Compare and contrast the poems 'part one' by Adrian Henri and the excerpts from William Wordsworth's poem 'the prelude' - In what ways are they similar and in what ways are the different?

Authors Avatar

Compare and contrast the poems ‘part one’ by Adrian Henri and the excerpts from William Wordsworth’s poem ‘the prelude’.

In what ways are they similar and in what ways are the different?  

By: Zahrah.Macci 10H

Both William Wordsworth and Adrian Henri base their poems on childhood experiences, which were inspirational for their poems. Each has a nostalgic view of their childhood and idealise the past which were carefree and when they had no responsibilities. Liverpool was a formative influence for Adrian Henri’s poem ‘part one’ which is an account of his early life. Whereas William Wordsworth’s inspiration for his poem came from where he grew up, The Lake District in Cumbria. He has become Britain’s most famous poet of nature. For each poet childhood experiences were a happy time; however there were also traumatic and more disturbing memories, especially for Henri, which they had suppressed.

The settings of both Adrian Henri and William Wordworth’s poems are the exact antithesis of each other.  Adrian Henri grew up in industrial city which is on the north-west coast of England. The reference to ‘the ferryboat’ and ‘the seven bridges’ indicates that Adrian Henri grew up in Liverpool, the river being the river Mersey. The mention of ‘the boats on the bright river’ and ‘the cranes from the dockyard’ evokes the sense that Liverpool is a city where shipbuilding is a major source of employment. The description of the ‘nasty smell from the tannery’ emphasises the view that Liverpool is an industrial area which creates pollution and causes damage to the environment. The allusion to the ‘big shops at Christmas’ reminds us that Liverpool is a sizeable city and very busy at Christmas time. Although Liverpool reached its prime during the heady 1960’s and indeed the city did suffer economically during the 1980’s. Liverpool is possibly most renowned as the home of the most successful pop band of all time-the Beatles, heralding the beginning of an era in which Liverpool was the capital of popular culture. William Wordsworth’s poem ‘the Prelude’ has a famous extract in which the poet is ice-skating on a frozen lake, Esthwaite water near Hawkshead. The setting of Wordsworth’s poem is a pastural scene where there is mention of ‘cottage windows’ and ‘the striking of the village clock’ which gives the impression that he came from a rural background and he was bought up in the countryside. The reference to ‘precipes and crags’ indicate that there are mountains nearby where he grew up. The extract from the poem is set in the winter season around January or February. There is reference to the ‘frosty season’ and there is characterisation of the ‘leafless trees’ and the ‘fires blazing through  the twilight gloom’ the poet also  mentions that it is nearly dark at 6 o’clock.

Join now!

Adrian Henri lived in area where there were a wide range of back to back terraced houses. He grew up very much in a traditional working class background, but a proud one which looked after their home, the step was ‘cleaned twice a week’ and a ‘polished lobby’ they were a devoutly religious family. We get the impression that Adrian Henri was an only child, who was cared by his grandfather as his mum had to work. The poet seemed to have been closer to his grandfather rather than his mother. On returning home from shopping he would shout to ...

This is a preview of the whole essay