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Yolanda Keren Rivera

Professor H Batty

English 102

24 September 2017

A Cloud Full of Joy

Literature is such a profound subject because it has many different types of

writing under its genre. One popular type of literature is poetry, because of its

unpredictable meanings and endless interpretations. William Wordsworth was an English

poet, for his work Romanticism and most famous poem ever written about daffodils. In

the poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, someone is walking around through the hills

and valleys, but yet he feels lonely and sad. Suddenly as he passed a lake, he noticed a

big group of yellow daffodils waving in the breeze. Were talking about thousands and

thousands of them and all these flowers were dancing. His loneliness is replaced with

joy, but he didn't realize what he received until later. Although some believe this poem is

about a simple dream, I believe the poem is about metaphors, nature, and finding

happiness.

William Wordsworth was a great Romantic poet. He lived in London but in the

rugged beauty part of England. His poems were mentally composed during long walks

outdoors. He sympathized with the poor and oppressed. He romanticized peasants and

children, whom he believed capable of perceiving. Wordsworth's efforts and undeniable

talent and drive, today we have a beautiful body of work that speaks to our soul.
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For instance lets look at the title itself, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud its a

metaphor! Stating that a cloud is lonely, a metaphor; figure of speech in which a name or

descriptive word or phrase is transferred to an object or action different from, but

analogous to, that to which it is literally applicable; an instance of this, a metaphorical

expression. (Oxford English Dictionary) Also, the word wandered means roaming

around without a purpose, like when you explore something. But in its metaphorical use,

"wandered" can mean feeling purposeless and directionless in general. (Oxford English

Dictionary) This poem is full of metaphors that are speaking to its readers for a sense of

connection to the material such as,

I wandered lonely as a cloud

And dances with the daffodils

The waves beside them danced. (Wordsworth 1)

The author is metaphorically compared to a natural object, a cloud, "I wandered lonely as

a cloud that floats on high..." and the daffodils are continually personified as human

beings, dancing and "tossing their heads" in "a crowd, a host." The metaphors in this

poem, gives us some incite of what William Wordsworth is referring to.

Nature is a big part of this poem; its mostly filled with comparisons of the earths

creations. In the article Beyond knowing Nature, states A connection with nature has

been described as a cognitive and affective construct with aspects of personality and

experience. A connection with nature is often seen to be responsible for the creation of an

environmentally responsible individual. (Lumber) The relationship between nature and

human beings: how nature can affect ones emotion and behavior with its motion and

sound. Wordsworth continues to relay his experience in nature as he expounds upon the
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affiliation between the daffodils and another natural element. A connection with nature

creates a sense of belonging to the wider natural world as part of a larger community of

nature many times, the authors use symbolism to express the way they feel without

being direct with a message, which can help the reader to create their own interpretation

of the poem.

The person in this poem is looking forward to his time of being alone, because the

daffodils will be there to dance for him, to keep him company, which is the bliss of

solitude and then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils. (Wordsworth

4,5,6) I believe that he finds happiness within the company of his environment.

The daffodils became the persons companion in the third stanza, and they were

describing it as the jocund company William wrote. Trying to find who we really are in

a way and looking for a sense of direction and at the end he does.

In Literature the interpretations may vary to each individual and each reader.

Their age, emotions, whos who influence them or the words used daily, the

interpretations are endless and all different. The beauty of poetry is in ones

understanding of each word, and also knowing theres no right or wrong answer, every

interpretation is valid within literature. Poetry is one of the most difficult and beautiful

genres in literature because its where the authors are free to express their true self on

paper. Also letting us understand how much William Wordsworth related his work to

nature and the universe. It also explains to us, that William Wordsworth was one of the

greatest and the most influential English romantic poets in history.

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Works Cited

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

Lumber, Ryan, et al. "Beyond Knowing Nature: Contact, Emotion, Compassion,

Meaning, and Beauty Are Pathways to Nature Connection." Plos ONE, vol. 12,

no. 5, 09 May 2017, pp. 1-24. EBSCOhost,

"Metaphor, n." OED Online, Oxford University Press, June 2017,

"Wandered, adj." OED Online, Oxford University Press, June 2017