Poem 295-I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

A.) This poem, by William Wordsworth, appears to be very simple but when looked at closely actually contains a great deal of meaning. The poem discusses the speaker's lonliness and how, when he is feeling down, he gets joy out of thinking upon the daffodils dancing in the breeze. This small natural occurence evokes happiness and inspiration in the speaker. The message of the poem is that sometimes the small things that often times go unnoticed in life are enough to bring about great thought and cheer and that nature is something that should be admired. Though the speaker is not identified, you may be able to connect the speaker to the poet as taken from the line, "A poet could not but by gay,"(Wordsworth 15). This line, of course, does not necessarily tie the speaker to the poet but it is a possibility. It is a quatrain-couplet, having four stanzas of six lines each all of approximately equal length. The poem has an ABABCC rhyme scheme that goes along superbly with the lyrical flow of the words. The rhyme scheme and orderly nature of the poem add to the overall pleasant and peaceful tone. The speaker begins by comparing himself to a wandering cloud which depicts his desolation and even possibly depression at times and then goes into the descriptions of the swaying daffodils and the joy they arise symbolizing simplicity and the inevitable bond between humans and nature. The rhyme scheme, numerous references to nature, and set-up of the poem enhance its ability to flow off the tongue which adds to the meaning and tone of the poem. It is clear through the poet's lay-out and word-choice that the poem is one of harmony with nature and is supposed to provoke happiness and warmth.

B.) Wordsworth utilizes numerous literary devices to enhance the quality of his poem. The most prevalent device was definitely the imagery provided. The images of the daffodils "twinkling", "tossing their heads in sprightly dance" and out-doing "the sparkling waves in glee" immensely contributed to the beauty and natural feel of the poem. The pictures brought on by these words attributed to the power of the poem as a whole. The continuous personification of nature as with the daffodils, "Tossing their heads in sprightly dance"(12) and the waves with,"The waves beside them danced..."(13) and the comparison between the speaker and a wandering cloud add to the message that humans are entwined with nature. Wordsworth writes, "I gazed- and gazed- but little thought, What wealth the show to me had brought:"(17-18). This repition of the speaker "gazing" symbolizes the substantial impact this simple scene had on him. I liked the poet's word choice of 'wealth' as well because I think it makes the statement that material possessions are not the only things that make up wealth. Wealth can be a variety of things even though most people tend to look at it in terms of financial success and materialistic possessions. He did not realize just how alluring and magnificent nature could be until he realized that the scene had a great effect on him being that he later writes, "They flash upon that inward eye, Which is the bliss of solitude;" (21-22), meaning that the scene is imprinted in his memory and comforts him in his lonliness. The phrase "bliss of solitude" also stuck out to me because it seems to me that the speaker struggles somewhat with lonliness. He clearly does not completely dislike being alone as he describes solitude as 'bliss' but it seems that he only enjoys solitude in moderation. I interpreted from the poem that he gets tired of being on his own at times which is why he searches for things such as the daffodils to keep his attention and lift his spirits.

C.) This poem struck me because of its pleasurable, magestic quality. It is definitely a feel-good type poem which holds alot of meaning. It is considerably deeper than it appears when just reading through quickly. I personally felt I could relate to this poem because there are many things in life that bring about happiness even though they are small and may seem insignificant. Sometimes the simple beauty of nature can be extremely uplifting and help you out of a slump. I found the poem to be inspirational and enjoyed the rhythmical flow of the lines. I also liked how the sound and sense of the poem went together smoothly in that both the topic and the flow of the poem were calm and relaxing.