ELEMENTS
OF POEM
A poem uses different kinds of elements in
conveying its meaning and in making it very
appealing to the readers. It also helps us understand
better the purpose of the author’s written artwork.
Today, let us talk about analyzing a poem in
terms of its elements like rhymes, sound devices,
imagery, and figurative language. Let us read the
poem, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud. Then let’s talk
about every element that characterizes a poem.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
(Daffodils)
by William Wordsworth
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
Continuous as the starts that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside the danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed – and gazed – but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, 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 pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Rhyme is a popular literary device in which
the repetition of the same or similar sound
occurs. Usually, it can be found at the end of the
lines or songs.
The rhyme pattern in the first stanza is
ABABCC. Can you tell which words rhyme?
I wandered lonely as a cloud (A)
That floats on high o’er vales and hills, (B)
When all at once I saw a crowd, (A)
A host of golden daffodils; (B)
Beside the lake, beneath the trees, (C)
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze (C)
cloud-crowd, hills-daffodils, trees-breeze
Guided Practice
Let’s do the remaining stanzas. Pick out the
rhyming words in the poem. Identify the rhyme
pattern.
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 thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly
dance.
The rhyme pattern is ABABCC, and the words that
rhyme are shine-line, way-bay, and glance-dance.
Activity
Encircle the rhymes in these selected lines from
poems.
1. Our God is a strong foundation; a never-ending
source of inspiration
2. He shepherds me dearly; like a friend so warmly
3. He is my guiding light; on a dark, weary night
4. Angel of God my guardian dear, to whom His light
commits me here.
5. You light my way when I am lost; You’re always
there when I need You the most