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Leah Sanson
Dr. McCully
Approaches to Literary Studies
3/3/2014
Safe Haven: A Look in William Wordsworths Mind
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth is a very concise poem. Just
twenty-four lines long, this short lyrical ballad is one that takes the mind on a beautiful
journey to the hills and daffodils that Wordsworth describes so vividly. In this poem, William
Wordsworth uses choppy sentences and descriptive details to provide us with an image of the
daffodils that stay imprinted in our minds long after we are finished reading. He starts out
with the image of the daffodils dancing around and in the conclusion of the poem, we
discover it was a recollection of one of the most beautiful scenes that he had ever seen and
one that brings him great comfort. Although this poem is short and not very complex, it has a
deeper meaning. Through his strong use of imagery, the form of the poem, personification,
and other literary devices such as metaphor, simile, and hyperbole, William Wordsworth
instills an image in our mind of the dancing(6) daffodils, same as the ones that were present
in his own mind. Through this image now in our own mind, we realize how powerful nature
really is.
Wordsworth does an outstanding job describing the scene he is picturing in his mind. I
dont think that there is a detail present that goes undescribed in this poem. His strong use of
imagery helps us understand the poem better by giving us a clear image of the setting and it
also reinforces his idea and perception that nature is all powerful and important to us; this
being in everyday life, whether we realize it or not. The beautiful imagery begins in just the

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first stanza when Wordsworth first discovers the field and states that the daffodils were
Beside the lake, beneath the trees, /Fluttering and dancing in the breeze(5-6). This imagery
gives us a detailed picture in our own mind that we did not have before but this is just the start
to the paradise that Wordsworth so greatly appreciates in the next three stanzas. In stanza
two, Wordsworth dives into greater depth with the scene, describing how the daffodils,
stretched in never-ending line/ among the margin of a bay(9-10). We can almost see the
bay in our minds, with the daffodils outlining every curve and edge. And in the same stanza,
Ten thousand I saw at a glance, / Tossing their heads in spritely dance(10-11). The wind
blowing the daffodils gives them a sort of rhythm and sway about them that was not present
before. This strong use of imagery really makes it feel like that we are right along with
Wordsworth, seeing the scene for the very first time as well.
Along with intense imagery, the form of this poem helps us understand the serenity of
the field and happiness the author gets while remembering this scene. The form of I
Wandered Lonely as a Cloud helps the poem stick in our mind just like how the beautiful
scene stuck in Wordsworths mind. The rhyme scheme is a familiar one, ABABCC. Words
such a hills(2) and daffodils(4) match up well, making the poem easier to read and
showing the almost song like quality the poem has. The poem is very simple, only four
stanzas and twenty four lines long, the point of this poem is brought on quickly and there is no
drawing out of a point or rambling on about unnecessary details. Thats another reason why
readers seem to remember this poem so well because we are more likely to remember
something that is short, sweet and to the point rather than a long narrative that we cannot even
comprehend. This poem is also written in iambic tetrameter, which gives the poem some sort

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of structure and rhythm that we can follow more easily and understand. This rhythm creates a
laid back mood that is representative of the scene depicted by Wordsworth.
Personification is ever present in this poem; it is found everywhere and it is very
important as well. This is where our feeling of having a relationship with nature and we begin
to realize that we have more in common with the dancing daffodils than we thought and from
there, we can better understand and appreciate nature because of the similarities we see.
Starting in the first line, Wordsworth uses reverse personification to describe himself as a
cloud; I wandered lonely as a cloud/ That floats on high(1-2). This gives us a better view
of the scene of daffodils, almost a bird eyes view. It is an out of body experience and a
different view that we may not have even thought about or examined regularly. Through this
view we feel more connected with the nature around us because we are essentially a part of it;
we are a cloud. Throughout the rest of the poem, William Wordsworth uses the type of
personification that we are more familiar with. In the ladder half of that first stanza, he gives
the daffodils human like qualities to make them more relatable and help us connect with the
nature in this poem. He shares with us that the daffodils were Fluttering and dancing in the
breeze(6). Then, later the daffodils are said to be tossing their heads(12) in a crowd, / a
host(3-4). We can picture the daffodils swaying and dancing to the rhythm of the wind just
as we would in life. This personification makes the nature and the speaker almost seem
united and together in some sort. The daffodils are not the only things in this poem that is
personified, the waves beside them danced(13) and in the very last line, his heart dances
with the daffodils(24). That statement concludes the poem nicely because it is now apparent
to us that he thinks of the scene often and it gives him great comfort.

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Lastly, Wordsworth uses other literary devices such as metaphors, similes and
hyperbole to tie up the entire poem and really bring home the idea of trying to connect us with
the nature that he loved and wanted to share with us so badly. All of these devices are
important naturally but in this poem they are especially important because this is what wraps
up the poem with a nice little bow on it. They bring the whole poem together and bring
emphasis on how we are connected with nature here. He brings the heaven like theme into
play when he uses a simile to describe the field of daffodils continuous as the stars that
shine(7) which make us connect the scene described with another familiar image. And
throughout the first stanza, he uses a longer metaphor to describe the daffodils dancing like
humans and waving around that makes us feel like us and the daffodils are one, connected in
some type of characteristic way. In the conclusion of the poem, he uses another longer
metaphor of his inward eye and his heart dancing showing the real emotions he feels looking
back on the field that he adores so much. We see hyperbole present in the middle of the poem
when he states that he saw Ten thousand(11) at a glance(11). They also stretched in a
never-ending line.(9) Now we know that these statements are not completely truthful but
they help our imagination picture the scene that is laid out before us. These hyperboles, along
with the other elementary literary devices Wordsworth used, help depict the scene better than
any other choice of words could.
Ever since I was a little girl my parents have made it a point for me to go out and
explore nature. At first it started out with catching lightning bugs in the backyard and small
camping trips with the entire family but as I got older, my connection with nature grew as
well. The small camping trips turned into weeklong excursions and the harmless playing in
the enclosed backyard evolved into treacherous hikes that took the entirety of the day to

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complete. I have always adored nature and understood it for its real beauty. I have never
taken it for granted and frankly, I dont think that I ever will. I think that is why William
Wordsworth poem hit home hard for me, because I understood so well what he meant when
he pictured the scene of daffodils in his head and it gave him comfort. Even if he did
appreciate it when he first saw the scene, he appreciated it even more after because of the
comfort and serenity he felt when he recalled on this great natural beauty. Now, picturing my
childhood memories with nature, I feel a certain calmness and happiness about me.
Wordsworth uses devices such as visual imagery, melodic tone and form, personification, and
other literary devices to make us feel a part of the poem and a part of nature as a whole. The
main point of this poem is to instill the same image in us as he has in his mind and by doing
so, he gets us to understand nature and comprehend how extraordinary and beautiful it is.
Overall, we all have that special place that we return to in our mind to give us serenity and
bring us back to natural peace. This is what Wordsworth is describing here, his safe haven.