The Nature of William Wordsworth William Wordsworth’s contributions to literature have been instrumental to the development of what poetry is today. One of his most popular contributions was a poem in the Lyrical Ballads called “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”. This poem embodied the spirit of the Romantic Era. While many draw different thoughts and images when reading this poem, there is an underlying tone when describing nature. Analyzing the stanzas will unveil the true spiritual intent and beauty of the poem. William Wordsworth was born in April 7, 1770 in the United Kingdom. Throughout his lifetime he wrote literary works that involved political views and opinions to shape the masses. As he started to peak, he found his voice within this …show more content…
The body of water, that may represent life, are outdone by the daffodils, Wordsworth’s remarkable company. Wordsworth then states how he cannot be happy in comparison to the “Daffodils”. Wordsworth starts to close his journey with his sentiments on the value of the sight that he saw or experienced. Finally, the Wordsworth ends the poem by creating the imagery of a reminiscent thought. Wordsworth reviews the image that was created within his mind. He then restates how happy he was to see such a spectacular sight. The final sentence of the poem closes out with “And dances with the daffodils” (Wordsworth). The ending of the stanza implies that a portion of the journey has remained with him. The final segment represents Romanticism very well because nature is teaching the journeyman about its beauty. If the poem was interpreted literally, nature would only be viewed for the physical beauty that it holds. This thought process would make sense if it were written in the classical era of literature. However, Wordsworth combined portions of romanticism and the classical ideals, creates poetry that satisfied both parties. Romanticism valued inner beauty over physical beauty because it emphasized individualism and self. Imperfections were valued over perfection because perfection doesn’t have character and …show more content…
Wordsworth embodied all the characteristics of the changing thoughts of romanticism within a four stanza poem. He also left enough room for interpretation to satisfy those that didn’t completely agree with the new movement. The poem itself was layered with symbolism that allows the readers to correlate the poem to situations in daily life. Finally, Wordsworth makes many references that suggest there is a subplot within the poem itself. By making nature the key teacher, it gives life and opens possibilities to the reader that may not have initially viewed nature as a living
(ll. 19-24) Wordsworth’s famous and simple poem, “I wandered lonely as a cloud,” expresses the Romantic Age’s appreciation for the beauty and truth that can be found in a setting as ordinary as a field of daffodils. With this final stanza, Wordsworth writes of the mind’s ability to carry those memories of nature’s beauty into any setting, whether city or country. His belief in the power of the imagination and the effect it can have on nature, and vice a versa, is evident in most of his work. This small
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.
William Wordsworth, like Blake, was linked with Romanticism. In fact, he was one of the very founders of Romanticism. He wrote poems are about nature, freedom and emotion. He was open about how he felt about life and what his life was like. Also, Wordsworth wrote poems about the events going on around him ? for instance the French Revolution. Mainly, Wordsworth wrote about nature, however, rarely used simple descriptions in his work. Instead, Wordsworth wrote complexly, for example in his poem ?Daffodils?.
What does Wordsworth see when he 'sees into the life of things?'; Remember that in the lines leading up to his portrayal of the 'blessed mood'; that gives him sight, Wordsworth has been pointing to the power of human memory and reflection. And the importance of memory and reflection are made plain by the shifting time perspectives in the poem. The poem begins with the speaker on the banks of the Wye for the first time in five years. At first the poet emphasizes the way in which his present experience is similar to that of five years ago. More than once he tells us that 'again'; he has certain experiences in this secluded spot, a place that is evidently a refuge for him. He then tells how he has though of 'these beauteous forms' at many difficult times since he was last at this spot, five years before. At these moments, his recollections of his time on the banks of the Wye seems to lift his spirits and restore him. He then points to what might, at first glance, seem to be impossible: 'unremembered pleasures.'; How can it make sense to say that we recall 'unremembered pleasures';? If they are unremembered, how can we be thinking about them? This strange phrase might point to some vague pleasant experience in the past, one that we cannot clearly name. But it could also mean that we can now remember pleasures that previously not only unremembered but actually unnoticed. The thought of an unnoticed pleasure might seem strange as well.
and in? The Ancient Mariner? , we see that Coleridge shows the struggle against the overwhelming forces of nature. It is an important theme for the Romantic poets. Another difference between the two poets is that Wordsworth deals with everyday people from small villages, and while reading the words, I felt as if it was not a poem at all, but a story being told.
He personifies both the daffodils and waves as he compares their beauty to each other. However, the flowers "out-did" the waves with their happiness, since waves do not bring as much joy as the yellow flowers. This comparison makes the daffodils seem even more beautiful and happy. Furthermore, the speaker uses more joyful connotations to describe the daffodils. The use of the word “jocund” instead of cheerful implies the complexity of the beauty of the flower. Both the comparison and the connotation reinforce the theme of happiness. Moreover, the speaker uses the repetition of the word “gaze”. By repeating the word, he indicates that he, consistently, looked at the flowers for a long time. Additionally, the speaker metaphorically compares the sight of the daffodils to “wealth”. The word "wealth" in this instance, is not a measure of material prosperity, but rather a measure of a permanent kind of happiness that results from simply the view of the
He engages the reader by forcing them to change from what they are thinking to what the writer wants them to... ... middle of paper ... ... d the speaker is vacant of the joy that he found in nature- especially the daffodils. So when he recalls the daffodils he is reunited with the pleasure which he can not find amongst people. I prefer " The Daffodils".
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud – An Analysis 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 like a cloud. " This is a simile comparing the wonder 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.
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
When a man becomes old and has nothing to look forward to he will always look back, back to what are called the good old days. These days were full of young innocence, and no worries. Wordsworth describes these childhood days by saying that "A single Field which I have looked upon, / Both of them speak of something that is gone: The Pansy at my feet Doth the same tale repeat: Whither is fled the visionary gleam? Where is it now, the glory and the dream?"(190) Another example of how Wordsworth uses nature as a way of dwelling on his past childhood experiences is when he writes "O joy! That in our embers / Is something that doth live, / That nature yet remembers / What was so fugitive!" (192) Here an ember represents our fading years through life and nature is remembering the childhood that has escaped over the years. As far as Wordsworth and his moods go I think he is very touched by nature. 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." (193) Not only is this showi...
As the poem progresses, the speaker’s attitude changes in (line 26), where he tells us that his mood is lowered. It is here that the speaker presents himself as “a happy child of earth” in (line 31); as once again Wordsworth... ... middle of paper ... ... / Of the unfinished sheepfold may be seen / Besides the boisterous brook of Greenhead Ghyll,” showing the growth of human beings in relative notion to nature.
In "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey," William Wordsworth explains the impact of Nature from Tintern Abbey in his every day life. "Tintern Abbey" shows the great importance of nature to Wordsworth in his writings, love for life, and religion. The memories he has of Tintern Abbey make even the darkest days full of light.
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...
Wordsworth had two simple ideas that he put into his writing of poetry. One was that “poetry was the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” The second idea was that poets should describe simple scenes of nature in the everyday words, which in turn would create an atmosphere through the use of imagination (Compton 2).