I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

by William Wordsworth

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Write about the form of the poem "Daffodils."

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William Wordsworth’s piece "Daffodils" is presented in a fairly simple form. Consisting of four stanzas with six lines each, this twenty-four line poem exemplifies the iambic tetrameter style (four beats of an unstressed syllable followed by one beat of a stressed syllable). This form is typically employed by writers who wish to generate a light, "carefree" mood for their piece, making it easily accessible to multiple audiences. Not unlike many nursery rhymes and children's songs, Wordsworth's "Daffodils" seeks to generate a pleasant, carefree image in the reader's mind; a goal accomplished by this simple form. "Daffodils" is widely accessible to multiple audiences: a hallmark of a legacy poem. In closing, the form of William Wordsworth's poem is simple, consisting of four stanzas with six lines each.

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Wordsworth's "Daffodils," or "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" consists of four six-line stanzas, each following the same rhyme scheme: ABABCC. In other words, the first and third and the second and fourth lines rhyme, and each stanza ends with a rhyming couplet. This gives a simple and pleasing sense of rhythm to this poem.

The poem uses tetrameter or four-beat lines of eight syllables. Tetrameter is associated with the ballad and nursery rhyme forms and adds to the poem's simple rhythms. The deceptively easy, simple structure of the poem helps convey the simple joy--accessible to everyone--that the poet finds in nature. Wordsworth wants to communicate in ordinary language and uncomplicated form the straightforward pleasure that can be found in watching thousands of daffodils swaying in a breeze on a spring day--and the joy that recollecting this sight can later bring.

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