Asyndeton, Imagery, and Personification in “I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud”

            In William Woodsworth’s poem “I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud” the narrator reminisces about a small event that brings him joy.  Living in isolation, there is no significant relief from his loneliness except from an image of daffodils “Beside the lake, beneath the trees, /

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze” (5-6). Through the use of asyndeton, imagery, and personification, Woodsworth takes an optimistic approach to solitude, asserting that solitude gives us more opportunities to appreciate the simplicities in life.

            In the lines above, Woodsworth makes use of an asyndeton. It assists with the imagery of the scene and by not including conjunctions between the prepositions, Woodsworth gives us, the readers, freedom to visualize the landscape. Words such as “beside” and “beneath” have such a broad literal meaning that the image of the lake and trees depends on the perspective of the reader. A lake is surrounding by land in all four directions and beneath the tree can be anything the reader imagines. So much of the text is open-ended that it can be interpreted in more than just one way. This gives the reader mobility as to where the narrator is located during this flashback. Thus, the use of asyndeton, accompanied with diction, is crucial in providing the reader with the chance to create their own ideal image of the setting and definition of solitude.

            Woodsworth not only uses asyndeton to capture the image, but also diction to widen his immense range of imagery to describe the daffodils, as well as the setting. The connotation of the words “fluttering” and “dancing” is one that is joyous and free from any societal and political pressure. In this manner, the narrator’s solitude has a positive effect on his well-being. He has nothing to worry about except himself and has no pressure to meet any demanding deadlines. There is no mention of the method of obtaining food and shelter, and can therefore be considered insignificant to the persona. The persona also mentions a “breeze.” The connotation that goes along with the word also refers to a relaxed and gentle mood. All of the descriptive words the narrator uses present an optimistic view of a simple and secluded lifestyle.