Student Question
In "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," how does Wordsworth challenge material ownership?
Quick answer:
Wordsworth challenges material ownership by highlighting the profound joy derived from nature, which cannot be bought. In "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," he reflects on how the memory of daffodils brings him happiness, emphasizing that true wealth comes from experiences with nature rather than material possessions. He suggests that the beauty of nature provides lasting emotional wealth, accessible to anyone who appreciates it, thus subtly critiquing the value placed on material goods.
I interpreted the original question in another way. I thought it was asking how the narrator was able to change his own thinking (not things) during the course of the poem. Here’s an answer.
In the opening scene, the narrator is walking by himself and rather aimlessly, since he compares the action to the movement of clouds. The impression is one of solitude with a hint of sadness. You can imagine shades of gray too, with the cloud simile. Then he comes upon the field of daffodils. The yellow flowers are bright, cheery, and welcoming; and they offer a completely different scene and mood. You can’t help but be happy, just by looking at them (“A poet could not but be gay, / In such a jocund company”). This sight improved the narrator’s attitude immediately.
But Nature had even more inspirational power for him, and one that lasted longer...
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than just that one day. Now he discovered that whenever he felt sad or low or depressed (“In vacant or pensive mood”), he could remember the daffodils and make himself happy again. He could improve his attitude, just by thinking of that yellow landscape. If you were asked to think of a happy scene or time from your past, what would it be? Does it still cause you to smile or laugh? Then you know how this technique can work. For Wordsworth’s character – or for the poet himself – the triggering thought was of the daffodils.
In "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," it is spring, and Wordsworth is walking around the Lake District of England when he comes across thousands of daffodils by a lake. They are all waving in the wind. They seem to be doing a joyous dance, and the poet's heart lifts with happiness as he watches them sway in front of the rippling water. Later, lying on his couch at home, he can bring himself back into a joyful state by remembering the dance of the daffodils.
Wordsworth doesn't explicitly challenge owning things in this poem. He never says it is wrong to own things, but he implicitly challenges ownership by writing a poem that communicates that the highest joy comes from the experience of what money can't buy. He writes
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show [the blowing daffodils] to me had brought