The Daffodils : Literary Style and Figures of Speech

The Daffodils : Literary Style and Figures of Speech

Lyric

Daffodils is a lyric that uses simple language to convey the poet's personal thoughts and emotions.

This poem is very simple, and it is considered one of the loveliest and most famous in the Wordsworth canon. It revisits the familiar subjects of nature and memory. It also reflects his concept of the romantic imagination and his belief in the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, which he acknowledged as the theory of poetry. The plot is extremely covery of a field of daffodils by a lake, the memory of which pleases him and comforts him when he is lonely, bored, or restless. The daffodils are continually personified as human beings, dancing and “tossing their heads” in “a crowd, a host.” This technique implies an inherent unity between man and nature, making it one of Wordsworth’s most basic and effective methods.

The tone of the poem changes as the poem progresses.

The poem begins on a sad note emphasising the poet's solitariness with the line 'I wandered lonely as a cloud'. The tone shifts to one of joy and cheer when he sees the daffodils. A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company.

The last stanza is reflective of the poet's state of mind when he is alone.

'For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood"

The poem was inspired by an April 15, 1802 event in which Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, came across a “long belt” of daffodils, written in 1804, it was first published in 1807 the poems in two volumes, and a revised version was released in 1815, which is more commonly known. It consists of four six-line stanzas, in iambic tetrameter and an ABABCC rhyme scheme.

Figures of Speech:-

Imagery

Wordsworth has skillfully used imagery to bring alive the beauty of the daffodils and to allow the readers to sense his emotions on seeing the flowers.

For instance, these lines from the first stanza allow us to easily imagine the large number of daffodils.

"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"

Similarly, in the last stanza, Wordsworth cleverly uses the verb 'flash' to create the impression of a sudden memory.

"They flash upon that inward eye 

Which is the bliss of solitude;"

Simile

The poet uses a simile when he compares himself on his solitary rambles to a cloud on its own.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud"

In addition, the golden daffodils stretched beside the lake are compared to twinkling stars.

"Continuous as the stars that shine"

Personification

Wordsworth has used personification and given human qualities of fluttering and dancing to the daffodils. The waves are personified as well.

"Fluttering and dancing in the breeze Tossing their heads in sprightly dance

The waves beside them danced"

Hyperbole

The use of hyperbole or exaggeration in this line emphasises the large number of daffodils seen by the poet.

"Ten thousand saw I at a glance"

Inversion

The poem also has several instances of inversion, where the usual order of words has been changed to maintain the rhythm of the poem. Observe these sentences:

"Ten thousand saw I at a glance

For oft, when on my couch I lie

And then my heart with pleasure fills"

Alliteration

Alliteration has also been used in several places to add to the rhythm of the poem.

"Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 

And dances with the daffodils"