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Poem analysis
The role of nature in modern literature
Poem analysis for elementary
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The poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth is about the poet’s mental journey in nature where he remembers the daffodils that give him joy when he is lonely and bored. The poet is overwhelmed by nature’s beauty where he thought of it while lying alone on his couch. The poem shows the relationship between nature and the poet, and how nature’s motion and beauty influences the poet’s feelings and behaviors for the good. Moreover, the process that the speaker goes through is recollected that shows that he isolated from society, and is mentally in nature while he is physically lying on his couch. Therefore, William Wordsworth uses figurative language and syntax and form throughout the poem to express to the readers the peace and beauty of nature, and to symbolize the adventures that occurred in his mental journey. Figurative language is used by William Wordsworth to show the exchange between man and nature. The poet uses various examples of personification throughout the poem. When the poet says:”I wandered lonely as a cloud” (line 1),”when all at once I saw a crowd” (line 3), and “fluttering and dancing in the breeze” (line 6) shows the exchange between the poet and nature since the poet compares himself to a cloud, and compares the daffodils to humans. Moreover, humans connect with God through nature, so the exchange between the speaker and nature led to the connection with God. The pleasant moment of remembering the daffodils does not happen to the poet all time, but he visualizes them only in his “vacant or pensive mode”(line 20). However, the whole poem is full of metaphors describing the isolation of the speaker from society, and experiences the beauty of nature that comforts him. The meta... ... middle of paper ... ... since it deals with the growth of the mind. Therefore, the poet uses syntax and form to emphasize on the important matters that occurred in each stanza. To conclude, William Wordsworth uses form and syntax and figurative language to stress on his mental journey, and to symbolize the importance of the beauty and peace of nature. In my opinion, the poet might have written this poem to show his appreciation towards nature. The poem has a happy mood especially when the poet is discussing the daffodils. In this poem the daffodils are characterized as more than flowers, but as humans “fluttering and dancing in the breeze” (line 6). In addition, the poet mentioned himself to be part of nature since nature inspires him to write and think. Therefore, the reason that the poet wrote this poem was to express the feeling of happiness in his mental journey in nature.
Wordsworth uses figurative language when he says, “I wandered lonely as a cloud “ He started with a nostalgic diction used the word “lonely” with a negative connotation of being alone, “cloud” floating by himself. Then he shifted to joyful diction as he notices a field of daffodils, “ When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils;” Wordsworth is able to get out of his somber mood when he saw "golden daffodils," because he appreciates the beauty in nature . Equally, he illustrates in detail images of the daffodils, “And twinkle on the milky way,” “Fluttering and dancing in the breeze” , "Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in a sprightly dance." William Wordsworth is saying that the field full of flowers looks more like a sky filled with starts , when he writes that they were “tossing their heads “gives us the feeling of people dancing at a party . As a result, I can imagine the daffodils blowing in the wind, he helped me to create and impressive image of the daffodils; this is so far my favorite imagery of his
In Muir’s essay his tone remains calm and happy as he explains the struggles he faced while looking for the Calypso. He talks about the control the Calypso has over him as he states at one point in his essay, “It seems wonderful that so frail and lovely a plant has such power over human hearts.” In this statement Muir is describing to his audience that the Calypso has a strong controller over his feelings because of its beauty. Wordsworth also uses various positive tones when describing his relationship with nature. In Wordsworth's poem he states that his “heart with pleasure fills” at the sight of the daffodils. This statement shows the audience that the sight of the daffodils makes Wordsworth’s heart fill with pleasure and delight as he examines their beauty. The audience is also shown how Wordsworth’s tone changes when he is separated from the daffodils, as it quickly changes from being joyous to being depressing. This quick shift in tone can be seen in the first stanza when Wordsworth says, “I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills,” this statement allows the audience to see that Wordsworth is sad and depressed when he is not accompanied by the daffodils, which shows that Wordsworth has a codependent relationship with
“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” (John Muir). Both John Muir and William Wordsworth demonstrate this through their use of language as they describe nature scenes. John Muir studies nature and in his essay about locating the Calypso Borealis he uses scientific descriptions to grab his reader’s attention and to portray his excitement at finding the rare flower. William Wordsworth on the other hand shows his appreciation for the beauty of nature and its effect on a person’s emotions in the vivid visual descriptions that he gives of the daffodils in his poem ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud.’ Wordsworth with his appreciation of beauty and Muir through scientific descriptions provide an indication of the influence that nature has had on them as they capture their reader’s attention both emotionally and visually through their personal and unique use of tone, diction, syntax and vocabulary.
One element Wordsworth incorporates in his poem to signify the necessity of simplicity in one's life is the simile. The speaker begins his recollection with the emptiness he holds inside as he "wandered lonely as a cloud / That floats on high o'er vales and hills" (Wordsworth 1-2). This simile symbolizes the speaker's yearning for something more fulfilling as he wanders through life. Often, clouds become separated from the rest and are left to wander aimlessly through the sky until they find more clouds to fulfill their emptiness. Wordsworth chooses a cloud to echo the speaker's state because, like a cloud, the speaker perhaps feels separated from everything in life and is simply floating through the patches of daffodils without a destination or purpose in hopes that someday he will discover fulfil...
I chose the poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth because I like the imagery in it of dancing daffodils. Upon closer examination, I realized that most of this imagery is created by the many metaphors and similes Wordsworth uses. In the first line, Wordsworth says "I wandered lonely as a cloud." This is a simile comparing the wondering of a man to a cloud drifting through the sky. I suppose the wandering cloud is lonely because there is nothing up there that high in the sky besides it. It can pass by unnoticed, touching nothing. Also, the image of a cloud brings to mind a light, carefree sort of wandering. The cloud is not bound by any obstacle, but can go wherever the whim of the wind takes it. The next line of poem says "I saw a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils." Here Wordsworth is using a metaphor to compare the daffodils to a crowd of people and a host of angels. The word crowd brings to mind an image of the daffodils chattering amongst one another, leaning their heads near each other in the wind. The word host makes them seem like their golden petals are shimmering like golden halos on angels. It is interesting to note that daffodils do have a circular rim of petals in the middle that could look like a halo. Later in the poem Wordsworth uses another simile, saying the dancing of daffodils in the wind is "continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way." This line creates the image of the wind blowing the tops of random daffodils up and down in a haphazard matter, so they appear to glint momentarily as their faces catch the sun. This goes along with the next metaphor of the daffodils "tossing their heads in sprightly dance." Comparing their movement to a dance also makes me think of swirling, swishing yellow skirts moving in harmony.
As a result of Wordsworth's many memories of Tintern Abbey, his life appears to be happy. The recollection of Tintern Abbey influences Wordsworth to acts of kindness and love. Likewise, Wordsworth is influenced by the natural surroundings of Tintern Abbey. Bloom said, "The poet loves nature for its own sake alone, and the presence of nature gives beauty to the poet's mind." (Bloom Poetry 409).
In “I wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” William Wordsworth accomplishes his ideal of nature by using personification, alliteration, and simile within his poem to convey to the reader how nature’s beauty uplifts his spirits and takes him away from his boring daily routine. Wordsworth relates himself in solidarity to that of a cloud wandering alone, “I wandered lonely as a cloud” (line 1). Comparing the cloud and himself to that of a lonely human in low spirits of isolation, simultaneously the author compares the daffodils he comes across as he “floats on high o’er vales and hills” (line 2) to that of a crowd of people dancing (lines 3-6 and again in 12). Watching and admiring the dancing daffodils as he floats on by relating them to various beauties of
He commands excellent control over his vocabulary which has been well planned and executed as every word has a reason for belonging. Some words of note are: daintily, flamed, undaunted and insolent. His choices of words are not that complicated but they evoke wonderful visual imagery. Wilson also manipulates other aspects of figurative devices such as personification, similes and metaphors. His use of personification is exemplary: ‘finger of decay’, ‘thistle seeds danced daintily’, ‘a lark praised god’, ‘teeth of winter’. As well as expertly weaving personification into the poem, Wilson also incorporates similes. ‘old wire crept through the grass like a snake’, ‘cruel as lust’, ‘like a heart of gold’, ‘It reached up like a lily from filth and manure’ are some similes that Wilson included in his poem. He has managed to walk on the fine line between too little and too many similes. ‘The still land was a witch who held her breath’ is an excellent metaphor that Wilson incorporates into France 1917. The three devices that were mentioned before create a vivid mental image of the scene that he is setting. Wilson’s poem also has some repletion of flowers such as the dandelion, lily and crocus as well as gold. Aural appreciation is also aided by repetition of f in the first stanza and s in the last as these two consonant sounds are soft. The only use of first person in his poem is in the
In Wandering Lonely As a Cloud by William Wordsworth the speaker is talking about a time he/she was feeling lonely and dejected and walked aimlessly about. Then the speaker encounters daffodils and is comforted by the sight but, without realizing the profoundness of the experience until later on. The daffodils then serve as comfort during any times of emptiness or boredom. The purpose of this poem is to emphasize the importance of preserving memories. At first, there is that one commencing moment of being overflowed by emotions and joy however, in the long term the true and meaningful value of the experience is the fact that it can be remembered and revisited.
The poem opens up with the argument of the destructive function of civilization on nature, concentrating here specifically on the purpose of human efforts to seek recognition through destruction of nature. The opening lines take the argument of nature against men seamlessly: “How vainly men themselves amaze / To win the palm, the oak, or bays” (1-2). From he very first lines the reader can sense that inutility of labor is denigrated in favor of the leisured enjoyment of nature. In line 4, the speaker establishes the argument of the crown—which symbolizes the human longing for recognition. However, this crown is made out of a cut down branch or shrub and therefore shortening their life as they fad...
He points out that the vision of daffodils generated an unforgettable reaction; because of this reaction the poet exaggerates about the amount of daffodils. Wordsworth then realizes that the vision of daffodils had an eternal impact on his state of mind. In his lonely and sad state, the poet reflects on his vision of the daffodils to calm and relax his thoughts. The poet also used rhyme scheme and figure of speech to emphasize on his point. It is safe to conclude that this poem is bases on the importance of a happy
Throughout the poem, the poet presents an overall meaning. The main meaning is that nature can bring happiness when it’s needed and that its beauty should be appreciated. The speaker of this poem makes a heaven out of a windy day and a bunch of daffodils. When he felt lonely, the daffodils around him, gave him a boost of joy. The poet is implying that people have become blind to the beauty of nature that is easily accessed, which is why he focused on the visual descriptions of the daffodils. Wordsworth wanted to emphasize the importance of
The poem has a lot of nature images that you can practically see: the trees, the water, the stars and the daffodils. Unlike " Upon Westminster Bridge" which I feel is slightly sarcastic. In " The daffodils" Wordsworth's tone is merry and flows quickly and nicely; it's like he is creating a painting not a poem.
All in all, throughout all the history of American poetry, we can easily find numerous poems concerning nature from different angles, for nature will never betray a nature-loving heart just as William Wordsworth says.
I can picture him seeing life and feeling it in every flower, ant, and piece of grass that crosses his path. The emotion he feels is strongly suggested in this line "To me the meanest flower that blows can give / Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears." Not only is this showing the kind of fulfillment he receives from nature, but also the power that nature possesses in his mind.... ... middle of paper ... ...