In the first line of “Daffodils” Wordsworth describes himself as a cloud, wandering lonely. The verb and adverb tell us that the cloud isn’t moving very fast and that the cloud is a distance from everything else. This is also personification because the cloud could also be a person outcast by society, for example Wordsworth could be trying to describe his own experience. In the second line of the verse the poet uses another slow verb “floats”.
Half way through the verse there is a change of pace “all at once” and we then see the “crowd” of daffodils. Additionally the poet using two adjectives to describe the numbers of daffodils “host” and “crowd” showing that there must have been at least one hundred. This could also mean that the person being described as a cloud being accepted back into society. Wordsworth describes the daffodils as “golden” with illustrates the radiant colour and wealth of the memory. In the last line of the first verse Wordsworth uses personification to give the daffodils human characteristics when he uses the verbs “Fluttering and dancing” which are also metaphors. The verb “dancing” also gives the sense that the daffodils were dancing all together in rhythm. In the first verse and throughout the poem the poet uses rhyming couplets at the end of each line. Wordsworth also uses the rhyme scheme of ABABCC in each verse.
Wordsworth in the second verse talks about “stars” and how many there were and makes a connection between them and the daffodils. The poet describes the stars, as “continuous” showing the reader that there are countless numbers of them. In the second line the writer uses the adjective and verb “twinkle” to describe the stars; there is also a connection between “twinkle” and “golden” because stars are also golden. The poet carries on to say, “they stretched in a never-ending line” which supports the other quotes. Most of the second verse goes on about how many stars there actually are. In the fourth line the poet says “Ten thousand saw I at a glance” which shows he wasn’t paying attention to how many there were it also gives us the impression that the stars ‘saw’ him. Wordsworth makes another connection between the daffodils and the stars because they both “dance”. He uses the verb “tossing” and the adverb “sprightly” to describe the way they danced. Wordsworth connects the daffodils and the stars by telling us that they both danced.
Wordsworth, throughout the poem, has repeated the dancing, the daffodils and the fact that in every verse there is a mentioning of water, in the first verse it was “lake” in the second “bay” and finally in the third “waves”. And again in the first line of the third verse the poet repeats the fact that he saw something dance. The mood then changes by the word "but", making the reader expect something. After all the describing of the magical and romantic atmosphere, the reader feels pessimistic that something is going to change the whole mood of the poem. The reader then discovers that nothing terrible happens but the "but" was only to shame the waves, as the daffodils were more effective "out-did the sparkling waves in glee". This means that the daffodils were better than waves. The atmosphere is now light and fantastic again, "glee" meaning merriment and cheerfulness. There is a colon in the middle of verse three indicating a pause, which continues with Wordsworth commenting on his feelings and actions. "I gazed- and gazed- but little thought". The dashes slow the line down by breaking it up gradually. By doing this Wordsworth indicates the end of the description of the daffodils. There is also a metaphor in this verse, "what wealth to me the show had brought". The "wealth" in this verse is a metaphor describing the memory, experience and emotion of seeing the daffodils.
The last verse indicates that the poem was a memory or flashback. The reader knows this from the first line of the verse, "For oft, when on my couch I lie". The reader knows that the memory is frequently ‘visited’ because “oft” means often. The next line creates an empty mood, far away, drifting and dreaming. The mood and atmosphere is quite strongly put forward to the reader with "vacant or in pensive mood". This means absent and dreaming, inattentive and expressionless but with a thoughtful frame of mind. Verse four has a special meaning. It is a time in Wordsworth's life when he is having a look back at his experiences, which is so emotionally overwhelming to him that it has created an extremely long lasting impression in his mind. Wordsworth sums up his feelings from the experience in the last verse "they flash upon that inward eye"; here he is saying that the vision of the crowd of daffodils is stuck in his imagination for the rest of his life. This brings great happiness to him, "which is the bliss of solitude". By using the word "bliss", Wordsworth expresses his emotion of complete happiness. "Solitude", meaning being alone completely with no-one near you at all, tells the reader that this experience was very personal to him and special, and only he will ever know the wonder of it even if he describes is as best as he can to others "and then my heart with pleasure fills". This is a personification as there is an image of a jug being filled to the brim with pure joy. Also there is another personification in the last verse, "and dances with the daffodils". It is a further personification of a lively person who dances. In this last line Wordsworth is saying that his heart is dancing with the daffodils. Daffodils do not dance, but to Wordsworth they give off life, joy and radiant beauty. The last three lines of verse four create an pure and lovely mood. In “The Daffodils” Wordsworth is trying to teach the reader to appreciate the beauty of nature and to understand the importance of memory. I also think that he is trying to teach the reader about how the effect of just one experience in your life can be so strong and powerful that it can be remembered as vividly as it was the day of the experience many years later.
From the title "Miracle on St. David's Day" it is revealed to the reader what this poem is about. It is obvious that a miracle is the main point of the poem, meaning something holy yet unexpected.
