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William Wordsworth 's The Prelude

Decent Essays

In William Wordsworth’s poem, The Prelude, he describes how he imagines London to be. He is very descriptive when he touches on what he expects upon arrival to the city, and then realizes London was not the paradise he alluded to earlier in his poem. William Wordsworth use of imagery and diction reflect the city’s natural environment, which he also uses in order to convey his feelings of anticipation and dissatisfaction with what he has discovered. In the beginning of The Prelude, William Wordsworth’s use of exclamation marks in the first few lines reveals his enthusiasm about London. He say’s, “Oh, wondrous power of words, by simple faith/ Licensed to take the meaning that we love! /Vauxhall and Ranelagh! (119-121)” The author states his love for the power of words, and moves on to talk about the gardens of Vauxhall and Ranelagh. These lines continue the author’s excitement, and he addresses London as if it were a person. The author establishes a relationship with the city based on what he has heard and his writing reflects the passion he feels towards the city.
The author describes the city that he has heard so much of and calls attention to what appeals the most to him. He gives an account of its green grooves, gorgeous ladies, and fireworks magical to name a few. The descriptions convey Wordworth’s keenness to go to the city. Wordsworth emotion is displayed in the words he uses to describe his fancy of the city. In lines 121-139 he marvels at the thought of “gorgeous

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