Critical analysis of a poem - Essay Example

I wandered lonely as a cloud” by William Wordsworth Introduction: “I wandered lonely as a cloud” is an excellent poetic masterpiece by William Wordsworth written in 1804. This poem is also famously known as “Daffodils.” William Wordsworth has highlighted the strong bond between the nature and the mankind in a very poetic manner which represents the importance of nature in a human setting. The poet has used different elements of a poem to create a strong feeling of bonding with the nature through his poetic diction, meter, personification and narration.

Analysis of the poem: The poem holds a simple plot which is based on poet’s meaning wandering in search of solace and peace. During his search, he discovers the field of daffodils which soothes his soul and mind. In the first of the poem; the poet has metaphorically compared himself as a cloud by saying, “I wandered lonely as a cloud”. In this part, he describes himself a lonely cloud which expresses the loneliness of the poet (or the speaker). This similarity between the cloud and the poet leaves the impression of speaker’s loneliness and free spirit personality; floating aimlessly from one point to another.

The poet has not given any indication on the gender of the speaker, however; we can assume that the poem is written in the first person which represents the directly represents the feelings of the poet. At various places, the poet has used pronoun “I” to show his personal experience with the Mother Nature and through this personal experience, the poet has tried to convey the interaction of individuals with their environment. The poem contains four six-line stanzas that follows a quatrain-couplet rhyme; ABABCC.

Each line of the poem is defined in an iambic tetrameter. As a result, the whole poem has a special rhythmic balance which represents the poet’s experience with the nature in a more defined manner. Further, the poet has personified his idea of a strong connection between the man and the nature in a unique manner. In the poem, the poet has compared himself with the clouds floating lightly and the daffodils as humans: “When all at once I saw a crowd/ A host of golden daffodils”. The poet has contrasted his isolation with the presence of daffodils gathered around him in a huge number.

The poetic diction used in this poem enhances the meaning of every stanza. The poet has expressed the joy brought to him by the sight of daffodils as a reward granted to him by Mother Nature. As he says, “What wealth the show to me had brought” clearly reflects the interpretation of the wealth in terms of peace of mind and joy that is brought to him by nature around him. Conclusion: William Wordsworth has creatively used the various poetic elements to describe the relationship between the speaker and the nature.

This poem enhances the feeling of calmness and joy for his readers. Through exaggeration of words and poetic diction, the poet has tried his level best to convey the meaning of happiness and joy that is brought to him by Mother Nature that he discovers in his solitude and moments of isolation. Works Cited:William Wordsworth. “I wandered lonely as a cloud.” (1804) [Available Online] accessed on 24th February 2012.