The Power of Nature in Poetry
Ever wondered how nature can go from beautiful to absolutely terrifying? These poems show exactly that transformation happening before your eyes.
The Prelude takes you on a boat trip that starts enchanting but quickly becomes a nightmare. Wordsworth personifies nature as both gentle (led by her) and then frighteningly powerful with a huge peak, black and huge. The measured motion like a living thing uses a simile to show the mountain's control, whilst the alliteration emphasises how nature dominates the speaker.
In Kamikaze, nature's beauty becomes a symbol of everything worth living for. The pilot sees the green-blue translucent sea and shoals of fishes, and this natural beauty convinces him to turn back from his suicide mission. Nature's power here isn't scary - it's the power to make someone choose life.
Quick Tip: Notice how both poems use nature as a character rather than just scenery - this personification makes nature feel alive and powerful.











