The poem starts by introducing a man who is "lonely as a cloud", when all of the sudden he encounters a "crowd , a host of golden daffodils." Right away, it becomes clear that Wordsworth is going to personify the daffodils to convey his message. In the stanza's that follow, the man is captivated by the daffodils as they toss their heads in "sprightly dance" and put on a spectacular show for him. He is enriched by the show and no longer feels alone because nature has brought him out of his solitude.
The use of personification in this poem serves to eradicate the feeling of loneliness; it almost seems like the man is surrounded by some sort of street parade! The use of vivid imagery further solidifies this point and helps bring the situation to life, so to speak. Ultimately, the last stanza summarizes the message of the poem: one can feel happy even when he is alone as long as he stays positive and recounts pleasant experiences.
I agree that Wordsworth's poem was easy to read and fairly straightforward. In Poetry Home Repair Manual, Kooser puts poetry on a sliding scale of there being a bright sun to illuminate the subject while diminishing the reflection of one's own face on the window (which stands for one's perceptual lens) to there being little to no sun, allowing for the reflection of the author's face on the window. I would definitely categorize "I Wandered Lonely as a Child" with the brightened subject and diminished reflection.
ReplyDeleteMarcus, I love this poem, too. At first glance, it's very happy and cheerful and vibrant. Then when you read it a second or third or fourth time, you see that there's this element of loneliness AND joy that echo and exist simultaneously.
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