The Process of Thoughts in Daffodils by William Wordsworth

Our thoughts and imagination can be in our favor as a blessing or against us as a curse, as we determine how we shape our thoughts and what we prefer to think, imagine and dream about. Whether these thoughts are delightful or frightening, it’s what makes us continue our life the way we want. In his poem “I wandered lonely as a cloud” (or “Daffodils”), William Wordsworth examines the process and ways of thought related to nature in his eyes.

First, he mentions a cloud that is roaming by itself, which usually doesn’t happen as clouds are always seen in groups floating above us, but here he might be referring to the fragment of the cloud. This cloud is floating aimlessly with no destination to land on, at this point he might be referring to himself as he is alone with no friends and has no where to go to, so he starts to wander around till he hopes to see something that will grab his attention on this journey.

Second, he mentions a “crowd of golden daffodils” that he sees while roaming around, he uses the word crowd to mention the countless amount of them and resemble them to a group of humans, the word golden is used to express their majesty and beauty in his eyes. These daffodils can be seen everywhere, “beside the lake, beneath the trees”, similarly to humans that can be seen everywhere. He starts to describe them as “fluttering and dancing” the same which humans do when they are happy and filled with joy. William sees these flowers are happy and living a great moment, it could be because they are all in together in one place, unlike him being lonely with no friends so he can’t enjoy himself.

Third, the stars and waves are compared to the daffodils as he sees them as similar elements to the flowers. The number of stars is like the number of daffodils he saw, they are uncountable. They are also similar in the way they show their beauty, as stars shine in the sky, the daffodils sway their heads along the wind in glee. The waves and daffodils are compared to each other by the way they dance. Even though the waves behind the daffodils were also dancing, William could only see the beauty of the flowers at that moment, as their company made him feel pleasured.

Overall, William’s poem reflects his thoughts and ideas of nature and how he associates it with humans and their behaviors. It’s clear that at certain stages of emotions he sees that nature is representing him in an equivalent way and could use these thoughts to delight him and assure him that he is not alone in what he is going through.

References

• I Wandered Lonely as A Cloud Analysis: Wordsworth • English Summary. (2018, September 23). Retrieved July 17, 2019, from https://englishsummary.com/wandered-lonely-cloud-wordsworth/
• Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). I wandered lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils) Theme of Happiness. Retrieved July 17, 2019, from https://www.shmoop.com/wandered-lonely-cloud-daffodils/happiness-theme.html