This work is an ode to the importance of nature and the close bond between mankind and nature. Through characterization of the speaker, meter, personification, and diction, Wordsworth creates a feeling a solitary bliss with nature.
The plot of this poem, on the surface, is simple, depicting the poet's aimless wandering and his discovery of a field of daffodils by a lake, the memory of which pleases him and comforts him when he is lonely or bored. The first line of the poem, metaphorically compares the speaker to a cloud: "I wandered lonely as a cloud" (line 1). The idea that the cloud is described as "lonely" implies that aspects of nature are solitary beings, and therefore it is suggested that the speaker is alone. The comparison to a cloud gives the reader the impression that the speaker's spirit is unbounded and light-hearted, just as a cloud is a light-weight, free-flowing image. The gender of the speaker is never clearly identified, however, the poem is written in the first-person, which puts the author in the place of the speaker, indicating that the speaker is a man. The images of solitude, and the idea that the speaker/author has made this poem personal through the use of the personal pronoun "I," alludes to the idea that man's experience with nature is a personal phenomena, that differs depending on the individual.
The four six-line stanzas of this poem follow a quatrain-couplet rhyme scheme: ABABCC. Each line is metered in iambic tetrameter. This particular rhyme scheme, with the two last lines of each stanza rhyming, gives the poem a joyful rhythm, which mirrors the feeling of the speaker. The rhyme scheme and structured rhythm also gives the poem a sing-song sound, like a nursery rhyme that a mother would recite to her children to comfort them, indicating that the speaker's experience with nature is an experience of comfort and bliss.
Wordsworth uses reverse personification to create the idea of inherent unity between man and nature. The speaker is compared to a natural object, a cloud ("I wandered lonely as a cloud/ That floats on high o'er vales and hills" (lines 1-2)), while the daffodils are personified as humans: "When all at once I saw a crowd/ A host of golden daffodils" (lines 3-4). The words "crowd" and "host" are typically used to describe a group of people, not flowers, which are usually described with a word like "bundle." These descriptions contrast with the descriptions of solitude that describe the speaker. This reverse personification indicates that while a person may feel alone and isolated, one can find unity and companionship with the beauty of nature.
Diction is a valuable component to the meaning of this poem. Clearly, the speaker values the rewards of nature above material possessions. "What wealth the show to me had brought" (line 18). The word "wealth" in this instance, is not a measure of material gain, but rather a measure of positive emotion that results from simply the memory of the daffodils.
Through specific word choice, Wordsworth gives the reader a sense of fulfillment, alluding to the fact that nature is an essential aspect of a person's life. "In vacant or in pensive mood/ They flash upon that inward eye [...]And then my heart with pleasure fills" (lines 19-22). Typically a person's mood is not describes as "vacant." The use of this word, meaning empty, empasizes the fulfillment that the speaker finds in nature.
Wordsworth also emphasizes the power of vision, over the power of thought. The "flash upon the inward eye" is Wordsworth's way of describing a memory. Typically, memory is associated with the mind, not with vision. This description places more value on natural beauty over human creations that result from complex thought processes. This idea is shown previously in the line, "I gazed-and gazed-but little thought" (line 17). The dashes slightly break the rhythm of the poem to emphasis the healing powers of the sight of natural beauty.
Wordsworth uses an exaggeration in the second stanza to imply the accessibility of nature to everyone, not just to himself. "Continuous as the stars that shine/ And twinkle on the milky way/They stretched in a never-ending line" (lines 7-9). Here, the field of daffodils is compared to ideas of infinity to express the ubiquitous presence of the beauty and healing effects of nature if one chooses to embrace them.
Through the use of literary techniques, characterization of the speaker, and rhyme scheme, Wordsworth creates a work to honor the healing powers of nature.
The plot of this poem, on the surface, is simple, depicting the poet's aimless wandering and his discovery of a field of daffodils by a lake, the memory of which pleases him and comforts him when he is lonely or bored. The first line of the poem, metaphorically compares the speaker to a cloud: "I wandered lonely as a cloud" (line 1). The idea that the cloud is described as "lonely" implies that aspects of nature are solitary beings, and therefore it is suggested that the speaker is alone. The comparison to a cloud gives the reader the impression that the speaker's spirit is unbounded and light-hearted, just as a cloud is a light-weight, free-flowing image. The gender of the speaker is never clearly identified, however, the poem is written in the first-person, which puts the author in the place of the speaker, indicating that the speaker is a man. The images of solitude, and the idea that the speaker/author has made this poem personal through the use of the personal pronoun "I," alludes to the idea that man's experience with nature is a personal phenomena, that differs depending on the individual.
The four six-line stanzas of this poem follow a quatrain-couplet rhyme scheme: ABABCC. Each line is metered in iambic tetrameter. This particular rhyme scheme, with the two last lines of each stanza rhyming, gives the poem a joyful rhythm, which mirrors the feeling of the speaker. The rhyme scheme and structured rhythm also gives the poem a sing-song sound, like a nursery rhyme that a mother would recite to her children to comfort them, indicating that the speaker's experience with nature is an experience of comfort and bliss.
Wordsworth uses reverse personification to create the idea of inherent unity between man and nature. The speaker is compared to a natural object, a cloud ("I wandered lonely as a cloud/ That floats on high o'er vales and hills" (lines 1-2)), while the daffodils are personified as humans: "When all at once I saw a crowd/ A host of golden daffodils" (lines 3-4). The words "crowd" and "host" are typically used to describe a group of people, not flowers, which are usually described with a word like "bundle." These descriptions contrast with the descriptions of solitude that describe the speaker. This reverse personification indicates that while a person may feel alone and isolated, one can find unity and companionship with the beauty of nature.
Diction is a valuable component to the meaning of this poem. Clearly, the speaker values the rewards of nature above material possessions. "What wealth the show to me had brought" (line 18). The word "wealth" in this instance, is not a measure of material gain, but rather a measure of positive emotion that results from simply the memory of the daffodils.
Through specific word choice, Wordsworth gives the reader a sense of fulfillment, alluding to the fact that nature is an essential aspect of a person's life. "In vacant or in pensive mood/ They flash upon that inward eye [...]And then my heart with pleasure fills" (lines 19-22). Typically a person's mood is not describes as "vacant." The use of this word, meaning empty, empasizes the fulfillment that the speaker finds in nature.
Wordsworth also emphasizes the power of vision, over the power of thought. The "flash upon the inward eye" is Wordsworth's way of describing a memory. Typically, memory is associated with the mind, not with vision. This description places more value on natural beauty over human creations that result from complex thought processes. This idea is shown previously in the line, "I gazed-and gazed-but little thought" (line 17). The dashes slightly break the rhythm of the poem to emphasis the healing powers of the sight of natural beauty.
Wordsworth uses an exaggeration in the second stanza to imply the accessibility of nature to everyone, not just to himself. "Continuous as the stars that shine/ And twinkle on the milky way/They stretched in a never-ending line" (lines 7-9). Here, the field of daffodils is compared to ideas of infinity to express the ubiquitous presence of the beauty and healing effects of nature if one chooses to embrace them.
Through the use of literary techniques, characterization of the speaker, and rhyme scheme, Wordsworth creates a work to honor the healing powers of nature.
This poem made me feel very calm and subdued. There were no auditory details mentioned, which helped to create a serene picture. In fact, all sensory details, other than visual details, are omitted from this poem, causing the reader to pay attention to the visual aspects of nature. I think that through this poem, Wordsworth was trying to translate to the readers of this poem his discovery that more joy can be found in the simple, untouched aspects of nature over the material gains that come with money and material wants. I also think that Wordsworth is implying that people have become blind to the beauty found just outside the door, which is why he focused so intently on visual details. I actually went outside after reading this poem, which shows, to some extent, the power this poem had over me to enjoy fulfillment away from the technical, electronic based world in which we live.
1 comment:
Hey I could really be doing with your help on something. Could you email me, jordan.mgray@yahoo.co.uk
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