Wordsworth's In Wandering Lonely As A Cloud

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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 initial emotion of the speaker and his/her’s general state of mind is introduced. It shows the importance of that moment and why it is a memory the speaker will recollect at a later time. The speaker “wandered lonely as a cloud”(1). To wander is to move in a leisurely manner. This is a moment where the speaker is feeling both casual and aimless. At that one time, there are no outside interferences or worries or stress but just the speaker and nature in harmony. This kind of moment is not consistent for the speaker therefore, he finds it special. Afterwards, the speaker must go back to the commotion of the everyday world. It is a moment and therefore can not be long lived. Also, clouds are above and detached from the world underneath it. In this sense, the speaker is distanced from the world in an elated and dreamy manner. So just like a cloud is detached from humanity so is the speaker, if only momentarily. Then, the speaker states, “all at once I saw a crowd,/ a host of golden daffodils”(3-4). This illustrates the suddenness of the moment and how the beauty of the daf...

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... he joins the dance.

Overall, the purpose of the poem is to emphasize the significance of containing memories and that their importance lies in future recollection. Such a small experience would lose all its worth if it was only enjoyed in that one moment. Every minute detail is analyzed and imagination makes the experience as grand as the speaker wants it to be. Then once an ideal vision is complete the mind or rather, the heart, contains it and whenever similar emotions are felt it triggers this vision to come to life again, in the speakers mind. This poem makes the reader question wether the in the moment experience is important or the fact that it can be used for countless times to come. It replaces the seize the day mentality with more weight on the imagination and recaptured emotion. In other words it wants readers to see the beauty in preserved emotion.

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