How Does ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ Espouse Wordsworth’s Romantic Ideals?
It can be deduced that Romanticism evolved around the 1770’s, which eventually branched off into the French and Industrial Revolution. Due to these events, many Romantic poets strongly focused on the themes of nature, the power of imagination and spiritual symbolism. This was originally initiated by William Wordsworth in his renowned poem, ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’, with the use of numerous literacy devices, which espouses his ideals.
One of Wordsworth’s ideals that are expressed throughout ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ is the splendor of nature. In the poem, Wordsworth is brought to a standstill and admires the beauty that is presented to him. For instance, he personifies the daffodils in the lines, “The waves beside them danced”, and “Fluttering and dancing in the breeze” which suggests the aliveness of nature. Wordsworth intended to communicate that the human spirit is uplifted by the concept of nature. He also advocates that we often fail to appreciate the wonders of nature, as we continue our daily lives. Furthermore, it is evident that the poet intentionally wanted to create the idea of a positive and uplifting relationship between man and nature. He uses reverse personification to convey this concept in stanza one. When the poet saw the ‘crowd’ and ‘host’ of the golden daffodils (lines 3-4), it instantly changed his mood from loneliness to happiness. This literacy device indicates that while a person may feel saddened and isolated, they can discover unity and companionship in relation to the beauty of nature.
Additionally, the power of the imagination is another idea that the poet intended to convey in his poem. In ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’, Wordsworth captures the cheerful and comforting memories of the daffodils, to relive them at a later date. He demonstrates this by using the metaphor, the ‘inward eye’. Wordsworth felt strongly opposed against the Industrial...