Daffodils by William Wordsworth Studied Poetry Task • Describe a daffodil in as much detail as possible. Use your five senses! Sight Smell Touch Sound Taste Personification • The poet uses quite a lot of personification in this poem. Work in pairs and find all examples of personification. • What is the purpose of Wordsworth’s use of personification in this poem? What does it achieve? Similes • The poet also makes use of similes in the poem. • Find all similes in the poem. • What is the purpose of the similes? • Do you like or dislike them? • Pick your favourite simile and explain why you like this one. Vocabulary matching • • • • • • • • • • • to wander To flutter A breeze The Milky way The margin A glance Sprightly Vacant To gaze Pensive Solitude a light wind the edge of a place or thing the state of being completely alone done with a lot of energy to look for a long time seeming to be thinking carefully to travel without a particular direction to move with quick, light movements a quick look looking as if you do not understand a group of stars and planets ANSWERS • • • • • • • • • • • to wander To flutter A breeze The Milky way The margin A glance Sprightly Vacant To gaze Pensive Solitude a light wind the edge of a place or thing the state of being completely alone done with a lot of energy to look for a long time seeming to be thinking carefully to travel without a particular direction to move with quick, light movements a quick look looking as if you do not understand a group of stars and planets Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. What was the poet’s mood before he saw the daffodils? What words does the poet use to create a joyful mood? How does the poet use tenses to show the long-lasting effect the daffodils have had on him? What is the poets inward eye? What is the main message of the poem? What does the poet compare himself to in the first verse? How does this give us an idea of his viewpoint on nature? What are the exact words he uses to describe what he sees? What words does he use to describe the movement of the flowers? What does this suggest about his or their mood? What does he compare these flowers to in the second verse? What does this comparison make you think about nature? Why does he think the daffodils are better than the waves? What do you think jocund means? Explain the meaning of the line, ‘Which is the bliss of solitude’. The last verse is a change in time and place. Describe what the poet is imagining happening in the last verse. Why do you think this is one of the most loved poems in the English language? Homework Complete these paragraphs using PQE • My favourite line from this poem is…… because…. • The theme of this poem is… A line that shows this is… I believe this is the theme because… • I would describe the tone of the poem as…. because….