...I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud William Wordsworth uses many literary devices in his poetry; especially in “I wandered Lonely as a Cloud”. In this work, Wordsworth uses personification, metaphors, and repetition. Wordsworths uses these three literary devices to get the reader interested in what he has to say . Wordsworth even shows how he feels when he uses these in a certain way. By doing these things Wordsworth begins to build a picture of his surroundings in the audience’s mind. “I Wandered as Lonely as a Cloud” becomes more than just a poem it becomes art. The first line portrays a wonderful use of personification “I wandered lonely as a cloud”(line 1) immediately creates a sense of melancholy.Wordsworth compares himself to a cloud, a cloud being lonely and wandering across the sky. He starts his poem bold by immediately making the reader wonder if he might be sad. Being compared to a cloud is like being compared to the air, a whole bundle of nothing. He makes readers understand that he is more of a serious writer “his style tends more toward an Arnoldian “High Seriousness” than toward a playful tour de force of language” (Joplin 1). Personification is used once more in the first stanza he writes of floating over hills and valleys and looking down and seeing “A host of daffodils...fluttering and dancing in the breeze”.(line 4-6 ) It starts to show that daffodils have significance to him it makes the reader wonder “why?”. When Wordsworth talks of the host or crowd of daffodils...
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...Jenna Nacht I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth In the first stanza of the poem, Wordsworth is wandering a lake along when he comes upon a crowd of daffodils. In this first stanza, Wordsworth characterizes the daffodils to be “golden” rather than just yellow. This suggests a sort of glowing, just as angles would. He also gives the flowers human characteristics when he describes them to be “fluttering” and “dancing.” The personification of the daffodils creates a In the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth, techniques such as simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and personification are used to display Wordsworth’s deep love of nature and the joy it brings to him. This lyric poem recalls the deep feelings and emotions of Wordsworth while he was walking beside a lake and came upon a “never-ending” line of daffodils. The emotions expressed by Wordsworth through these techniques suggest that nature’s beauty uplifts the human spirit. By using metaphors and similes, Wordsworth creates these associations between himself, nature, and spirituality. Wordsworth begins using these techniques in the title and first line of the poem when he says “I wandered lonely as a cloud” (line 1). The poet feels lonely in the sense that he is separated from the rest of the world. We all know that clouds cannot be lonely, which is why it seems that the speaker is projecting his own loneliness onto the clouds. In stanza 2 of the poem, Wordsworth creates a simile between...
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...I wandered lonely as a cloud" In the first stanza the speaker describes a time when he meandered over the valleys and hills, "lonely as a cloud." Finally, he came across a crowd of daffodils stretching out over almost everything he could see, "fluttering and dancing in the breeze": I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. In the second stanza the speaker goes into more detail about the daffodils. They reminded him of the Milky Way, because there were so many flowers packed together that they seemed to be neverending. The speaker guesses that there were ten thousand daffodils, which were "Tossing their heads in sprightly dance": Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. In the third stanza the speaker compares the waves of the lake to the waves of daffodils and decides that even though the lake is "sparkling," the daffodils win because they have more "glee." He then comments that he, like any other poet, could not help but be happy "in such a jocund company." He looked at the scene for a long time, but while he was there he was unable to understand what he had gained from the experience: The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the...
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...I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud NEW CRITICISM Introduction Shortly after Poems in Two Volumes (1807) appeared, Wordsworth worried about readers misinterpreting "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (Letters 174, 194-95). Still concerned in 1815, he attached a note to the poem in his first Collected Works. "The subject of these stanzas," he asserted, "is rather an elementary feeling and simple impression [...] upon the imaginative faculty, than an exertion of it" (qtd. in Stillinger 539). Some critics have basically followed Wordsworth's lead: To Jack Stillinger the mental experience embodied by the poem is simple and ordinary (544), and to John Milstead the first three stanzas exemplify merely "a physical stimulus-and-response mechanism" through which the poet remains "passive" . Nevertheless, in the preface to the 1815 collection Wordsworth not only argues that the imagination is ruled by "sublime consciousness" (Stillinger 486), but he also places "I Wandered" among poems categorized by "Imagination." Indeed, many critics ignore Wordsworth's comments on the poem and instead read it as representing a moment in nature of spiritual insight that recurs during a later imaginative re-creation (Joplin 68-69, Stallknecht 81-82, Hartman 5). More precisely, though, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" dramatizes an experience of the sublime in its first three stanzas, which the poet recollects and re-experiences as a "spot of time" in the last stanza. Like other sublime...
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...Dylan Gordon ENG 4U July 2015 Take a Walk in my Shoes: An Analysis of William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” “Edna St. Vincent Millay once wrote, "And all the loveliest things there be come simply, so it seems to me."”(A)The quote couples well with the simple pleasures found in William Wordsworth’s poem titled “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”. On “April 15, 1802, Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, were walking near a lake at Grasmere, Cumbria County, England”(B). While walking the coastline, Wordsworth stumbles upon a sea of daffodils swaying in the wind. In his poem Wordsworth sits on his couch thinking back to this experience, appreciating how lovely it was. Through careful choice of metaphors, similes, personification, and diction, William Wordsworth guides the reader through his experience walking with the daffodils. Wordsworth puts to use poetic devices to give the reader a clear image of what he was seeing that day by the water. Not only does he want the reader to feel his emotions, but to stand in his shoes and experience the moment with him. In the first stanza, we are given a wealth of imagery to set the scene. The author wanders through “vales and hills, When all at once [he] saw a crowd/A host, of golden daffodils.” Here the author uses alliteration to demonstrate to the reader that the daffodils come to view as a group as if he is summiting a hill and they wait on the other side, hiding from behind the hill. The daffodils are situated...
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..."I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" of William Wordsworth The events in the poem “I wandered lonely as a cloud” are very simple but the meaning in the ancient words used in the poem makes it a bit complex. The poet while walking besides a lake alone comes across Daffodils. Daffodils are beautiful flowers, which the poet seems being swayed by the wind as he walks by a field. The experience makes the poet very happy and excited that it does not simply end at the lake. The poet carries the experience with him that every time he recalls the scene of the ‘Daffodils’ in the field it brings him so much happiness. The four stanzas of the poem provide us with the experience of the poet as he explores the beauty of nature. nguage to bring in a joyful atmosphere within the poem. Gazing is a word often used when a person is surprised or amazed at something. However, the poet repeats the word only to show disbelieve in seeing a field full of daffodils. Consequently, the poet uses the words “I gazed and gazed” to show disbelieve. Moreover, the words not only help change the mood of the poem, but also show the beauty of the nature surrounding the poet. The beauty that the poet describes only leaves a reader imagining of its beauty and joy it brings to the poet (Joplin 67). The poem is not just a reflection of the daffodils but the delight they bring once the poet sees them. In the poem, Wordsworth utilizes the natural beauty of the daffodils to bring pleasure. The poet cherishes the...
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...James Smith Prof. K. Allens ENL 102- 63 10 October 2013 “I wondered Lonely as A Cloud” By William Wordsworth (1770-1850) The second of five children born to John Wordsworth and Ann Cookson, William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 in Cocker mouth, Cumberland (Heritage). Wordsworth's father, even though rarely present, taught him poetry, comprising of Milton, Shakespeare and Spenser. Though Hawkshead School was Wordsworth's first involvement with education, he was taught to read by his mother, while attending a tiny school of poor standard in Cockermouth (Everett). "I wandered lonely as a cloud" proceeds in the Lake District of Northern England. This area is famous for its hundreds of lakes, stunning breadths of season daffodils In Wordsworth's poem of topic, he begins in the first stanza the memory of a time when he meandered over the valleys and hills, "lonely as a cloud." Finally, he came across a crowd of daffodils stretching out over almost everything he could see, "fluttering and dancing in the breeze” (Cambridge). In the second stanza, the author delves into more elements about the daffodils. They reminded him of the Milky Way, maybe because there were so many flowers swarming together that they seemed to be never-ending. The author speculates that there were ten thousand daffodils, which were "Tossing their heads in sprightly dance" (Gill). The third stanza, the speaker compares the surfs of the large lake to the waves of daffodils swaying in the wind. While...
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...The song the girl is singing is so sad and touching that anyone who passes by should either stop and listen, or pass gently by without disturbing her, Stop here, or gently pass!, (p.93 l.19). The second way is that the words the girl is singing is in a language unknown to the speaker, and he cannot understand what the girl is singing about, he just assumes what she might be singing about, Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow /For old, unhappy, far-off things/ And battles long ago:/ Or is it some more humble lay / Familiar matter of to-day?/ Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain/ That has been, and may be again, (p.93.ll.36-42) But even though he does not understand the words he remains transfixed by the melody, The music in my heart I bore / Long after it was heard no more, (p.94 ll.8-9). These two lines also describe the effect the memories can have on the human thoughts and feelings. Even though he walked away from the field and the song faded from his...
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...Janett Omeally Dr. Xiao Wang ENC1101 February 25, 2013 Diction, Imagery, and personification in the poem “I wondered lonely as cloud” This is a beautiful but simple poem about the beauty of nature and how inspiring it can be. The speaker says that, wandering like a cloud floating above hills and valleys, he encountered a field of daffodils beside a lake. The dancing, fluttering flowers stretched endlessly along the shore, and though the waves of the lake danced beside the flowers, the daffodils outdid the water in glee. The speaker says that a poet could not help but be happy in such a joyful company of flowers. He says that he stared and stared, but did not realize what wealth the scene would bring him. For now, whenever he feels “vacant” or “pensive,” the memory flashes upon “that inward eye / that is the bliss of solitude,” and his heart fills with pleasure, “and dances with the daffodils.”Wordsworth use of vivid imagery, concise diction and detailed personification is used to paint a picture perfect scene. The poem is rich with imagery, and in the first stanza, Wordsworth describes the scene as he wanders “as lonely as a cloud.” He compares himself to a “Solitary cloud” that is floating over the valleys and the hills and then he sees a “crowd” of golden daffodils which are under the trees and beside a lake and are “Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” It is evident that the poet is admiring the beauty around him and capturing a beautiful snatched moment in time that...
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...Poem- Daffodils 2) Questions and Answers 3) Summary 4) Explanation Poem I wandered lonely as a Cloud That floats on high o'er vales and Hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden Daffodils; Beside the Lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A Poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed--and gazed--but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the Daffodils. Questions and Answers 1) What was the poet doing when he saw the daffodils? Answer: The poet was walking around through the hills and valleys, but he felt all lonely and mopey. Suddenly, as he passed the lake, he noticed a big group of yellow daffodils waving in the breeze. 2) What does the poet compare himself with? “I wandered lonely as a Cloud That floats on high o'er vales and Hills” Answer: From the above lines we could understand that the poet was comparing himself with clouds when he was walking around lonely. 3) Where were the daffodils growing? “Beside the Lake, beneath the trees”...
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...period begins with the first edition of Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth - co-written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I'm going to specifically refer to three poetic works by Wordsworth when referring to the imagination, nature, and emotion used as components of Romantic Literature: "The Tables Turned", "My Heart Leaps Up", and "I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud." Imagination was considered to be one of the highest faculties of the mind during the Romantic era. The Romantics used their imaginations as the ultimate shaping tool for their literature. It was their creative power in that it was dynamic, active, and provided many functions for creating all art. Wordsworth suggested that it is also the faculty that helps humans to constitute reality for we not only perceive the world around us, but also in part create it. The Romantics are also extremely concerned with the healing nature of the imagination in that it can reconcile differences and opposites in the world of appearance. It inextricably enables us to "read" nature as a system of symbols. (Brooklyn College) Wordsworth uses all aspects of the Romantic view of imagination in "The Tables Turned." I am specifically drawn to the healing aspect of the imagination that he is trying to push on the person whom this poem is written for in the first two stanzas. "Up! up! my friend, and quit your books, or surely you'll grow double. Up! up! my friend, and clear your looks; Why all this toil and trouble…. Books! 'tis...
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...The Concept of Nature in the Poetry of William Wordsworth and Robert Frost : A Comparative Study Chapter One Introduction 1. Background Poets have long been inspired to tune their lyrics to the variations in landscape, the changes in season, and the natural phenomena around them. The Greek poet Theocritus began writing idylls in the third century B.C.E. to glorify and honor the simplicity of rural life--creating such well known characters as Lycidas, who has inspired dozens of poems as the archetypal shepherd, including the famous poem "Lycidas" by John Milton. An idyll was originally a short, peaceful pastoral lyric, but has come to include poems of epic adventure set in an idealized past, including Lord Alfred Tennyson's take on Arthurian legend, The Idylls of the King. The Biblical Song of Songs is also considered an idyll, as it tells its story of love and passion by continuously evoking imagery from the natural world. The more familiar form of surviving pastoral poetry that has retained its integrity is the eclogue, a poem attuned to the natural world and seasons, placed in a pleasant, serene, and rural place, and in which shepherds often converse. The first eclogue was written by Virgil in 37 B.C.E. The eclogue also flourished in the Italian Renaissance, its most notable authors being Dante and Petrarch. It became something of a requirement for young poets, a form they had to master before embarking upon great original work. Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia and Edmund Spenser’s...
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...William Wordsworth. The poetry at that time looked at the beauty in our life. Their poems were elegant, focusing on nature or the femininity of a lovely lady. They all mentioned about natural views and some religious symbols. Poets were using literary techniques to express their feelings. However, the target they wrote were not always the same. Byron’s passion on a beautiful lady inspired him while Blake used animals as symbols to represent God and his people. In the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, Wordsworth thought himself as a cloud, which had no direction or didn’t know where to go. The use of a simile also appeared in the second stanza: “Continuous as the stars that shine”. The poet saw the daffodils, and he was impressed by the delicate appearance and the movement of the flowers. The golden colour of the daffodils brought him joy. He used personification as well, describing the fluttering and tossing movements are like they are dancing. Whenever Wordsworth was in a “pensive mood” or he felt lonely, he would think of those gorgeous daffodils. Throughout the poem, he used rhyming couplets (AA, BB) in the last word of different lines. For example, “tress” and “breezes”; “shine” and ”line” to make the poem easy to read. In addition, in the third stanza, repetition of the word “gazed” express the amazement he felt as he saw the daffodils. He was excited because he thought the flowers brought him spiritual wealth. To sum up, these great poets drove this movement to a further...
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...the way daffodils affect the writer’s state of mind. The poems have contrasting content and theme. Wordsworth’s poem tells a story about a lonely man walking, when he saw a field full of daffodils and he became happy and overjoyed. Robert Herrick’s poem takes a darker path, as he writes about death and decay by comparing the short life of daffodils with the short lives of people. ‘The Daffodils’ has a merry and lively theme of joy and happiness. The poem provides an optimistic outlook on life, embracing the aesthetical beauty of nature and the surroundings. Wordsworth’s ending sentence, “And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils” and many other uses of positive word choices that beautify the daffodils and its surroundings give a lighthearted feel to the poem. On the contrary, ‘To Daffodils’ give a sadder, somber theme of the death and the shortness of life. Robert Herrick’s poem is extremely negative and his usage of words “We have short time to stay, as you”, and the many references to death on the poem signify the melancholic and depressing tone of the poem. Wordsworth’s ‘The Daffodils’ is written in a first person singular form, and by using it, the poem gives the impression that the readers are ‘inside’ the poem and experiencing the poem directly. The poem’s first line “I wandered lonely as a cloud” is one evidence of the poem’s form. On the other hand,...
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...Essential Literary Terms HAVERLING HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH DEPARTMENT'S OFFICIAL LIST As it says, this list is official. Except for the first five terms, which belong in a group, it is alphabetized. There is a link to a printable version of this list at the bottom of the page. Exposition- The essential background information at the beginning of a literary work Rising action- the development of conflict and complications in a literary work Climax- the turning point in a literary work Falling action- results or effects of the climax of a literary work Resolution/denouement- end of a literary work when loose ends are tied up and questions are answered Alliteration – repetition of the initial consonant sounds of words: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” Allusion – a reference to something well-known that exists outside the literary work Antagonist- character that is the source of conflict in a literary work Aside – a dramatic device in which a character makes a short speech intended for the audience but not heard by the other characters on stage Assonance – repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds: “Anna’s apples,” “the pond is long gone” Characterization- The manner in which an author develops characters and their personalities Conflict - struggle between two or more opposing forces (person vs. person; nature; society; self; fate/God) Dialogue - direct speech between characters in a literary work ...
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