the part about the imagination on the whole is that the whole experience captured his imagination. It captured his imagination so completely that he had to write about it and now he can share his imagination with us by writing the poem…well that’s my take on it but not necessarily the right one. 1205277103

I think the easiest way to understand those two lines is to backtrack and read the whole sentence. What the sentence basically points to is the idea that everything he is looking at, the entire "universal spectacle" is "shaped for admiration and delight." But in particular, he enjoys the emptiness of what he views. In essence, he is discussing the absence of the worries of humanity that plague us in our everyday lives. But in that emptiness there was a pathway for sounds like the methodic beating "homeless voice of waters." he then completes the metaphor of vagabond sounds wandering with the "dark, deep thoroughfare" on which they travel. It is //this// path where the soul is to be found. In other words, the soul makes its home in nature. The only thing that can penetrate this bubble is a natural, wholesome sound like the beating of the waves. It is a very peaceful image. As an outdoorsman, I can relate to this feeling. I have hiked to the tops of mountains early in the morning. I have seen "this still ocean" of clouds on the mountains. It is a serene feeling, but I would not say that it downplays the individual. To the contrary, I never feel more in control of the world then when I survey the landscape. Whether there are people there or not, you feel like the only person in the world when you observe a natural beauty like the one Wordsworth describes. And I don't think he would disagree with me. 1205417614