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Examples Of Structuralism In I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

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I am putting to use a structuralist view upon the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” because it can be related to with simpleness, put down to the fact that it is positioned in the lyrical genre. Structuralism is a theory in which all elements of human culture are thought to be part of a system of signs. Robert Scholes demarcated structuralism as a reaction towards despair and modernism (Scholes, Robert. Structuralism in Literature: An Introduction, 1975). ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ is a poem that commemorates the utmost beauty of nature to such a degree that the poet believes it to be …show more content…

As previously stated, structuralism is a theory in which all elements of human culture are thought to be part of a system of signs. Structuralists are concerned with issues such as form and genre. The reason why I chose to apply a structuralist perspective upon William Wordsworth’s poem is due to the fact that that it can be easily interacted with because it is positioned in the lyrical genre. The rhyming scheme is in the form ABABCC. The rhyming couplet evident at the end of each stanza creates an unpretentious break caused by the addition of a new stanza. As a result, the final line of teach stanza contains an additional sense of emphasis. The final line of the poem mentions “the show” and conveys images of dancing daffodils, a long-lasting impression discussed by Wordsworth. The meter of this poem is an iambic tetrameter. The meter creates a rhythm with a musical, song like quality, to which the daffodils may dance. Wordsworth also employs consonance and alliteration to create the sense of rhythm. The form of a poem is of utmost importance to structuralist critics. “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” is twenty four lines long and it features four stanzas with six lines each. In each individual stanza there is a perceptible pattern – the first line rhymes with the third line and the second line rhymes with the fourth line. The stanzas finish with the inclusion of a rhyming couplet. By concentrating the first three stanzas on the lake experience and the final on the memory of that experience, Wordsworth amalgamates the content of the poem. It is interesting to note that despite the obvious fact that “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” is built as a sonnet although it is a lyrical poem. Wordsworth employs figurative language such as comparisons, personification, epithets and metaphors so as to express his feelings to the reader. As a sub-genre, “I Wandered Lonely as

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