Theme? Tone?

Theme

1. Nature' s beauty uplifts the human spirit. Lines 15, 23, and 24 specifically refer to this theme. 

2. People sometimes fail to appreciate nature's wonders as they go about their daily routines. Lines 17 and 18 suggest this theme. 

3. Nature thrives unattended. The daffodils proliferate in splendor along the shore of the lake without the need for human attention.

Tone The rhyme scheme and orderly nature of the poem add to the overall

pleasant and peaceful tone.

The persona begins by comparing himself to a wandering cloud which depicts his desolation and even possibly depression at times and then goes into the descriptions of the swaying daffodils and the joy they arise symbolizing simplicity and the inevitable bond between humans and nature. The rhyme scheme, numerous references to nature, and set-up of the poem enhance its ability to flow off the tongue which adds to the meaning and tone of the poem. It is clear through the poet's lay-out and word-choice that the poem is one of harmony with nature and is supposed to provoke happiness and warmth.

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

First Stanza

While wandering like a cloud, the persona happens upon daffodils fluttering in a breeze on the shore of a lake, beneath trees. Daffodils are plants in the lily family with yellow flowers and a crown shaped like a trumpet

Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

Second Stanza

The daffodils stretch all along the shore. Because there are so many of them, they remind the persona of the Milky Way, the galaxy that scientists say contains about one trillion stars, including the sun. The persona humanizes the daffodils when he says they are engaging in a dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in gless;A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company; I gazed—and gazed—but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought:

Third Stanza

In their gleeful fluttering and dancing, the daffodils outdo the rippling waves of the lake. But the poet does not at this moment fully appreciate the happy sight before him. In the last line of the stanza, Wordsworth uses anastrophe, writing the show to me had brought instead of the show brought to me. Anastrophe is an inversion of the normal word order.

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

Fourth Stanza

Not until the poet later muses about what he saw does he fully appreciate the cheerful sight of the dancing daffodils. Worsworth again uses anastrophe, writing when on my couch I lie and my heart with pleasure fills.