William+Wordsworth

William Wordsworth

//34. I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud// *Through this poem, William Wordsworth expresses his appreciation for beauty in nature. *The poem has a rhyme scheme of ABABCC. *From the beginning, the speaker metaphorically compares himself to a cloud, this shifts the perspective of the narration from a human to something that is a part of nature. *The 'daffodils' and the 'stars' are personified. The daffodils were 'dancing and fluttering in the breeze,' and the 'stars' 'twinkled in the milky way.' *This personification is interesting in comparison to the speaker's decision to describe himself as a part of nature, it is almost a reversal of position, where the nature is given humanity and he himself has become a part of nature. This suggest a unity, a bond between man and nature. *The speaker describes an entirely different environment, where he is situated in his 'couch.' When he is in a 'vacant' or 'pensive' mood, the memories of the daffodils 'flash upon that inward eye,' and fills his heart with 'pleasure.'

//35. London, 1802// *In the very beginning of this sonnet, the speaker cries out to the dead poet John Milton, telling him that 'England hath need' of him. *The poem then proceed to describe the current state of England. Calling her as a 'fen of stagnant waters.' *The 'altar, sword and pen' symbolizes religion, military and literature respectively, and that they have lost touch with their 'inward happiness.' *The speaker labels 'we' as 'selfish men' and he is calling out to Milton to return to 'us,' and 'raise us up.' The use of 'we' and 'us' separates Milton from the rest, and thus suggest that he is different from the 'selfish men' and that only he is capable of restoring England. *The speaker praises Milton as a 'Pure' man with a soul like a 'Star,' and voice like the 'sea.' He asks the poet to give 'us' 'manners, virtue, freedom, power,' suggesting the poet himself is in possession of these desirable qualities. *Overall, there are two main purposes to this poem. One is to pay homage to the late poet, and to express Wordsworth's belief that he can revive England. The second purpose is to exposes all the issues Wordsworth has witness in the English society, he is calling out to the people of England pay attention and address such issues.