Daffodils by William Wordsworth

‘Daffodils’ is about the value of solitude and reflection. It shows the importance of reflecting on oneself and achieving peace and serenity. We go through tough times in life, we face problems but we never let these obstacles pull us down. However, unlike William Wordsworth who mastered this technique, we have not because of our hectic lifestyle, we have no time for reflection or solitude. William Wordsworth however, showed that it is possible, through the beauty of nature, he reflects on himself in solitude and achieved serenity.

Solitude and reflection can help us appreciate. We live in a busy world and there is no room for solidarity and reflection. We tend to miss things out sometimes. We move at such a fast pace that everything around us is the same. We do not want slow down and take a good look around us. If we always live in such a fast- paced world, we can only see surface, we cannot go deeper and see in detail to understand true meanings. Solitude and reflection can help us achieve that. William Wordsworth was able to experience the “bliss of solitude” “when on [his] couch [he] lie”. It is only that when he was “in vacant or pensive mood” that the “host, of golden daffodils” “flash upon that inward eye”. He has learned to appreciate the beauty of nature even though he cannot see them, nor smell or feel them. He imagined them in his mind and he was in a state of solitude and he is reflecting about his life. Only if we learn to be at peace, we can appreciate and to achieve that, we need solitude and reflection. Sometimes, in this fast- paced world, we must stop and think about what we have done, what we have seen and what we have experienced. We miss out all the little things in life which are also the most crucial parts in life. William Wordsworth saw the little things in nature that we cannot see, he communicates with the nature. He saw the “stars that shine and twinkle on the Milky Way” and the “waves beside them danced”. Once we are in solitude and we are reflecting, we can see all the details we could never have seen before, the trees are more beautiful, the sky is bluer, the air is fresher.

Solitude and reflection can help us overcome fears, problems and difficulties. William Wordsworth was in love with nature. He used it as something to comfort him when he is sad, something to aid him in his battle against his problems. Then he realised “what wealth the show to [him] had brought.” All the fears and troubles washes away once we learn to reflect in solitude. We can never jump over our obstacles if we do not reflect on ourselves, what we did wrong before and how can we get over them. We will be able to know the solutions and answers to our problems and difficulties. He “wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on higher o’er vales and hills” and let his feet take him wherever they wanted to go, we was going in no direction. He met with trouble but “they out- did the sparkling waves in glee” knowing that there will always be a will thus, he could not but be gay. Through reflection, we look at our errors and mistakes and we find ways to avoid them. When we are at peace, we can concentrate and fewer errors would occur, less misunderstandings. People go to jail to reflect on what they have done wrong in solitude, learning how to lead a better life when they get out stated by Mya Kagan, a ‘Whyzz’ writer.

Solitude and reflection can give us freedom. We are always held back by something, whether it is our difficulties pulling us back or the past that we refuse to forget. William Wordsworth “wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills” allowing the “wind” that blows him wherever it goes. He is not setback by any obstacles, he releases all of his worries and just go wherever the wind goes. There is no goal or destination, he reflects about all the things he have done and let go off all stress and worries. When we worry too much, we become stressed and lose concentration. We need to be at peace and reflect on the things we cannot let go off and release them, then only, one can achieve peace and serenity through solitude and reflection.

Solitude and reflection may not be able to solve all our problems and sometimes it may not be the best thing to do when in doubt. We reflect to calm our minds, we reflect to understand more about ourselves, we reflect to overcome our difficulties. We cannot be in peace if we do not appreciate and to appreciate, we have to reflect in solitude.