Monday, February 18, 2013

Wordsworth's Tool of Imagery

Not only does William Wordsworth's poem, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, flow the perfect way that any poem should, but it also give me that "happy" feeling inside. I could read this poem over and over and never get tired of the iridescent feeling it gives me. But, as I sit here reveling in my happy state I cannot help but wonder what exactly it is that Wordsworth does to give me this feeling. Is it the abstraction he uses? Or maybe it is the personification? Wait, possibly it is the similes or the onomatopoeia, the alliteration, assonance, or maybe the consonance? Can you now understand my problem?
At first I thought is was the personification and abstraction Wordsworth used. He immediately starts the poem by abstracting himself as a cloud that is wandering. This gave me a feeling of being peaceful for when I think of clouds I think of being tranquil. In addition to the abstraction, Wordsworth then personifies different items. Although he is using both abstraction and personification, it does not get confusing. I believe his use of both of these tools to make the poem blend together and show that he is at one with the nature he is describing. Although, these are both great tools of poetry, I found that they still did not answer my question on why I felt so "happy" while reading this poem.
After weeding out similes, onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, and consonance I was left with one item: imagery. I knew this was my answer because it used every tool I have mentioned to enhance itself. The way that Wordsworth exhibits imagery is in such a natural way. He is constantly using imagery throughout this poem. He first gives his readers the image of a cloud floating over the hills and valleys and then spotting what he calls "a crowd of daffodils". Wordsworth is able to create a strikingly realistic image of these daffodils. He makes this image real by showing their beauty by comparing them to the stars. He then enhances this image by personifying them by saying they dance. He claims that they outshine the sparkling waves and bring him wealth.
Through his personification, abstraction, similes, onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, and consonance Wordsworth creates unbelievable imagery. He expressed his obsession of daffodils and the tranquility they give him in an unimaginable way. William Wordsworth is a man that was able to execute many tools of literature and writing to create imagery in an incredible way.

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