2. England its
Location and
Geography
England is a country that shares
borders with Scotland to the north
and Wales to the west. The Irish Sea
is to the north west of England,
while the Celtic Sea is to the south
west.
England became a unified state in
AD 927 state, and since the Age of
Discovery, has had a significant
cultural and legal impact on the
wider world.
England's terrain mostly comprises
low hills and plains, However, there
are uplands in the north (for
example, the mountainous Lake
District, Pennines) and the
Southwest. The ancient capital of
Winchester was England until the
12th century and is now London
3. Law
a constitutional
monarchy and parliamentar
y system.
There has not been
a Government of
England since 1707, when
the Acts of Union 1707,
putting into effect the terms
of the Treaty of Union
Joined England and
Scotland to form
the Kingdom of Great
Britain
4. England and its
Climate
England has a temperate oceanic climate
and humid, with temperatures not much
lower than -5 ° C in winter and not much
higher than 32 ° C in summer.
The coldest months are January and
February being the warmest month is July.
Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout
the year so, being that the western region
has the most rainfall
5. England and Its Culture
Cuisine
Since the Early Modern Period the food of
England has historically been
characterized by its simplicity of approach
and a reliance on the high quality of natural
produce.
Architecture
Many ancient standing stone monuments
were erected during the prehistoric period,
amongst the best-known
are Stonehenge, Devil's Arrows, Redstone
Monolith.
Literature, poetry and philosophy
Early authors such
as Bede and Alcuin wrote in Latin. The
period of Old English literature provided
the epic poem Beowulf and the secular
prose of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
6. England and
Its Music
England has produced some of
the world’s best music throughout
history. In fact, as a country,
England has spearheaded some of
the world’s most significant musical
movements and trends.
Since its earliest days, English
music has been particularly diverse
and culturally relevant. It was made
up of religious music, folk music,
classical music and many other
styles.
7. England and
Its Literature
The story of English literature begins with the Germanic
tradition of the Anglo-Saxon settlers. Beowulf stands at its
head.
This epic poem of the 8th century is in Anglo-Saxon, now
more usually described as Old English. It is incomprehensible
to a reader familiar only with modern English. Even so, there
is a continuous linguistic development between the two. The
most significant turning point, from about 1100, is the
development of Middle English - differing from Old English in
the addition of a French vocabulary after the Norman
conquest. French and Germanic influences subsequently
compete for the mainstream role in English literature.
The French poetic tradition inclines to lines of a regular
metrical length, usually linked by rhyme into couplets or
stanzas. German poetry depends more on rhythm and stress,
with repeated consonants (alliteration) to bind the phrases.
Elegant or subtle rhymes have a courtly flavour. The hammer
blows of alliteration are a type of verbal athleticism more likely
to draw applause in a hall full of warriors.
Both traditions achieve a magnificent flowering in England
in the late 14th century, towards the end of the Middle English
period. Piers Plowman and Sir Gawain are masterpieces
which look back to Old English. By contrast Chaucer, a poet of
the court, ushers in a new era of English literature.
8. England and
its Art
English art is the body of visual arts
made in England. Following historical
surveys such as Creative Art In England
by William Johnstone (1936 and 1950),
Nikolaus Pevsner attempted a definition in
his 1956 book The Englishness of English
Art, as did Sir Roy Strong in his 2000 book
The Spirit of Britain: A narrative history of
the arts, and Peter Ackroyd in his 2002
book The Origins of the English
Imagination.
Although medieval English painting,
mostly religious, had a strong national
tradition and was at times influential on the
rest of Europe, it was in decline from the
15th century. The Protestant Reformation,
which was especially destructive of art in
England, not only brought the tradition to
an abrupt stop but resulted in the
destruction of almost all wall-paintings.
Only illuminated manuscripts now survive
in good numbers.
12. Structure
Poem is in rhyming couplets – these
create a sense of harmony. This is built upon
with the use of three equal quatrains.
Perhaps the regular rhyming structure sounds
musical?
Moves between past and present – look
for the time words – ‘Now’, ‘back’ etc.
13. Instrument which links speaker’s
present to his past.
Symbolic of 2 main things he longs for
in his past:
His mother. Recalls security and
warmth of her presence. Admires her
for her grace and beauty. Strong respect
for her.
Cozy, warm atmosphere of home.
‘Child’ repeated, desires simplicity and
innocence.
14. Stanza 1
Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling
strings
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles
as she sings.
Speaker listens to the piano and recalls his past.
Belongs to warm and stable family.
Nostalgic/Sentimental – ‘Softly’ Line 1, ‘Smiles as she sings’ Line 4.
Music – Contrast between strong and weak sounds, like the
struggle between the two singers. E.g. ‘softly’ and ‘boom’.
“pressing the small, poised feet” shows sense of touch and
closeness.
Aura around her of grace and beauty.
Adoration and admiration – watches her as she plays.
Repetition of
the ‘s’
consonant in
phrase “who
smiles as she
sings”
complements
the soft,
gentle music
of the piano.
15. Stanza 2
In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song
Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong
To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside
And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide.
Moves from happy to bittersweet - ‘Betrays me’.
“old Sunday evenings … with winter outside” - contrast used to amplify security
felt in warm home setting.
“the insidious mastery of song” indicates the overwhelming power of the music.
“till the heart of me weeps” shows the extent of his being moved by his
memories.
Mood is depressing and sad as tone intensifies to a passionate cry for his lost
past.
“In spite of myself” – lack of self control.
“Insidious mastery” – subtle effect of music.
16. Strong word indicating sense of frustration.
Unable to stop himself from recalling his past.
Shows how overwhelming, how deep, his longing to
return to his past is.
Suggests how different and perhaps how unhappy his
present life is compared to his past.
17. Stanza 3
So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour
With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour
Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast
Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past.
Moves into sadness as nostalgia builds in Stanza 3 – ‘glamour of
childish days’, ‘I weep’.
Climax “I weep like a child for the past” (simile) - speaker compares
himself to a child, shows openness and childlike sincerity.
Unable to control emotions any longer and breaks down.
Stuck in the present but like the child, he longs to return to security and
warmth of his past.
“glamour” suggests beauty and grace.
Childhood is glamorous because it is one of security and beauty.
Overwhelming longing – tears compared to ‘flood’ and ‘cast’ indicates
strength of his emotion destroying his façade of pride.
20. William Wordsworth was born on April 17, 1770,
just outside the Lake District in the quaint market
town of Cocker mouth, Cumbria.
William
Wordsworth
21. William Wordsworth
He was one of the greatest romantic poets in
the 19 – century England.
He belongs to the Romantic school of poetry.
Poets of this school are very interested in
nature, which has a great effect on their poetry.
Studied at Cambridge University
Death Date: April 23, 1850
22. Introduction (about the poem)
William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a
Cloud " also known as “ The daffodils” is a
lyric poem focusing on the poet's response to
the beauty of nature
The final version of the poem was first
published in Collected Poems in 1815. An
earlier version was published in Poems in Two
Volumes in 1807 as a three-stanza poem.
The final version has four stanzas.
.
23. Setting and Background Information
The poem recaptures a moment on April 15, 1802. when
Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, were walking near
Lake Ullswater in Grasmere, Cambria County, England,
and came across a "long belt" of golden daffodils.
Wordsworth sister Dorothy, played an important part in
his life and she also influenced him with her love of nature.
25. I wandered lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils):
Rhyme, Form & Meter
"I wandered lonely as a Cloud" has a
fairly simple form that fits its simple
and folksy theme and language. It
consists of four stanzas with six lines
each, for a total of 24 lines.
The rhyme scheme is also simple:
ABABCC. The last two lines of each
stanza rhyme like the end of a
Shakespearean sonnet, so each stanza
feels independent and self-sufficient.
27. •Stanza one:
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills.
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
28. Figures of Speech (stanza one):
‘I wondered lonely as a cloud.’
Simile: The poet compares himself to a cloud walking without
an aim.
The poet used alliteration in:
-Line 2: ‘That floats on high o’er vales and hills’.
The ‘h’ sound as in high, and hills.
Line 5: ‘Beside the lake, beneath the trees,’.
The ‘b’ sound as in beside, and beneath.
29. Stanza one
‘Golden daffodils.’
Metaphor: The poet compares the yellow daffodils to gold in their bright
color.
‘Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.’
Personification: The poet personifies the daffodils to people who can
move and dance.
30. Stanza two:
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 thousands saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly
dance
31. Figures of Speech (stanza two):
1- ‘Continuous as the stars that shine’
Simile: The poet compares the daffodils to stars
in their huge number and their shiny appearance.
2- ‘Tossing their heads in sprightly dance’
Personification: The poet personifies the
daffodils as human beings moving their heads quickly.
32. Stanza three:
The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed – and gazed – but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought
33. Figures of Speech (stanza three):
‘The waves beside them danced’ & ‘they
outdid the sparkling waves in glee’
Personification: The poet personifies the waves as human beings
dancing and feeling happy.
The poet used alliteration in:
-Line 1: The ‘b’ sound as in beside, and but.
-Line 1: The ‘th’ sound as in the, them and they.
Line 6: The ‘w’ sound as in what, and wealth.
34. Stanza four:
For often, 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 pleasures
fills,
and dances with the daffodils.
35. Figures of Speech (stanza four):
The poet used alliteration in:
-Line 1: The ‘o’ sound as in often, and on.
-Line 3: The ‘th’ sound as in they, and that.
-Line 6: The ‘d’ sound as in dances, and daffodils.
2- ‘my heart …. dances with the daffodils’.
Personification: The poet personifies his heart as a human being
who is dancing
36. Figures of speech(Apostrophe:
):“I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils;
”.The poet apostrophizes the daffodils and
describes them in their large number as a
crowd of people. Also , “In such a jocund
company “The poets addresses the flowers as
human beings and describes them as a happy
company of good friends .
37. Repetition:In third stanza, poet repeated the word “gazed”
two times.
The word "dance" is repeated 3 times in this
poem. In the 1st stanza, it denotes the happiness
and liveliness of the flowers. In the 2nd stanza, it
creates a sense of harmonious relationship
between the daffodils and the waves. In the last
stanza, it refers that this harmony is advanced to
include the poet himself.
38. Lexical pattern:
In first stanza, The poet used contrast between “
“crowd” & “o’er “ and “ beneath.” The poet used
stress and emphasize the meaning.
This poem contains four stanza and all are
poet’s imagination on nature. Poet use maximum
related words. The poet describes nature by
daffodils and comparing them to stars and waves.
He is also writing about himself in relation to
is a source of happiness.
39. Nature of literary communication
In this poem, poet himself is an addresser or sender. Through the whole
poem, poet explaining his thought as monologue.
There is no addressee appears in this poem. Poet directly talking with his
audience and sharing his feeling and thought about nature (daffodils). So,
we are the receiver here.
40. Grammar And Sentence
William Wordsworth uses a complete sentence with subject
and predicate.
There are six sentences Unit and Trunk in the entire poem.
The title of the poem itself is in a complete sentence. Aside
from using complete sentences, the author also makes a
vivid description of the daffodils by using several predicate to
describe the scenery.
Wordsworth likes to begin each stanza by using a complete
sentence and he expands it by using elaborate predicates
and clauses.
41. I wandered lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils)
semantic analysis
The poet starts his poem by painting a picture of himself
walking aimlessly, like a cloud in the sky when suddenly he
saw a group of beautiful golden daffodils
This whole poem was powers of imagination. Whatever he say,
all came from his imagination. By his imagination power,
William Wordsworth wrote this romantic poem where we find
his romance with nature.
42. Semantic (Main Theme of the
poem) Nature' s beauty uplifts the human spirit .
Theme of { Happiness } :” Fluttering and dancing
in the breeze “ maybe the poem just makes us
feel good about life by using the power of
imagination .
the theme of loneliness : 'I wandered lonely as a
cloud.' that could be affected by daily routines .
theme of rejecting city life and going back to the
Mother Nature .
o Memory and the Past : the poet can always draw
on his imagination to reproduce the joy of the
event and to remember the spiritual wisdom that it
provided
o powers of imagination .
43. Semantic analysis (City life vs.
Nature)
Wordsworth try to explain the difference between city
life and nature (rural). Through the lines, the shift of
the poet feelings is very clear.
Firstly, he complains about the corrupted world, which
lacks cooperation and harmony, so he wanders lonely
and hopeless.
He prefers to get away from other people as if being
with them brings him nothing but more sadness and
loneliness.
However, seeing the golden daffodils cheered him up
because they welcomed him. "A host, of golden
daffodils" shows that the poet ran away from city life
and took nature as a shelter to protect him from the
world's corruption.
44. References
Spark Notes (2010). I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud.
Retrieved from
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/wordsworth/section7.rhtm
l
Mathew, P. (1997). Academy of American poets. [Web log
post]. Retrieved from
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/2968
Samuel, K. (N.P). Biography of William Wordsworth. BBC.
Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/wordsworth_wil
liam.shtml