Question

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

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 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 waves beside them 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.

What is the poet's overall tone?

A. dejected
B. thoughtful
C. liberated
D. overwhelmed

Answer 1

B. thoughtful

The tone of this poem is thoughtful. The poem begins with the image of the speaker floating like a cloud in the sky and seeing a field of daffodils. The speaker describes the field of daffodils with positive words such as "fluttering", "dancing", "twinkle" and "sprightly". This gives the poem a positive tone thus eliminating the negative answer choices of dejected and overwhelmed. The last stanza of the poem explains that the speaker is lying on the couch in "vacant or in pensive mood". Pensive is another word for thoughtful, so thoughtful is the best choice.