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Does the poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth contain hyperbole, simile, or personification?
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"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth contains simile, personification, and hyperbole. The simile occurs when the speaker compares himself to a solitary cloud. Personification is evident as the daffodils are described as "dancing" and "tossing their heads," giving them human traits. Hyperbole is used to exaggerate the number of daffodils, suggesting they are countless like stars and describing them as a "never-ending line." These devices enhance the poem's vivid imagery.
Wordsworth's poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" is mainly a poem of imagery. The first stanza introduces the idea of the speaker's loneliness: "I wandered lonely as a cloud." In this simile, the poet compares loneliness to a cloud. Perhaps the cloud is the only one in the sky, and the speaker can relate to that solitary feeling. He sees a field of daffodils "fluttering and dancing in the breeze." We get a serene feeling as we picture those dancing flowers, so we are almost seeing through the speaker's eyes. Wordsworth personifies those dancing daffodils, helping us to picture their movement.
In the second stanza, the poet uses simile to compare the numerous daffodils to the stars. It seems as if those stars have no beginning or end; the same is true of the daffodils. "They stretched in never-ending line." The speaker says he saw...
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"Ten thousand . . . / Tossing their heads in sprightly dance." Here, Wordsworth is usinghyperbole combined with personification to paint us a picture. There must actually be an end to the field, and it seems like a stretch to say there were so many daffodils, so the speaker is exaggerating here. Again describing the dance, Wordsworth gives the flowers personality, which allows us to identify with the speaker's fascination for their beauty.
Wordsworth continues in the third stanza to refer to the daffodils' dance, this time comparing them to the waves of the ocean. The speaker states that the waves dance, but the daffodils dance much better, and this vision compels him to be happy. "A poet could not but be gay, / In such a jocund company." He admits that although he enjoys watching the daffodils, he recognizes he hasn't fully appreciated their "wealth." Personification continues here, as the waves and flowers are described as "company" for the speaker.
In the final stanza, the speaker tells us he often thinks of the daffodils when he's feeling "pensive" because of his "solitude." His mood immediately picks up, and he feels he's dancing with the flowers because he feels happy again.
This poem is about a guy watching a field of daffodils. In the first stanza, he compares himself to a cloud floating above watching over this great number of flowers near the lake and underneath the trees.
The second stanza continues to note their great number by comparing them to the stars (which are innumberable), calling them a "never-ending line" and numbering them once by the phrase "ten thousand."
The third stanza talks about how happy the sight of this great number of daffodils makes him.
By the last stanza he notes that when he is alone, he goes back to this imagery to make himself happy.
Hyperbole can be found in the 2nd stanza with the references to the stars, the never-ending line and the number ten thousand.
Good Luck.