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William WordsworthA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
One of the major shifts that occurs in “Daffodils” is how the speaker moves from an isolated individual to one who embraces a position in the community of the world. The speaker starts the poem by remembering a “lonely” (Line 1) time. They note their singularity by comparing themselves to “a cloud” (Line 1)—a single cumulous puff that “floats” (Line 2) in the sky. While it is, of course, possible for clouds to join together, the speaker does not mention this, and positions themselves instead as a solitary entity.
The speaker holds themselves above the rest of humanity. They glide “o’er vales and hills” (Line 2) and are not part of any “crowd” (Line 3). This suggests an initial lack of engagement, perhaps an inability to feel connections, a distance with others due to height from the ground, suggesting superiority. This changes, however, as the daffodils present an unexpected alternative way to live. Daffodils are never singular, instead growing in groups from bulbs. In this case, they are wild, which suggests a spontaneous rather than planned gathering. Their “glee[ful]” (Line 14) participation surprises the speaker. Enthused by their “sprightly dance” (Line 12), the speaker values their “jocund company” (Line 16). This shows a reevaluation upon the speaker’s part about what is necessary to live a happy life.
By William Wordsworth
A Complaint
A Complaint
William Wordsworth
A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
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Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802
Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802
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I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
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Tintern Abbey
Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey ...
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London, 1802
London, 1802
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Lyrical Ballads
Lyrical Ballads
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My Heart Leaps Up
My Heart Leaps Up
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Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood
Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood
William Wordsworth
Preface to Lyrical Ballads
Preface to Lyrical Ballads
William Wordsworth
She Dwelt Among The Untrodden Ways
She Dwelt Among The Untrodden Ways
William Wordsworth
She Was a Phantom of Delight
She Was a Phantom of Delight
William Wordsworth
The Prelude
The Prelude
William Wordsworth
The Solitary Reaper
The Solitary Reaper
William Wordsworth
The World Is Too Much with Us
The World Is Too Much with Us
William Wordsworth
To the Skylark
To the Skylark
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We Are Seven
We Are Seven
William Wordsworth