Comparison Essay ‘the Daffodils’ ‘to Daffodils’

The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two poems with similar names, but very different content, tone, stylistic features and didactic message. The first poem is William Wordsworth’s â€Å"The Daffodils† written in 1804. The second poem is â€Å"To Daffodils† written by Robert Herrick in 1675. Both poems are about the comparison between man and nature, in this case, it’s the daffodils, but the poems are written in a different way. The poems are very different in terms of the way daffodils affect the writer’s state of mind. The poems have contrasting content and theme. Wordsworth’s poem tells a story about a lonely man walking, when he saw a field full of daffodils and he became happy and overjoyed. Robert Herrick’s poem takes a†¦show more content†¦There are various different stylistic features on the two poems. Both poems used simile, personification, hyperbole and enjambment. Both authors make use of similes in their poems, which strengthen the visual image of the poem. An example to this is in Wordsworth’s poem â€Å"I wandered lonely as a cloud†. The use of simile in that sentence enhances the image, and makes the reader visualize his state of mind. Another example would be in Herrick’s poem â€Å"Like to the summer’s rain; or â€Å"as the pearls of morning’s dew,† emphasizing the dark journey of his soul. Personification plays a big part in both poems, and Wordsworth and Herrick uses the personification of daffodils extensively. However, the two make use of personification in a different way. William Wordsworth’s poem personifies the daffodils on the poem as a merry and beautiful dancer. This adds to the joyfulness and projects an even more vivid image to a poem already full of life and beautiful imagery. Wordsworth use words like â€Å"Fluttering and dancing in the breeze†, and â€Å"Ten thousand saw I at a glance, tossing their heads in a sprightly dance†. While Wordsworth’s ‘The Daffodils’ used personification to give the poem ‘life’, Robert Herrick did quite the opposite to his poem. In ‘To Daffodils’, Herrick makes use of personification so he could personify the daffodils as if it is dying person. The personification of the daffodil solidifies the theme and content of the poem, which wasShow MoreRelatedThe Daffod ils and Composed Upon Westminster Bridge: Depiction of Nature1383 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Essay question on the comparison between two poems by Wordsworth Q. Compare and contrast how Wordsworth depicts nature in ‘The Daffodils’ and ‘Sonnet : Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’. (2-3 pages) The question asks you to compare how Wordsworth illuminates and expresses nature in the two poems written by him, ‘The Daffodils’ and ‘Sonnet: Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’. 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