Summary Power and Conflict GCSE Poetry Essays from 160/160 Student
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Course
English
Institution
GCSE
Compare how poets present the theme of nature and the Prelude and one other poem (exposure)
FULL MARKS
2. Explore how poets present the power of memories in poppies and one other poem (the Emigree) FULL MARKS
3. Compare how poets present the power of humans in tissue and one other poem (Ozymamdi...
Compare how poets present the theme of nature in The Prelude
and one other poem. (Exposure)
30/30
In the Prelude, nature is presented as an omnipotent force that is ultimately
more superior than humans and as a nurturing mother to the orphaned
Wordsworth. Similarly, in Exposure, nature is also portrayed as a formidable
opponent that the soldiers have to contend with but conversely, nature in
Exposure has a more malicious intention- it wants to harm the soldiers. In both
poems, nature is depicted as a powerful and unfaltering force that does not
adhere to the wants and whims of humans.
In the beginning of The Prelude, we are introduced to the orphaned
Wordsworth, who describes in an anecdotal account an experience he had that
shaped his future outlook of nature. He describes being “(led by her)” which is
ambiguous as this could refer to either God or nature. The fact that “her”
connotes a benign female leading the young Wordsworth could suggest that
this is an example of spiritual symbolism used to refer to the Greek goddess of
nature: Gaia. If so, nature is presented as having a divine connection that could
maybe relate to Wordsworth’s pantheistic beliefs. Alternatively, “her” could
be a personification of nature that is presented as a mystical, ethereal being
that is alluring and attracting Wordsworth to steal the “elfins pinnace”.
Additionally, the fact that this phrase is in parenthesis emphasises how nature
was a secret escape for Wordsworth, who was glad for the sanctity and haven
he had away from his abusive relatives.
In a similar way we are immediately aware of nature’s alarming power since
Owen, in Exposure, starts with “the merciless iced East winds that knife us” to
create harsh imagery of the soldiers being viciously attacked by the wind. The
wind here is personified as an unforgiving force that has malicious intent and
seems to want to cause the soldiers harm. The adjective “merciless” refers to
how relentless and lethal the gales and incredibly icy winds that attacked the
soldiers were. Here nature is shown as a frightening and destructive entity that
metaphorically takes no prisoners. Additionally, the Greek God of the “East
winds” was Eurus, who is typically depicted with a knife, perhaps the very
,same as is cited by Owen. The inclusion of the allusion to Greek Gods strikes us
as unorthodox as Owen came from a devoutly Christian family; perhaps the
inhospitable conditions he endured during WWI have rendered him incapable
of believing in God anymore. As such, both poems explore the intertwined
relationship between nature and deities to argue that perhaps nature is
equally as powerful or even more so.
Furthermore Wordsworth describes his boat as “heaving through the water
like a swan” to liken the heavy work of his rowing boat with the elegance and
composure of a swan. This simile gives the impression of Wordsworth’s
arrogance and indeed he was a megalomaniac, who here compares himself to
a beautiful, elegant creature that can be said to be an embodiment of nature.
The verb “heaving” conveys ideas of force and labour to suggest that
Wordsworth cannot reach the seamless, flawless standard of nature. By
extension, this gives us the impression that man’s creation is a mere imitation
of nature’s unparalleled beauty. This shows that nature is superior to humans
and its mystical elegance can never be replicated. Additionally, to further
fortify this deduction a swan is an animal that cruises seemingly effortlessly on
the water but is in reality paddling its legs ferociously to stay afloat. Perhaps
this is the crude likening Wordsworth subtly refers to: he presents himself as
being composed and calm but beneath the veneer of assumed bravado he is
intimidated and frightened by the magnitude and breathtaking qualities of
nature. Thus, Wordsworth presents nature as something that is smugly
superior than humans and is comfortable in knowing so which contrasts to
how Owen presents nature as possibly a figment of his exhausted and soulless
mind.
He writes “littered with blossoms” to describe metaphorically how uneventful
life in the trenches is so much so that the soldiers are imagining this serene
atmosphere. Alternatively, it can be seen that the soldiers are hallucinating (as
a result of PTSD which was common for soldiers in WWI) and that their minds
naturally gravitated towards images of tranquility ie nature. The soldiers see
nature as a vibrant and beautiful escape that they can safely mentally visit.
Moreover, “blossoms” conveys ideas of mindfulness and Buddhistic beliefs
that nature is neither good or bad and humans need to learn to coexist in
, order to have a synergistic relationship with nature, an idea not dissimilar to
Romanticism. This shows that nature is presented as a peaceful haven but also
counterintuitively alludes to death since “blossoms” relates to blooming
season which marks the death of previous flowers. This could mirror the
soldiers’ lives and be a reminder of the brevity of human life which is
insignificant whereas the permanent nature of nature will outlast human life.
All in all, a humbling consideration.
This also links in with the use of cyclical structures in both poems: The Prelude
mentions “troubled pleasure” at the beginning and “trouble to my dreams”
towards the end to show that despite Wordsworth embarking on a spiritual
and physical journey, nature stays consistent and continues to be prevalent to
his life. It is only his perception of nature that changes. Similarly, the cyclical
nature of Exposure coupled with the rigidity of the eight quintains reflects on
how nature is forever present, irrespective of where you are. Nature and, by
extension, life will reach and permeate to even the unlikeliest and harshest
environments where it may be menacing or uncomforting. Furthermore, both
poems are auto biographical which suggests that the poets has a deeper
connection with nature, Wordsworth in particular since he purposely left his
epic poem unfinished, to hint at how his (and indeed humans) relationship
with nature is constantly evolving and does not conform within certain
parameters as may expect.
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