Group 1

William Wordsworth

After reading several of William Wordsworth’s work,  I was able to see how he creates and implies a unity between man and nature in his work. For example, in “I wandered as lonely as a cloud”, Wordsworth was able to create a mental image and capture the essence of how nature makes someone feel. In the poem, the poet is wandering and describes himself as “lonely as a cloud” and soon discovers a field of daffodils by a lake. This is a memory that he is fond of and it seems to comforts him when he is feeling lonely or restless. While reading this poem, I felt a strange sense of nostalgia and after pondering for a while of what this reminded me of, it made me realize that I once had the same sight and feelings as the poet had. It took me back to the time I went to Ecuador, all to a specific moment. I had the same emotions described in the poem when I was standing near a Volcano sight in Ecuador, Tungurahua. While in Ecuador I felt a sense of connection between the valley breeze as I stood on a hill near the site of Tunguragua taking pictures of the landscape. As I was taking these photos, I remember noticing a river at the bottom of a steep hill. There lied a vast garden of daisies and other flowers. It was misty and cool and relaxed me as I forgot about the city back at home. Wordsworth’s poem took me back to this memory and took me back to feeling the same emotions I felt when I there and the similarities are odd and refreshing in a way. Specifically, the lines “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” seemed to describe the exact place I was in. I personally found that when I was standing alone on this hill, with such a vast sight watching the water in the river flow, I was able to truly feel a sense of peace, calmness, relaxation and I was able to truly clear my mind. The poet towards the end says that he is able to look back at this memory when he is feeling lonely, sad or overall in a pensive mood and thus be able to bring pleasure back to his heart. This gave me the idea that I can now look back at this memory and momentarily bring back the sense on tranquility.