The poem 'Daffodils' is also known by the title 'I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud', a lyrical poem written by

William Wordsworth in 1804. It was published in 1815 in 'Collected Poems' with four stanzas. William
Wordsworth is a well-known romantic poet who believed in conveying simple and creative expressions
through his poems. He had quoted, "Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its
origin from emotion recollected in tranquility". Thus, Daffodils is one of the most popular poems of the
Romantic Age, unfolding the poet's excitement, love and praise for a field blossoming with daffodils.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was one of the major poets of his time honored as England's Poet
Laureate. He was a nature poet who helped to coin the term 'Romanticism' in English Literature along
with I. A. Richards in 1798, by the publication of 'Lyrical Ballads'. Some of the major works of William
Wordsworth are:

 Lyrical Ballads, With a Few Other Poems (1798) - Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern
Abbey, We are Seven, Simon Lee, Lines Written in Early Spring

 Lyrical Ballads, with Other Poems Volume 1 (1800) - Lucy Gray, Strange Fits of Passion Have I
Known, She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways, Preface to the Lyrical Ballads

 Poems, in Two Volumes (1807) - Ode: Intimations of Immortality, Daffodils, Resolution and
Independence, Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, The World is Too Much With Us

 Title and Theme of the Poem

 The title, 'Daffodils' is a simple word that reminds us of the arrival of
spring, when the field is full of daffodils. Daffodils are yellow flowers,
having an amazing shape and beautiful fragrance. A bunch of
daffodils symbolize the joy and happiness of life.

The theme of the poem 'Daffodils' is a collection of human emotions

inspired by nature that we may have not noticed enough due to our
busy lives. The daffodils imply beginning or rebirth for human
beings, blessed with the grace of nature. The arrival of daffodils in
the month of March is welcomed and it's an enjoyable time to
appreciate them!
 Summary
 William Wordsworth wrote Daffodils on a stormy day in spring, while
walking along with his sister Dorothy near Ullswater Lake, in
England. He imagined that the daffodils were dancing and invoking
him to join and enjoy the breezy nature of the fields. Dorothy
Wordsworth, the younger sister of William Wordsworth, found the
poem so interesting that she took 'Daffodils' as the subject for her
 journal. The poem is written as an appreciation of daffodils, and
contains six lines in four stanzas.

In the first stanza, the writer finds himself as a lonely cloud floating
over the valley. The author describes himself 'lonely' because his
brother John was dead, leaving him alone and sad. Then he
encountered the yellow daffodils beside the lake. The flowers were
swaying here and there due to the heavy breeze, as if they were
dancing happily.

Second stanza is about how amazing the daffodils looked in the

spring season. The author found those flowers like stars which
shined and twinkled in the night sky. They were nodding their heads
while dancing. Then Wordsworth expressed that these beautiful
flowers stood in a never-ending line. He felt an illusion that he is
watching all ten thousand of flowers altogether in a glance.

Third stanza is the continuation of how along with the flowers, the
water in the lake too moved, as if they were competing with each
other in the dance. But the glee flowers won and the sparkling lake
lost. Finding their playfulness, the author couldn't stop himself from
joining their company. The author kept staring at both of them,
wondering how his sad mood changed into a happy one. The
daffodils and lake's dance bought him a wealth that he couldn't
deny. The mesmerizing flowers gained a place in his heart he
couldn't understand but felt.

The last or the fourth stanza is narration of what pleasure the

author had gained after watching the daffodils dancing that day.
Whenever the author, Wordsworth felt sad or alone, the picture of
dancing daffodils came to his mind and it was like he regained life's
treasure. How valuable the solitude is! At the end, author's heart
was content in joining the daffodils' dance.
Throughout Daffodils (or ‘I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud’ as some people refer the poem to), the tranquil tone and peaceful imagery
along with the steady flow of rhymes implies the joyful yet peaceful feeling of being on this cloud. The way the speaker attributes his
own feelings to parts of nature, shows that he feels one with his surroundings when he is in this place. For three stanzas, the
speaker describes a kind of utopia, where peace and joy abound. In the fourth stanza, however, he reveals that his time in this
perfect place was short lived, and that reality is different from his experience wandering as a cloud. However, this experience has
obvious, long term effects on the speaker. Daffodils Analysis (1)

Stanza 1

“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.”

In the first stanza of William Wordsworth’s “I wandered lonely as a cloud” the speaker uses first person to personalize what he says
and to give more depth and meaning to his words. In the first line, the speaker uses melancholy diction to describe how he
“wandered lonely as a cloud”. He then shifts to a euphoric tone when he describes the “host of golden daffodils”. He uses
descriptive imagery when he says that they were “fluttering and dancing in the breeze”. The reader immediately senses that the
speaker has brought him to a Utopia. The peaceful language and the description of the beauty allow the reader to feel carefree and
at ease.

Stanza 2

“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.”

In the second stanza, the speaker shifts his focus from the daffodils and compares them with the “continuous…stars…that shine and
twinkle on the milky way”. The speaker allows to reader to experience the majesty of seeing “ten thousand [stars]…at a glance”. At
this point, the reader begins to sense that he is not on earth anymore, but rather in a place full of majesty and beauty, perhaps
heaven or some other form of afterlife. Throughout the poem, rhyme and rhythm help it to flow smoothly, giving the readers a
continued sense of utopian peace. The rhyme scheme, ab ab cc, is an integral part of bringing the reader a sense of rest and peace.
This stanza not only allows the reader to feel the sense of peace the speaker feels, but also to feel life. This is not simply a peaceful
place; it is full of life. Figurative language and personification are used when the daffodils are described as tossing “their heads”.
This gives the readers the feeling that this peaceful, utopian place, is also lively and spirited.

Stanza 3

“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 third stanza continues the personification describing how the waves “danced” and the daffodils “out-did the sparkling waves in
glee”. This continues to give readers a sense of peace and joy combined with lively action. The personifications of the daffodils also
reveals their effect on the speaker as he regards them with life and attributes to them the ability to feel “glee”. The speaker then
shifts the focus back to himself as a poet when he says, “A poet could not but be gay”. This portrays the effect the dazzling daffodils
had on the speaker. When he says, “What wealth the show to me had brought”, it shows that the mere sight of the golden daffodils
somehow enriched his life and brought wealth to him. The use of the word “wealth” reveals that this sense of peace and joy are
worth more to the speaker than money or other worldly wealth. This also gives the reader the idea that some things are worth more
than money and worldly goods, such as peace, joy, and life.

Stanza 4

“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.”

In the fourth stanza, the speaker shifts from a peaceful, joyful tone to one of pensive thought. He also comes down from the cloud
and reveals the reality of his current physical state. Even though he no longer sees the dancing waves and the golden daffodils, he
reveals that he will never forget them when he says, “they flash upon that inward eye”. The speaker reveals that he not only still has
the memory of the daffodils, but that he has also kept the memory of how they made him feel. He reveals this when he says, “And
then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils”. This gives the reader the sense that the speaker has either been
dreaming, or has had an experience in which he caught a glimpse of heaven. It leaves the reader with a yearning to find that perfect
place of utopian peace.

Historical Context

William Wordsworth was not without his share of loss. In fact, he lost his mother when he was seven, and his father when he was
thirteen. As if that were not enough loss for one person, three of his children preceded him in death. This background gives this
particular poem greater meaning. The poem reveals that the speaker feels far more comfortable and peaceful when thinking about
the afterlife than he feels at home on his couch in real life. This reveals a sense of longing for what is after, and a sense of
disappointment in earthly life. This experience of wandering as a cloud was either a dream or a vision, a glimpse of heaven.
Whatever this experience was, it is clear that Wordsworth holds on to the memory of this experience to give him hope in life.
I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD
(DAFFODILS) THEMES
 BACK

 NEXT

I wandered lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils) Themes

Happiness
"I wandered lonely as a Cloud" is a poem that just makes you feel good about life. It says that even when you are by yourself and
lonely and missing your friends, you can use your imagination to fi...

Man and the Natural World

Wordsworth is the granddaddy of all nature poets, and he’s in top form in "I wandered lonely as a Cloud." In her journal entry about
the day in question, Wordsworth's sister Dorothy wrote about t...

Spirituality
The 19th century Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle coined the phrase "natural supernaturalism," which has been used by later critics to
describe how the Romantic poets, and especially Wordsworth, view...

Memory and the Past

"I wandered lonely as a Cloud" is almost like a simpler version of "Tintern Abbey," one of Wordsworth’s other most famous works. In
both poems, the memory of beautiful things serves as a comfort...

The Selfish Giant

The Selfish Giant: The story is that of an of a giant, his garden and the children who used to play in it.

There was once a giant who had a beautiful garden. He had gone to visit his friend, the Ogre, for seven
years. When he returned home, he found that children used his beautiful garden as their playground.
Their happy voices as they played there infuriated the giant.

The Plot of The Selfish Giant

Very angry at the children, he shunned them out of his garden and built a tall fence around it. The
children could not return to the garden.
As the seasons passed and the time for Spring to arrive came, the Giant waited eagerly to watch his
garden bloom with beautiful flowers. However, he waited and waited but Spring never came to his
garden.

Days passed by and the Giant grew worried and sad for his garden until one day he woke up in the
morning to hear the laughter of the children and to see the touch of Spring in his garden. The Giant was
very happy and he ran outside to play with the kids who had entered through a small hole in the fence.

The cover of ‘The Selfish Giant’

As he played, he noticed a small boy stuck on top of a tree. The Giant very lovingly brought him down
and when he asked his name, the kid ran away. From then on, every day, the Giant waited for his little
friend to come but he never came.

After a very long time, when the Giant was old, he woke up in the morning and saw his little friend in his
blooming garden. He quickly ran out and the child told him that he was the Christ and had come to take
him to Heaven with him. The Giant died peacefully and his soul rested in Heaven with God.

Review of The Selfish Giant

The Selfish Giant, written by Oscar Wilde, is a famous short story. It is one of the many many beautiful
stories penned by the author.

A nice work of imagination, it is mainly for children with magical creatures like the Giant and the Ogre. It
teaches the importance of sharing the good things in life and how it brings happiness to not just the one
it is being shared with but also the one who is sharing.

The cover of ‘The Selfish Giant’

A kind heart is always a blessing and is amply blessed by the Almighty. It also teaches that one gets what
he gives. If you spread happiness, you will get happiness in return and if you give sadness to others, it
also comes back to you many folds.

The Selfish Giant Story Summary

A very important story for the young ones to know, it is no less than a fable and is a must-read. This story
holds different meanings for people of different age. Give it a read and find out what it means to you.

Oscar Wilde’s one of the stylish fairy tales The Selfish Giant was included in, The Happy Prince and Other
Tales published in 1888. Noted for his witty dialogues, humour, careful choice of words and arrangement
of words, Oscar Wilde showed his best in The Selfish Giant . Very simple and very interesting story The
Selfish Giant is full of inner meaning and moral message. It suggests that if we give happiness to others
we can also feel happiness in our life. The story tells about a giant who was really selfish. In fact, The
Selfish Giant moves around a person who is very selfish by nature. He is tall, massive and looks ugly. He
doesn’t like the children who are playing in his Garden. His selfishness was quite evident in the act of his
depriving the children from the pleasures of his garden.
The Selfish Giant tells the story of the moral decay of everyman. An adherent of the principle that art
exists for art’s sake, Wilde sets out the painting everyman’s inner corruption and way to salvation. Thus,
the story The Selfish Giant focuses a great moral lesson of love and living a stir among straight-laced
Victorian readers. It is the lesson of love. Love is a divine quality. God Himself is the image of love. God
has created man and nature. His boundless love rules the universe and brings about a harmony among
the heterogeneous elements on earth and it lends grace to everything. Love is a mighty power that has
bound man and nature together. Love should be showered on all equally. He, who loves all things, best,
irrespective of their greatness or smallness, is the best prayed for:

“He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small

For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.”—Coleridge :

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Love is a great virtue, but it is difficult to cultivate. For the sake of love (which is the image of God) one
has to sacrifice a lot. But once love is enthroned in one’s mind, one is lifted up to heaven as a reward. For
God is Love and Love is God.

The Giant Going To His Castle

The Giant had a beautiful garden where some children played during his prolonged absence. The
children, who played in the Giant’s garden, felt fortunate enough to enjoy so many beautiful objects of
nature like star-like flowers, delicate flowers of peach-trees, their ripe and delicious fruits and the note of
sweet-singing birds. The birds sat on the trees—in the garden, birds were attracted by beauty of the
flowers and their fragrances and they sat on the trees. Nature provided the garden with so many objects
that the children’s eyes and ears were feasted and they gave up playing in order to enjoy them. Indeed,
they were really very happy in the garden.
However, on his return to his castle the Giant found the garden being used by the children as a play-
ground. He built up a high wall around his garden and put up a notice board “TRESPASSERS WILL BE
PROSECUTED”. This is really an act of selfishness. This very act makes it evident that the giant is very
selfish. His crude selfishness will prompt him to drive away the children playing in the garden. Thus, he
will deprive them of their simple and innocent pleasures in the garden.

The Giant is very conscious about his property and will not allow anybody to enjoy the beauties of his
garden. Of course, the beauties of his garden are the beauties conferred upon it by Nature.

So he built notice board—the wall that the Giant’s wall was the wall of selfishness against the children
who are blessed by Jesus Christ. It is a wall between Nature and man. It amounts a violation of the
commandment of God—the love to and in children, who are simple and innocent, should be loved.

The Giant deprived the children of their communion with Nature. Of course, the Giant was punished by
Nature for his selfishness Neither Spring nor Autumn visited his garden, but Winter prevailed all over it.

But, in one day, in the farthest corner of the garden was the ‘marvelous sight’- a tree covered with lovely
white blossoms. Once, early in the morning he hears a sweet song and thought that kings’ musicians are
passing nearby his home, but he found a linnet in his garden who is singing on a tree. After a long time
he hears a sweet song put into the great joy and he found spring in the farthest corner of the garden.
The children came though the little hole. He goes downstairs and found a little boy who is trying to climb
up on the tree. Its branches were golden and silver fruit hung down and underneath it stood the little
boy the Giant loved. The Giant picked up the little boy in his hands and placed him on the tree. He told
the children that the garden belonged to them. Finally, he took a huge axe and broke down the wall.
With these actions the Giant showed his melting heart. The children are pure in heart and beautiful in
mind. They are innocent. They are as pristine and simple as nature. Joy, bliss, warmth and life returned
to the garden with the coming back of the children. They brought about a change in the Giant’s heart
and helped to redeem his soul.

When he gave up his selfishness and began to love the children dearly, he was relieved of his
punishment. The winter weather was removed from his garden. The Giant was rewarded. “But these are
the Wounds of Love” and “You let me play once in your garden, today you shall come.”
The boy was Jesus Christ in disguise. He came to the Giant once again to take him to his garden,
Paradise, as a reward for letting him play once in his garden. The Giant was redeemed by Jesus. He was
absolved of all his sins. His soul became pure and sacred. The ‘white blossoms’ symbolize the purity
and sacredness that the Giant’s soul attained and the ever-lasting peace that he obtained after death.
He was taken to Paradise for his unselfishness by Jesus Christ.

Character sketch on the "Selfish Giant" from the lesson 'Selfish Giant'
in 100 to 150 words.
In “The Selfish Giant” Oscar Wilde uses the characteristics of the Giant to portray aspects of the human
condition including self- reliance, selfishness, and the inability to recognize sin, but he also shows how,
just like the Giant, humankind can be saved from these transgressions. Today’s people feel like they can
take care of themselves and that they do not need to ask for help, because it is seen as a sign of
weakness. In the story, the Giant symbolizes the “giant mentality” humans possess: that we are strong
and capable of accomplishment by ourselves. People are self-reliant and of a mindset that they do not
need assistance, similar to mighty giant.

Another giant-like attitude humans possess is that of selfishness. Much of the story consists of how
selfish the giant is and how that affects him. Humans do not like to admit it, but as a whole, people are
quite selfish, and just like the giant, many people have numerous possessions that could be enjoyed by
others, but are hidden away for personal use. There is a fear that an item may be damaged or overused,
but more often than not, that item is then kept in such great care that it is not even enjoyed by the
owner. In “The Selfish Giant,” the garden belonging to the giant is a place where children loved to play.
The reader observes that there is no mention of damage to the property, and yet the Giant is furious
when he discovers the children in his garden. He exiles them from his garden and builds a wall
surrounding it, and yet the reader may notice that there is no evidence or mention that the Giant uses
the garden himself. The Giant only cares about himself and says that the garden belongs to him alone
and he would, “allow nobody to play in it but myself.”

Lesson 1: INTRODUCTION TO MULTIMEDIA

Introduction

Multimedia has become an inevitable part of any presentation. It has found a

variety of applications right from entertainment to education. The evolution of internet

has also increased the demand for multimedia content.

Definition

Multimedia is the media that uses multiple forms of information content and

information processing (e.g. text, audio, graphics, animation, video, interactivity) to

inform or entertain the user. Multimedia also refers to the use of electronic media to store

and experience multimedia content. Multimedia is similar to traditional mixed media in

fine art, but with a broader scope. The term “rich media” is synonymous for interactive

multimedia.

Elements of Multimedia System

Multimedia means that computer information can be represented through audio,

graphics, image, video and animation in addition to traditional media(text and graphics).

Hypermedia can be considered as one type of particular multimedia application.

Categories of Multimedia

Multimedia may be broadly divided into linear and non-linear categories. Linear

active content progresses without any navigation control for the viewer such as a cinema

presentation. Non-linear content offers user interactivity to control progress as used with

a computer game or used in self-paced computer based training. Non-linear content is

also known as hypermedia content.

Multimedia presentations can be live or recorded. A recorded presentation may

allow interactivity via a navigation system. A live multimedia presentation may allow

interactivity via interaction with the presenter or performer.

Features of Multimedia

Multimedia presentations may be viewed in person on stage, projected,

transmitted, or played locally with a media player. A broadcast may be a live or recorded

multimedia presentation. Broadcasts and recordings can be either analog or digital

electronic media technology. Digital online multimedia may be downloaded or streamed.

Streaming multimedia may be live or on-demand.

Multimedia games and simulations may be used in a physical environment with

special effects, with multiple users in an online network, or locally with an offline

computer, game system, or simulator.

Enhanced levels of interactivity are made possible by combining multiple forms

of media content But depending on what multimedia content you have it may vary

Online multimedia is increasingly becoming object-oriented and data-driven, enabling

applications with collaborative end-user innovation and personalization on multiple

forms of content over time. Examples of these range from multiple forms of content on

web sites like photo galleries with both images (pictures) and title (text) user-updated, to

simulations whose co-efficient, events, illustrations, animations or videos are modifiable,

allowing the multimedia “experience” to be altered without reprogramming.

Applications of Multimedia

Multimedia finds its application in various areas including, but not limited to,

advertisements, art, education, entertainment, engineering, medicine, mathematics,

business, scientific research and spatial, temporal applications.

A few application areas of multimedia are listed below:

Creative industries

Creative industries use multimedia for a variety of purposes ranging from

fine arts, to entertainment, to commercial art, to journalism, to media and software

services provided for any of the industries listed below. An individual multimedia
designer may cover the spectrum throughout their career. Request for their skills

range from technical, to analytical and to creative.

Commercial

Much of the electronic old and new media utilized by commercial artists is

multimedia. Exciting presentations are used to grab and keep attention in

advertising. Industrial, business to business, and interoffice communications are

often developed by creative services firms for advanced multimedia presentations

beyond simple slide shows to sell ideas or liven-up training. Commercial

multimedia developers may be hired to design for governmental services and

nonprofit services applications as well.

Entertainment and Fine Arts

In addition, multimedia is heavily used in the entertainment industry,

especially to develop special effects in movies and animations. Multimedia games

are a popular pastime and are software programs available either as CD-ROMs or

online. Some video games also use multimedia features.

Multimedia applications that allow users to actively participate instead of just

sitting by as passive recipients of information are called Interactive Multimedia.

Education

In Education, multimedia is used to produce computer-based training

courses (popularly called CBTs) and reference books like encyclopaedia and

almanacs. A CBT lets the user go through a series of presentations, text about a

particular topic, and associated illustrations in various information formats.

Edutainment is an informal term used to describe combining education with

entertainment, especially multimedia entertainment.

Engineering

Software engineers may use multimedia in Computer Simulations for

anything from entertainment to training such as military or industrial training.

Multimedia for software interfaces are often done as collaboration between

creative professionals and software engineers.

Industry

In the Industrial sector, multimedia is used as a way to help present

information to shareholders, superiors and coworkers. Multimedia is also helpful

for providing employee training, advertising and selling products all over the

world via virtually unlimited web-based technologies.

Mathematical and Scientific Research

In Mathematical and Scientific Research, multimedia is mainly used for

modeling and simulation. For example, a scientist can look at a molecular model

of a particular substance and manipulate it to arrive at a new substance.

Representative research can be found in journals such as the Journal of

Multimedia.

Medicine

In Medicine, doctors can get trained by looking at a virtual surgery or they

can simulate how the human body is affected by diseases spread by viruses and

bacteria and then develop techniques to prevent it.

Multimedia in Public Places

In hotels, railway stations, shopping malls, museums, and grocery stores,

multimedia will become available at stand-alone terminals or kiosks to provide

information and help. Such installation reduce demand on traditional information

booths and personnel, add value, and they can work around the clock, even in the

middle of the night, when live help is off duty.

A menu screen from a supermarket kiosk that provide services ranging

from meal planning to coupons. Hotel kiosk list nearby restaurant, maps of the

city, airline schedules, and provide guest services such as automated checkout.

Printers are often attached so users can walk away with a printed copy of the

information. Museum kiosk are not only used to guide patrons through the

exhibits, but when installed at each exhibit, provide great added depth, allowing

visitors to browser though richly detailed information specific to that display.

Stages of Multimedia Application Development

A Multimedia application is developed in stages as all other software are being

developed. In multimedia application development a few stages have to complete before

other stages being, and some stages may be skipped or combined with other stages.

Following are the four basic stages of multimedia project development :

1. Planning and Costing : This stage of multimedia application is the first stage

which begins with an idea or need. This idea can be further refined by outlining

its messages and objectives. Before starting to develop the multimedia project, it

is necessary to plan what writing skills, graphic art, music, video and other

multimedia expertise will be required.

It is also necessary to estimate the time needed to prepare all elements of

multimedia and prepare a budget accordingly. After preparing a budget, a

prototype or proof of concept can be developed.

2. Designing and Producing : The next stage is to execute each of the planned

tasks and create a finished product.

3. Testing : Testing a project ensure the product to be free from bugs. Apart from
bug elimination another aspect of testing is to ensure that the multimedia

application meets the objectives of the project. It is also necessary to test whether

the multimedia project works properly on the intended deliver platforms and they

meet the needs of the clients.

4. Delivering : The final stage of the multimedia application development is to pack

the project and deliver the completed project to the end user. This stage has

several steps such as implementation, maintenance, shipping and marketing the

product.