Free Form Poem: Daffodils

Bambang Sutaryo, an Eglish teacher from Bengkalis, Riau, analyzes a free form poem entitled Daffodils. He states that This poem can be a good model in teaching our students (Junior High School students) with some simplification. His analysis is presented below.

Daffodils

By William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high over vales and hills,

When all at once I saw crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils,

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

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.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Outdid the sparkling waves in glee:

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.

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

 

1.  Type of Poem: Free - form poem (Concrete poem).

2.  Paraphrase: This poem tells about someone who is walking alone  in the sunny and windy morning. When he walked, he was seeing many yellow daffodils which grew near the lake. He was admired with the beauty of daffodils.

3.  Poetic devices:

     a.  Rhyme:  a - b - a - b - c - c

     b.  Rhythm:

          -    Line 1: I wan │dered lone │ly as│ a cloud

          -    Line 2: That floats│ on high│ o’er vales│ and hills,

          -    Line 3: When all │at once│ I saw│ crowd,

          -    Line 4: A host,│ of gol │den daf │fodils,

          -    Line 5: Beside│ the lake,│ beneath │the trees,

          -    Line 6: Fluttering │and dan │cing in│the breeze.

          So, this stanza is called iambic tetrameter , because it consists of 1 unaccented followed by 1 accented and each lines has  four feet.

     c.  Alliteration : beside the lake, beneath the trees (consonant sound : b and th).

     d.  Repetition : gazed and gazed.

     e.  Comparison : the writer uses simile and personification.

     f.  Onomatopoeia is not found in this poem.

4.  Kinds of stanza form: sestet because it consists of six lines.

5.  Poetic diction:

     a.  Denotation: almost all the words use denotative meaning

     b.  Connotation, allusion, parody, ambiguity, pun, paradox, and irony are not found in this poem.

6.  Imagery (Figure of speech):

     a.  Simile :

          -    I wandered lonely as a cloud

          -    Continuous as the stars that shine, And twinkle on the milky way,

     b.  Personification :

          -    Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

          -    Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

          -    The waves beside them danced,

          -    A poet could not but be gay in such a jocund company!

     c.  Hyperbole : Ten thousand saw I at a glance

7.  Tone:  happiness and friendly.

8.  Theme:  admiring the beauty of nature

9.  Symbol: Daffodils.

10.Message: We should enjoy and keep the beauty of nature.

11.Comments: This poem can be a good model in teaching our students (Junior High School students) with some simplification.