I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud (page 735) By William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

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?

The Poem: “I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud” I wandered lonely as a cloud That 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 shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. (continued...)

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

How would you characterize the tone of this poem?

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

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

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

Let’s look at the poem again. I wandered lonely as a cloud That 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.

What is literally happening in this stanza? I wandered lonely as a cloud That 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. What is literally happening in this stanza?

Do you notice any interesting literary devices in this stanza? I wandered lonely as a cloud That 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. Do you notice any interesting literary devices in this stanza?

I wandered lonely as a cloud That 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...” Elision = o’er

I wandered lonely as a cloud That 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. How would you describe the overall structure of this stanza? (i.e., meter and rhyme scheme)

I wandered lonely as a cloud That 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. Meter = iambic tetrameter Rhyme scheme = ababcc (a quatrain and a couplet)

Let’s look at the second stanza...

Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along 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? Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along 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?

Once again, are there any interesting literary devices? Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along 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?

Let’s read the third stanza...

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

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

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

Now for the final stanza...

For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which 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? For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which 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?

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

William Wordsworth lived from 1770-1850.

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.

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

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.

What is a possible theme for this poem?

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

Create a thesis statement about this poem which addresses the following prompt: “How does the language in this poem convey the speaker’s attitude toward the subject?” Sample Thesis: “Wordsworth uses imagery and diction to convey the sublime emotional effect that the speaker’s encounter with the natural world has had on both his past and his present situations.”

Any questions?