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
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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
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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
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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….