Question

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.

Select a stanza from this poem and explain the tone Wordsworth creates in the stanza. Give your explanation in at least one paragraph of three to five sentences. Use examples from the stanza to support your observations. Use proper spelling and grammar.

Answer 1

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:

The tone in this stanza seems joyful because of the words danced, glee, gay, and jocund. It also implies friendly competition between the waves and the stars. However, the observer may found the display as very interesting but he failed to truly appreciate its beauty.