William Wordsworth, in his poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” describes the vivid and transformational power of nature, and its lessons on the preciousness of life are timeless and captivating. This poem emphasizes nature’s beauty, vigor and sense of optimism through the imagery of a field of vibrant daffodils. The initial setting for this poem is a sublime view from the clouds of this captivating run of beautiful, dancing flowers by a bay.
Optimism and vitality are conveyed as the daffodils are “fluttering and dancing in the breeze. ” The poem’s second mundane setting, from the lazy, dark seclusion of one’s couch, is a stark contrast of wasted time and life. This overt transition forces the reader to compare and then to favor the choices of natural beauty, life and optimism. As the subject is deep in thought and lounging on a couch, the captivating field of daffodils awaken, erupt and “flash upon that inward eye which is the bliss of solitude.
” The comfort and ease of idle, solitary existence is overcome and overwhelmed by the vitality and opportunity that nature and its beauty offer. The subject is stirred, awakened and pushed into action by the image of the flowers and their promise of joy and fulfillment. Wordsworth is imploring readers to take advantage of their precious gifts of life and time. The transformational power of the vibrant, flowery imagery captivates and spurs us to action, joy and bright, meaningful lives.
Everyone is guilty of idle and vacant wastes of time, but this poem warns us to not take the gifts of nature and life for granted. These fleeting gifts must be embraced every day so that one’s “heart with pleasure fills. ” Instead of being indifferent, ambivalent and slothful, we should strive to maximize our life and its boundless opportunities for joy and fulfillment.
The Essay on The Joy Found from Inner Life and the Life of Nature
William Wordsworth's, “Ode: Intimations of Immortality” is what inspired his friend, Samuel Coleridge, to write “Dejection: An Ode.” The connection the two writers have with nature is their method of nature to express the feelings of their inner soul. Coleridge was in a state of sadness, confusion, and separation from his imaginative soul when he composed “Dejection: An Ode.” The separation from ...
