The Daffodils Question and Answers:-

The Daffodils Question and Answers:-

Click here for a line by line explanation video of the poem:

Q1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

"Continuous as the stars that shine 

And twinkle on the milky way, 

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

They stretched in never-ending line

 Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,"

(i)What is the poet describing in the stanza? Where and how did the poet chance upon them?

In the stanza, the poet is describing the daffodils he saw.

The poet was wandering about idly like a cloud drifting over hills and valleys when he suddenly came across daffodils spread in large numbers beside a lake and under trees.

(ii)What are the daffodils being compared to here? Why do you think the poet has made this comparison?

The poet has used a simile and has directly compared the daffodils he saw to the twinkling and shining stars of the Milky Way.

By comparing the daffodils to a galaxy, the poet paints a vivid picture of the large number of daffodils present there. Also, the comparison allows us to imagine the beauty of the flowers.

(iii)Identify and explain the instances of hyperbole in this stanza.

There are two instances of hyperbole in this stanza:

    "They stretched in never-ending line" and

     "Ten thousand saw I at a glance"

In both cases, there is an exaggeration. The daffodils may have been large in number, however, there cannot have been ten thousand of them. Neither could they really be never-ending. By using such exaggeration, the poet wishes to emphasise the point he is making about the large number of daffodils he saw. It also allows us to experience the emotions he experienced on seeing the flowers.

(iv) What words does the poet use to bring out the human quality of the daffodils?

The post has personified the daffodils and used several words in the poem to emphasise this fact. Words like fluttering, dancing, tossing their heads, glee and jocund company serve to highlight the human qualities of the daffodils.

(v) How did the poet's frame of mind change when he encountered the daffodils?

The poet was in a solitary mood and chanced upon the daffodils on one of his rambles. On spotting the daffodils dancing so gaily, the poet's lonely mood changed to one of happiness. He could not stop staring at the beautiful scene of the daffodils and was cheered immensely.

Q2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

"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:"

i) Which figure of speech has been used in the first line of the stanza? Explain.

Personification has been used in the first line of the stanza. Waves, which are inanimate, have been given the human quality of dancing.

ii) Who does 'them' refer to? Why did the poet gaze and gaze at them?

Them' refers to the daffodils that were fluttering gaily in the breeze. They were spread out in large numbers beside the lake and under the trees.

The fluttering daffodils were beautiful and appeared to be dancing joyfully in the breeze. They outmatched the sparkling waves by their sheer vivacity and gaiety. Hence, the poet could not stop gazing at them.

iii)What does the poet mean when he says that 'A poet could not but be gay/ In such a jocund company'?

In these lines, the poet is clearly stating the impact the daffodils had on his mood. The poet feels that the sight of the daffodils fluttering along the lake was alluring, and the flowers offered cheerful company. He could not help being happy amidst so much loveliness and joy.

iv) What 'wealth' does the poet refer to? How does this wealth help the poet?

 'Wealth' refers to the joy and contentment that the poet experienced when he gazed at the beautiful daffodils fluttering gaily beside the lake. At that time, he did not realise the immense value of what he had witnessed.

But later whenever the poet would be in a solitary or pensive mood, he would recollect the memory of the beautiful daffodils by the lake. This would lift his spirits considerably.

v) What can you infer about the poet's character from the poem? 

The poet comes across as an observant person as he paints a very vivid picture of the sight of the daffodils. He is also obviously a nature lover. He feels extreme joy not only when he sees the daffodils, but also later when he remembers the sight. Further, he is spiritually inclined. This is illustrated in the last stanza where he calls his 'inward eye', that is, his imagination, the 'bliss of solitude'.

Q3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

"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."

i)What is referred to as 'they' in the stanza? Whom did they outmatch and how?

They' refers to the daffodils that the poet saw when he was out on a walk.

As the daffodils tossed in breeze, they appeared to be dancing gaily and they sparkled. The waves in the lake too glimmered. However, the daffodils outmatched the waves with their sheer intensity and liveliness.

ii) What does the poet mean by 'inward eye'?

The poet refers to his imagination or his mind's eye as his 'inward eye"... By calling it inward eye, he indicates that it is something so personal that anything he sees there cannot completely be shared with anyone else. The joy he experiences on recalling the daffodils in this inward eye is unparalleled and pure.

iii) How did the poet's encounter with the daffodils affect him in later years? 

In later years, whenever the poet would be in a thoughtful or solitary mood he would visualise the beautiful scene of the daffodils dancing by the lake. This memory would drive away his loneliness and fill him with joy. It would give him immense pleasure to recollect this beautiful scene.

iv) How is nature presented as a healer in the poem?

In the initial part of the poem, the poet is lonely as he wanders on his own. But as he comes across the daffodils beside the lake, his spirits rise and he becomes cheerful. Later, the memory of the daffodils by the lake uplifts his spirit and makes his heart dance. They give him the much-needed boost to continue with life. Thus, nature heals the poet whenever he is in a lonely or serious frame of mind.

v) Human beings are an inseparable part of nature. How does Wordsworth communicate this in this poem?

In the first stanza of the poem, the poet likens himself to a cloud, that is, an inanimate object. Later, he personifies the daffodils and the waves by giving them qualities of dancing, fluttering and so on. Wordsworth uses this approach to highlight that human beings are an intrinsic part of nature.