I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

1. I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud By William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

2. Think about the title:“I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud” Based on the title, what might the poem be about? Do the words in the title have any significant connotations?

3. The Poem: “I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud” I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o’er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,They stretched in never-ending lineAlong the margin of a bay:Ten thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. (continued...)

4. The waves beside them danced; but theyOut-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:I gazed—and gazed—but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought:For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude;And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils.

5. How would you characterize the tone of this poem?

6. Vocabulary Sprightly = lively, brisk, energetic Jocund = jolly Pensive = thoughtful, contemplative

7. New Literary Term: “Elision” (the omission of an unstressed vowel or syllable). This is used to preserve the meter in the poem.

8. Examples of elision:“o’er” (for “over”) “vales” (for “valleys”) “oft” (for “often”)

9. Let’s look at the poem again. I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o’er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

10. What is literally happening in this stanza? I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o’er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

11. Do you notice any interesting literary devices in this stanza? I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o’er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

12. I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o’er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Simile = “lonely as a cloud”Personification = “daffodils...Fluttering and dancing...”

13. How would you describe the overall structure of this stanza? (i.e., meter and rhyme scheme) I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o’er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

14. Meter = iambic tetrameter Rhyme scheme = ababcc(a quatrain and a couplet) I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o’er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

15. Let’s look at the second stanza...

16. Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,They stretched in never-ending lineAlong the margin of a bay:Ten thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

17. Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,They stretched in never-ending lineAlong the margin of a bay:Ten thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. Once again, what is literally happening in this stanza?

18. Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,They stretched in never-ending lineAlong the margin of a bay:Ten thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. Once again, are there any interesting literary devices?

19. Let’s read the third stanza...

20. The waves beside them danced; but theyOut-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:I gazed—and gazed—but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought:

21. The waves beside them danced; but theyOut-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:I gazed—and gazed—but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought: What’s happening in this stanza?

22. The waves beside them danced; but theyOut-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:I gazed—and gazed—but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought: Do you spot any literary devices?

23. Now for the final stanza...

24. For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude;And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils.

25. For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude;And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils. Notice the shift in time. What’s happening in this stanza?

26. For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude;And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils. Are there any literary devices worth noting?

27. William Wordsworth lived from 1770-1850.

28. The English Romantic Period (1798-1832) was an age in which poetry flourished. Using the simple language of common people, the Romantics wrote lyric poems that generally focused on: • ordinary situations and common people • a strong belief in democratic ideals • an emphasis on personal experiences and emotions rather than reason and intellect • an interest in mystery and the supernatural • a belief in spontaneity and living life to excess • an emphasis upon imagination as a gateway to transcendent experiences and spiritual truth • a deep love of nature.

29. How does Wordworth’s poem reflect the sensibilities of the Romantic Period?

30. ordinary situations and common people • a strong belief in democratic ideals • an emphasis on personal experiences and emotions rather than reason and intellect • an interest in mystery and the supernatural • a belief in spontaneity and living life to excess • an emphasis upon imagination as a gateway to transcendent experiences and spiritual truth • a deep love of nature.

31. What is a possible theme for this poem?

32. How does the title relate to the overall meaning of the poem?

33. Any questions?