Student Question
In "Daffodils," how does nature affect the author's state of mind?
Quick answer:
Nature profoundly uplifts the author's state of mind by providing solace and joy. The author imagines himself as a cloud, observing the vastness and beauty of the daffodils, which seem happier than ocean waves. Through words like "pleasure" and "glee," and by personifying the daffodils as dancing, nature is depicted as a source of happiness. Reflecting on this scene during solitary moments brings bliss, allowing the author's heart to "dance with the daffodils."
Nature positively affects the author's state of mind in a variety of ways.
First, the author experiences much of nature starting with the sky by imagining himself a cloud. This point of view gives him the opportunity to see how vast the beautiful and happy flowers are. It seems to him that at a glance his eye can capture tens of thousands of them. Also, he considers the daffodils in comparison to the sparkling waves of the ocean. He seems to say that the daffodils are happier than the waves.
Second, the author uses word choice to express how the daffodils make him feel: pleasure, jocund, glee, and gay.
Third, he gives the daffodils action, the ability to dance. This could also be considered personification. Dancing is an act that occurs out of celebration, not depression.
Finally, the author reflects later upon this image and he can re-create...
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the image in his head, especially when he's in an empty mood. This image is one he wishes to remember and upon remembering it, his mood is brightened:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
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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In "The Daffodils," how does nature affect the speaker's state of mind?
In William Wordsworth's poem "The Daffodils," the speaker reflects upon a time when, during a solitary stroll, the speaker came upon a field of daffodils. By looking upon the flowers, the speaker was able to find solace and amazement in nature around him:
What wealth the show to me had brought:
Later, the speaker reflects upon nature as he came upon it in the field. The speaker states that whenever he is in a vacant or pensive mood, reflecting upon the scene brings about bliss and pleasure. It is at that time, when remembering the image of nature in the field, that the speaker's heart can "dance with the daffodils."
Therefore, nature affects the speaker in a very positive way. Without the ability to remember the field, the speaker would have no way to bring about release from the pensive moods that come on.