Introduction
William Wordsworth wrote The Prelude: or, Growth of a Poet’s Mind to account for his decision in 1799 to bury himself in Cumbria’s Lake District and devote himself to poetry. Here, Wordsworth reflects on the way that the disharmonies of our past life — our regrets and pains and disappointments — form a melody that would be less beautiful without them.
DUST as we are, the immortal spirit grows
Like harmony in music; there is a dark
Inscrutable workmanship that reconciles
Discordant elements, makes them cling together
In one society.* How strange that all
The terrors, pains, and early miseries.
Regrets, vexations, lassitudes interfused
Within my mind, should e’er have borne a part,
And that a needful part, in making up
The calm existence that is mine when I
Am worthy of myself! Praise to the end!
Thanks to the means which Nature* deigned to employ;
Whether her fearless visitings, or those
That came with soft alarm, like hurtless light
Opening the peaceful clouds; or she may use
Severer interventions, ministry
More palpable, as best might suit her aim.
Extract
* For similar musical analogy for the better and worse times of life, see also John Ruskin (1819-1900) on The Rests in Life’s Melody.
* Wordsworth later in this poem writes of Nature that she is ‘the breath of God, or his pure Word by miracle revealed’. In Biblical terms, Nature is Divine Wisdom, what the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon calls “the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty”. See Wisdom 7:25. The passage is applied to the Son of God in Hebrews 1:1-4.
Précis
In the course of his autobiographical poem ‘The Prelude’, William Wordsworth mused on Nature’s mysterious power to take negative experiences from one’s past and, rather like a composer of music, work them by deft touches (and some more heavy-handed) into a life whose overall melody is the more pleasing for the presence of discord. (54 / 60 words)
In the course of his autobiographical poem ‘The Prelude’, William Wordsworth mused on Nature’s mysterious power to take negative experiences from one’s past and, rather like a composer of music, work them by deft touches (and some more heavy-handed) into a life whose overall melody is the more pleasing for the presence of discord.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, besides, despite, may, not, or, since, who.
Archive
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 End. Light. Worthy.
2 Bear. They. Whether.
3 Discordant. Have. Up.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Statements, Questions and Commands Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in a sentence. Try to include at least one statement, one question and one command among your sentences. Note that some verbs make awkward or meaningless words of command, e.g. need, happen.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Part. 2 Thank. 3 Light. 4 Spirit. 5 End. 6 Pain. 7 Regret. 8 Alarm. 9 Suit.
Variations: 1. use a minimum of seven words for each sentence 2. include negatives, e.g. isn’t, don’t, never 3. use the words ‘must’ to make commands 4. compose a short dialogue containing all three kinds of sentence: one statement, one question and one command
Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding dis-.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
frng (5)
faring. fearing. firing. freeing. fringe.
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