Introduction to Figurative Language

1) In the poem, I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud, an example of a simile is "I wandered lonely as a cloud", while examples of personification are: "Fluttering and dancing in the breeze", "Tossing their heads in a sprightly dance.", "The waves beside them danced" and "Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee." The poet chose a cloud to be a simile in his poem as a cloud usually floats very slowly in the sky and its movement is barely visible. Thus, it best describes the loneliness of the person in the poem as it shows that the person is very lonely and can only move around aimlessly. In the statements showing examples of personification, the poet has used words like dancing, sprightly and glee, to show the comparison between the person and others as a form of emphasis.

2) I like this poem as it is very simple and easy to understand, yet leaves me a great impression after reading it. The poem shows great use of simile and personification, though it does not have any metaphors. The similes and personification used show vast contrast between the feelings and atmosphere of the person and others. This emphasises hugely on the lonely person which i the main character in the poem and has successfully conveyed the message what the poet wants to tell the reader which makes it easy to understand the poem, thus leaving a great impression and letting the reader to enjoy reading it.