The Prelude is a 13-book epic poem that traces his growth from adolescence to adulthood, shaped through various encounters with nature. This analysis is focused on lines 1-19 of Book 1 and is related to a sublime experience that resonates with religious overtones. For example, lines 1 to 3 depict a scenario taking place in a green field with a “light breeze.” This breeze symbolizes a spiritual breath of divine inspiration. When the speaker addresses “Messenger” and “Friend” in line 5, this suggests that the speaker is addressing a higher being. Additionally, lines 6 through 8 resonate with the biblical verse Exodus 3:14 when the speaker states, “Greetings to you is a prisoner, from a house / From slavery, from the walls of that City set free, / A prison where he has been walled up for a long time." . The echo of Exodus 3, 14 is a reference to the religious aspect of the Wordsworthian sublime, which demonstrates that nature is a religious teacher and guide. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Additionally, the speaker exclaims, “Now I am free, entitled to vote, and at liberty,” which highlights that he is free from the chains of slavery (9). The newfound freedom, however, translates into the fact that the old world has no home. In lines 10 to 14 the search for a new resting place begins: He can set my habit where I want. Which home will welcome me? In which valley will my port be? Under what grove shall I make my home, and what gentle stream shall lull me with its murmur to my rest? The speaker is perplexed to find a new home; however, it is important to note that his search for rest is within nature itself. Nature plays a parental role because the natural world educates and provides refuge. Seeing what is before him, the speaker declares the following in lines 15-19: The earth is all before me: with a heart joyful, nor afraid of its own freedom, I look around me, and whether the guide I choose be nothing better than a wandering cloud, I can't lose my way. These last lines describe that the earth in all its grandeur guides even the lonely clouds wandering in the world and through this guidance acts as an instructor and offers a religious encounter for other people. The sublime in the poem holds that an individual cannot miss their path if guided by the hand of Mother Nature. The Romantic poets were deeply connected to nature and believed that the natural world itself was the greatest instructor, escape, and wonder because they were continually left in contemplation. Wordsworth rebelled against the standards and expectations of literary writers before him along with the other Romantic poets because reason and systematic thinking are not as essential as emotions and imagination. Therefore, the sublime laid the foundation of romantic thought to reveal the unification of inner happiness and lifelong lessons that often contain religious overtones..