DAFFODILS

 POEM

Note: The transactional processes suggested in CISCE curriculum are highlighted in grey.

Learning Outcomes
● To consider Nature as a companion
● To recognise the stylistic devices in the poem
● To recognise the tone and expression in the poem

Summary: In the poem, ‘Daffodils’, the poet William Wordsworth says that Nature is the
greatest gift or blessing to mankind. It has the power to heal our miseries and make us
lively again. The arrival of the daffodils implies beginning or rebirth for human beings.
The poet imagined that the daffodils were dancing and invoking him to join and enjoy
the breezy nature of the fields. He compares them to the innumerable stars in the night
sky. He also compares the movement of the sparkling lake to the ‘sprightly dance’ of the
daffodils. Merely watching these flowers, changed his lonely sad mood to one of joy. The
mesmerizing effect of these flowers gained a place in his heart which he would recollect
even years later when he could see them no more.

Pre-reading
Talk to students about Wordsworth and his Zoom the image on the screen and let
love for nature. You may refer to the author- students describe the flowers they see. / Let
note in the Reader. students look at the image in the Reader and
describe the flowers.

READING

Students comprehend, analyse, make note of perhaps a sadness that may come with being
literary devices. lonely like a cloud that is all alone.) Why does
the poet use the word ‘golden’? (The picture
Play the audio track and let students listen
of the yellow daffodils reflecting bright
to the poem. Pause after each stanza and
sunshine gives them a stunning golden hue.)
discuss/conduct comprehension checks.
What does the poet compare the daffodils to
Stanza 1: Setting – Magnificence of the scene here? (Stars that twinkle and shine on the
(thousands of golden daffodils) Milky Way)
Ask students: Explain / Reinforce the concept of similes.
How does the speaker contrast his position with Discuss the tone in this stanza? (Sad and
that of the daffodils? (The speaker is alone forlorn)
and therefore sad whereas the daffodils are
Stanza 2: Description of the flowers through
countless in number and happy to sway in
personification and comparison.
the breeze together.) Why does the speaker
compare himself to a cloud? (He is probably How has the poet compared the flowers in the
trying to explain his sense of loneliness and second stanza? (With the innumerable stars

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 that twinkle continuously along the Milky Personification: Comparison of the cloud to a
Way) How is personification dealt with in this lonely human.
stanza? (They looked like people dancing in Personification/Metaphor: Comparison of
gay abandon.) daffodils to a crowd of people; Comparison of
Discuss the tone: a positive tone with a touch daffodils to dancing people
of cheer Alliteration: lonely as a cloud, high o’er vales
Stanza 3: Relationship between nature and Hills, When all at once (Note: w and o
(daffodils) and the poet. have the same consonant sound.), beside the
Lake, beneath the trees
What did the daffodils out perform? How?
(The waves that shone and sparkled in the Hyperbole: Ten thousand saw I (to give a
sun were overshadowed by the golden and sense of profusion)
radiant daffodils that moved in rhythmic Rhyme scheme
beauty in the breeze.) What change does the
poet feel within? (He does not feel lonely any The poem contains four stanzas of six lines
more as the captivating scene has filled his each. In each stanza, the first line rhymes with
heart and mind with immense joy. He is able the third and the second with the fourth. The
to get over his gloominess and feel happy stanza then ends with a rhyming couplet.
when he identifies himself with the dancing Rhyme scheme: a b a b c c
daffodils.) Structure
Discuss the tone: joyous and happy The first three stanzas talk about the poet’s
Stanza 4: Recollection; consequences of the experience beside the lake and the fourth
experience stanza is all about the memory of that
experience.
How is this stanza different from the others?
(In the last stanza, he is no more with Post-reading
the daffodils. Instead, he is in his home Work in pairs and explain how the poet has
recollecting the lovely scene that fills him dealt with the three elements of nature—
with a sense of joy.) Land, water and air.
The tone here is one of tranquillity, peace and (Suggested answer: The poet has used all the
pleasure three elements in the poem to compare and
Theme: Man need never feel alone when he is portray the daffodils.
one with Nature. Land: Vales and hills contrast his lonely state
Poetic devices with the joyous stretch of flowers. The word
bay is used to describe their very existence
Simile: Comparison (using as) as a cloud; as along the stretch.
the stars… milky way.
Water: Lake and waves
By comparing himself to a cloud and the
daffodils to the Milky Way, Wordsworth Air: breeze
connects Man with Nature in cosmic These words are used to portray the daffodils
harmony. as lovely, joyous flowers.)

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 STUDENTS’ BOOK ANSWER KEY
Daffodils
Comprehension
A. 1. The speaker compares himself to a cloud that floats over valleys and hills.
2. The word ‘wandered’ conveys the delicate movement of a floating cloud. The
speaker, much like the cloud, is not guided by any sense of direction. The word
‘walked’ would not convey the same image as ‘wandered’. The word ‘wandered’
creates the impression of a carefree soul. ‘Wandered’ sounds more poetic than
‘walked’.
3. The speaker sees the daffodils beneath the trees beside the lake.
4. The daffodils are compared to the stars in the sky because they are countless in
number and they stretched in a never-ending line.
5. The daffodils competed with the waves as they both danced in delight. However,
the daffodils danced more gleefully.
The ‘jocund company’ of the daffodils made the poet happy and he could not
help but gaze at them constantly. The daffodils made a lasting impression on the
speaker—a wealth that he would cherish in the future.
6. The speaker remembered the daffodils later, while lying on his couch. The image of
the daffodils suddenly came to the mind of the speaker in his solitude. This memory
filled his heart with pleasure and once again, his heart rejoiced, just as it did that
day with the daffodils.
B. 1. a. The speaker felt light-hearted and happy when he saw the daffodils.
b. The phrases ‘beside the lake’ and ‘beneath the trees’ convey what the speaker
had observed. The reader understands that the speaker’s encounter with the
daffodils was not imaginary, it happened in real life.
c. The speaker conveys the idea that there were lots of them by using the words
‘crowd’ and ‘host’.
2. a. ’They’ refers to the daffodils that the speaker had seen.
b. The ‘inward eye’ or the mind sees them when the speaker thinks of the daffodils
in his solitude.
The speaker’s mind brings back the image when he is in a thoughtful mood.
c. The image fills the speaker’s mind with pleasure and it seems that his heart
dances with the daffodils again. The speaker loves nature. He is aware of the
wealth of abundance that nature provides. The daffodils, thousands of them
dancing in glee, had a strong impact on the speaker’s mind. The speaker’s mind
brings back the image and draws happiness from it whenever he is in a pensive
mood.
C. 1. The speaker shifts to the present tense in the last stanza after describing the
daffodils. This conveys the fact that the observation of the daffodils happened in
the past and the speaker is writing or speaking about them in retrospect. It also
shows that the speaker’s mind recollects the past while in a thoughtful mood.
2. The ‘inward eye’ or the mind is the seat of intellect. The human mind brings forward
new and revolutionary ideas with its creative abilities. The inward eye is capable of

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 bringing forth new ideas at a time when the person is relaxed and in deep thought.
3. The words ‘lonely’, ‘sad’, ‘blissful’ and ‘pensive’ describe the mood of the poem. It
is evident from the poem that the speaker is used to wandering amidst nature.
Sights from nature add the delightful and peaceful qualities to the poem. While
loneliness brings sadness, the speaker can turn to nature and change his loneliness
into blissful solitude. The poem paints a thought-provoking picture of a musing
individual who feels a deep sense of attachment with nature.
Appreciating the Poem
1. Another simile from the poem is ‘Continuous as the stars that shine / And twinkle on
the Milky Way’.
2. The similes have contributed to the beauty of the poem. The use of similes allows the
poet to bring together bright and colourful images in order to describe the beauty of
nature.
Vocabulary
1. wandered    2. crowd    3. margin    4. sparkling    5. bliss    6. solitude
Going Further
Free response

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 QUESTION BANK
Daffodils
A. Answer in brief.
How does the mood of the poet change in the poem Daffodils?
Ans: In the beginning, the poet describes himself as a lonely cloud that floats over
the hills and valleys,thus creating a melancholic feeling. This feeling soon gives way
to one of joy in the presence of rows of daffodils. The poet, who is a lover of nature, is
transmitted from a world of loneliness to one of long-lasting happiness at the sight of
these golden-yellow flowers that provide much comfort to his lonely heart.
B. Answer in detail.
Describe the lasting impression of the daffodils on the poet.
Ans: The poet was captivated by the beauty of the daffodils which he saw near the
trees and by the side of the river. The daffodils tossing their heads as if dancing to the
tune of the breeze, and sparkling like the stars in the galaxy, in their vibrant golden
colour, gave him immense instant pleasure. At that moment, he never realised that this
delightful experience would never vanish from his mind, and whenever lonely or sad,
the very flash of the golden daffodils in his mind made him happy again.
C. Choose the correct answer.
The waves besides them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee;
What effect did this sight have on the poet?
a. He was able to make a beautiful comparison between the daffodils and the
sparkling waves.
b. He felt like dancing along with the daffodils.
c. He felt extremely happy and delighted in the cheerful company of the flowers.
Ans: c
D. Read the lines and answer the questions.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay
a. What does ‘they’ refer to?
b. What does the poet compare them to?
c. Why does he do so?
Ans: a. ‘They’ refers to the daffodils.
b. The poet compares them to the galaxy of innumerable stars in the sky.
c. The glowing daffodils, sparkling in the sunlight, were stretched along the bay.
This appeared like twinkling stars in the sky, to the poet.
E. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)
How does the poet make use of contrast in the poem ‘Daffodils’?
Ans: The poet was all alone, while the bright and lively daffodils stretched along
the bay and were close together. He appeared to be in a melancholy mood, while in
contrast, the daffodils fluttered and danced, tossing their heads displaying exuberance
in their movement.

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