Daffodils and Patterns

Paula Kriesel In the poem “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth uses many techniques through out his poem. He uses imagery, metaphors, personification, similes, and hyperbole to help the reader feel like he feels. Alliteration, rhyme, and rhythm make the poem flow smoothly and easy to read. In the poem “Patterns” by Amy Lowell the focus tends to be more on imagery than other items. Amy Lowell uses some metaphors in her poem. “Patterns” is very descriptive through out the poem. The speaker goes to the daffodils when he is lonely because to him they are like little yellow people. He feels like a cloud that is distant and separated from the world that is below. “I wandered lonely as a cloud” is a simile because it is comparing two very different objects the person and the cloud floating in the sky. The daffodils have a way of cheering him up with their happiness, which he sees by their dancing. The speaker is also amazed by how many daffodils there are. There is another simile in “continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the Milky Way,” which compares the shape and number of the daffodils to the stars of the Milky Way. This makes the distance and separation from the world a good thing. There are several examples of hyperbole in the poem “Daffodils.” “They stretched in a never-ending line” is an example of a hyperbole because this is an exaggeration of how far the daffodils go. “Ten thousand saw I at a glance” is another hyperbole that is seen in this poem. These exaggerations show us how important nature is to Wordsworth. Wordsworth shows his association of the daffodils with heaven in a subtle manner. The comparison of the daffodils to the “twinkle” of the stars reinforces the heavenly connection that he feels. Wordsworth uses the metaphor of an “inward eye” to show his spiritual vision. Wordsworth also makes the color of the daffodils golden, which is much like an angel’s halo. These examples show Wordsworth’s