Dance and Daffodils Free Essay Example

“I wandered lonely as a cloud” William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,5
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:10
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,15
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,20
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

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Summary
The speaker says that, wandering like a cloud floating above hills and valleys, he encountered a field of daffodils beside a lake.

The dancing, fluttering flowers stretched endlessly along the shore, and though the waves of the lake danced beside the flowers, the daffodils outdid the water in glee. The speaker says that a poet could not help but be happy in such a joyful company of flowers. He says that he stared and stared, but did not realize what wealth the scene would bring him. For now, whenever he feels “vacant” or “pensive,” the memory flashes upon “that inward eye / That is the bliss of solitude,” and his heart fills with pleasure, “and dances with the daffodils.”

Questions

1.What figure of is found in lines 1 and 7? Which two things are being compared in each case?

2.Quote TWO VERBS from stanza 1 which describe the movement of the daffodils.

3.What mood is created by the words mentioned in questions 2?

4.What is the poet saying about the daffodils when comparing them to the stars in the Milky Way?

5.Which figure of speech is evident in line 12 – “Tossing their heads in sprightly dance”?

6.What effect do the waves and daffodils have on the poet in stanza 3?

7.Comment on the repetition of the word “gazed” in line 17.

8.Does the poet use the word “wealth” literally of figuratively in line 18? Give a reason for your answer.

9.What is the “inward eye” mentioned in line 21?

10.What effect does the memory of the daffodils have on the poet?

———————–
Across
2. perfect happiness (stanza 4)
4. valleys (stanza 1)
6. a contraction of the word
“over” (stanza 1)
7. riches (stanza 3)
8. jovial, merry, lighthearted
(stanza 3)
9. in a lively and vigorous way
(stanza 2)
10. the edge (stanza 2)
12. a brilliant yellow flower
(stanza 1)

Down
1. to look briefly (stanza 2)
3. state of being alone (stanza 4)
4. not occupied, empty (stanza 4)
5. looking thoughtful (stanza 4)
10. the galaxy in which the earth
is located (stanza 2)
11. a large number of items
(stanza1)

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