Figurative Language and Imagery Analysis on “I Wandered

Lonely As a Cloud” By William Wordsworth: Semantics Study

Chintiya Veronika1, Ida Zuraida2
1,2
English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Widyatama University, Indonesia
chintiya.veronika@widyatama.ac.id, ida.zuraida@widyatama.ac.id

Abstract Keywords
language; figurative
This study’s aim is to analyze and examine the types figurative
language and imagery that consist in the poem. The analysis used language; imagery;
a descriptive qualitative research method. The data used were comparison; poem
taken from I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud book by William
Wordsworth. The result demonstrates that there are four types of
figurative language occurs found; 23% occurrence of comparison,
10% occurrence of contradiction, 10% occurrence of correlations,
and 16% occurrence of repetition figurative language. Also, there
are two types of imagery found; percentage occurrence of visual
imagery is 47% while kinesthetic imagery is 10%. According to the
findings of this analysis, figurative language occurs frequently in
the type of comparison for percentage of 23% and visual imagery
with 47% occurrence.

I. Introduction

Langue, The French word for Language or tongue, in this sense, language refers to
the rules ad conventions of a given language-its phonological distinctions, its permitted
grammatical combinations of elements, etc. Simatupang, Ervina CM (2021) stated
“Language is a communication tool used by human to convey opinions or ideas to others.”.
Moreover, language is a system of a conventional spoken either manual or signed, or
written symbols by means of which human being, as members of a social group and
participants in its culture, express themselves.
In this poem can be seen there is figurative language and imagery used. A lot of
authors, especially who works on arts use this kind of language style to transfer their
thoughts, point of view, or impressions about something in their literary works to show the
special effect and understanding in every sentence of their works. This language style is
unique and interesting. Derived from the statements above, analyzing the used of figurative
language in literature works is one of significant needs to do. Hence, the research needs to
analyze the figurative language and imagery in this poetry deeply.

II. Review of Literature

2.1 Figurative Language

Figurative language is a way to express feelings, characters and/or personality in an
unstrict words or realistic meanings. The language style uses another word or phrase that
sometimes is unlogic or exaggerated. The purpose is to add creative flourish to the written
or spoken language or to explain complicated ideas. The important point in this language is
to enable authors to make a more unique and colorful literary works. Which it means to
allow the poet to express their abstract thoughts. Tarigan (1986: 113) states there are four
kinds of figurative language.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v5i2.5208 13514
 Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal)
Volume 5, No 2, May 2022, Page: 13514-13522
e-ISSN: 2615-3076 (Online), p-ISSN: 2615-1715 (Print)
www.bircu-journal.com/index.php/birci
email: birci.journal@gmail.com
Kinds of Figurative Language:
1. Figure of Comparison
Figure of comparison is divided into 5 types:
- Metaphor
Perrine (in Arp. 2010:74) stated that “metaphor is a figure of speech which in
comparison in made between two things essentially unlike.”, which make metaphor is
more figurative and poetic. Metaphor will make sense if only the similarities between
two things become apparent or others can understand the connection.
- Simile
Simile in Latin means “such as”, it refers to an indirect of comparison between one
thing to another one thing. Usually or commonly the characteristic of this kind of
figure language is it uses words “like” or “as”, or other term that equivalent. They are
used to draw the attention to the comparison. Unlike metaphor, simile acknowledges
that they are comparisons, because simile has the sign words of comparisons.
- Personification
Personification is a figurative language that characterize objects or animals be like a
human being. Personification gives something like attributes of a human being to
animals, object, or even to a concept. The attributes can be physical attribute,
emotional attribute, and human actions attribute.
- Allegory
Allegory name itself is from Greek, which means speaking “figuratively. Allegory is
figurative language of comparison that can be seen or understood by the symbols. This
language style is comparing a wholeness of two things based on the all the similarities
that they have.
- Antithesis
Antithesis is a language style that compares two opposite things. Antithesis in Greek
means “the opposite or a contrast”. In addition, it is like when something is the
opposite of another. Rhetorically, antithesis makes a pair of ideas that contrast or
opposite in a parallel grammar structure.

2. Figure of Contradiction
Figure of contradiction can be divided into 7 types. They are:
- Hyperbole
Hyperbole or known as overstatement, according to Moelino (1986) is an exaggerated
expression which it is exaggerated of the amount, size, or character.
- Litotes
Litotes is a figure language that states positive expression but by negative form or can
be said by contradictory forms. This style is also known as the opposite of hyperbole.
This kind of speech or writing style is for making unique expressions and to create a
colorful and alive atmosphere. Moreover, this style can make a statement more fluid
and foster an element of intimacy. Apart from that, this figure is usually equated with
a behavior of self-deprecating.
- Oxymoron
Oxymoron is a figure that establish a syntactic relationship of two antonym words or
two contrast/opposite phrases.
- Paronomasia
Paronomasia contains words that align each other of the similar sounds but has
different meanings. Based on Oxford Dictionary stated that paronomasia is punning;
refer to any play on the sounds of words.

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 - Paralysis
Paralysis is a language style that does not imply as what it is stated. It means there is
the other intention, purpose, or meaning behind the statement.
- Zeugma
Zeugma, this style of figure has become a part of English language since 13th century.
Wikipedia of Zeugma and Syllepsis (last edited; 04th May 2022) state zeugma is figure
of speech in which a single phrase or word joins different parts of a sentence. In
conclusion, this style of figure language is a statement that uses one word to modify
other two words in different way.
- Irony
Irony is a figure of speech that expresses contradictory meanings in order to humiliate
(Moeliono in Tarigan, 1986: 133). The purpose of this figure can be accomplished by
arguing incompatibility of expectation and reality.

3. Figurative correlations
The figurative correlations are consisted into 7 types:
- Gradation
Gradation is a style of figurative language that uses that last word of the first sentence
and become the first word of the next sentence. Usually this type of figurative
correlations found in a compound sentence.
- Inversion
This type of figurative correlations’ statement is not arranged as common usual
statement. If common statement that Grammarly correct the arrangement is Subject +
Predicate, while inversion arrangement is Predicate + Subject (3rd person). For
example:
‘I am sad’ becomes ‘Sad me’.
- Ellipsis
Ellipsis is a way to make a sentence more effective by removing or cut an element of
the sentence. This kind of sentence also gives a more polite impression to the hearer or
reader.
- Euphemism
Euphemism is a phrase that use more polite words or indirect words to avoid an
offensive meaning. This type of figure is a polite way to not offence people by using
the indirect words even when the actual meaning or the point is something that can be
offensive. In other words, euphemism make a smoother statement and is used as the
alternative way of rude expression.
- Synecdoche
Synecdoche states a whole thing or over something or otherwise by explaining a part
of the object. This type of figure is also used to make an effective statement, since
from a part explanation of the statements already can explain all over the statements.
- Metonymy
Metonymy is to make a variated statement, this figure removes or delete a name of a
thing and change it into phrase, which the meaning is similar or the close meaning.
- Allusion
Baldick Chris, Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms (2001:18) defines that
allusion is an indirect or passing reference to some event, person, place, or artist work,
the nature and the relevance of which is not explained by the writer but relies on the
reader’s familiarity with is thus mentioned. Therefore, this figure language is typically
like a brief to a person, place, event, thing, or other familiar literary works.

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4. Figure of Repetition
- Chiasmus
Drabble Margaret The Oxford Companion to English Literature (1985:189) stated
“Chiasmus is figure of speech by which the other words in the first of two parallel
clauses is reversed in the second”.
- Alliteration
Alliteration or also known as head rhyme is a repetition of commonly identical initial
consonant sounds in successive related syllables within a group of words.
- Antanaclasis
Antanaclasis is the repetition of two identical words but has different meanings or
dissimilar.
- Anaphora
Anaphora is a term that using a particular word or phrase repeatedly to paint more
artistic effect on a text or speech. This term also is used as a way to emphasis a word
or point, name, place, etc., in order to get greater attention from the reader of the word.

2.2 Imagery
Imagery refers to descriptive words or/and phrases in a story that provide the sensory
impressions to the reader (such as the setting, character, situations, etc.). This kind of
language style forces or invites readers to visualize in their imaginations through the
descriptive words or phrases. It is interesting in literature, where we can imagine
something by not seeing the actual picture of situation, setting, character, etc.
1. Visual Imagery
Visual imagery related to the sense of sight. The visual imagery is something that we
can picture in mind that reader or hearer can see by the visual descriptions. The image
in mind can be in size, shape, lightness or/and darkness, physical attributes, colors,
shadows, and shades.
2. Gustatory Imagery
Gustatory is appealed to the reader’s sense of taste. This type of imagery is about what
you can taste includes flavors. They can be sweet, salty, bitter, sour, or/and umami.
Besides that, the textures and the sensations that are tied while eating or drinking as
well.
3. Tactile Imagery
This is a type of imagery that engages with the sense of touch. What you feel when
you touch something? How is the texture the thing you touch? What is the sensation?
All of that will be experienced by reader through the descriptive sensory explanation
or statement. Not only them, the temperature is also a part of this imagery.
4. Auditory Imagery
The engagement of sense of hearing happen in this imagery. Readers can hear the way
thing sound. In this imagery, figure language of alliteration and onomatopoeia may
also in the statement to help the creation of sounds in writing.
5. Olfactory Imagery
An imagery that is appealed on smell is the olfactory imagery. Since triggering
memory or emotion of scent by writing is difficult, hence writers usually use words
“like”, and adjective related to kinds of aroma in this imagery. Thus, simile is
commonly found in olfactory imagery.
6. Kinesthetic Imagery
Kinesthetic or known as Kinesthesia related to sense of movement or tension in the
muscles or joints. This may be similar with tactile, but this imagery is more successive

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 to full body sensations. “pounding hearts” this phrase is the most common example of
kinesthetic imagery.
7. Organic Imagery
Organic imagery is related to the internal sensation of human body. For instance;
starving, thirsty, etc.

III. Research Method

In this research, I, the research used a descriptive qualitative research method.

Qualitative research is a means for exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or
groups ascribe to a social or human problem (Creswell, 2009:22). The data in this study
were described descriptively based on the facts and trusted references. Other said, this
research was considered as a library research. Hence, it illustrated the description and
interpretation of the indication in the literature components, especially poetry of “I
Wandered Lonely as A Cloud” by William Wordsworth.

IV. Results and Discussion

Based on the data above, in this poem, figurative language and imagery are found.
The figurative language and imagery are used to paint more artistic, unique, interesting,
and colorful effect to the poem.

4.1 Figurative Language of Comparison

a. Simile
#1st – 2nd Line:
“I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills,”
In the first line compares the loneliness to the cloud. Clearly the cloud refers to the
“I”. It is interesting how the poet used wandered to give a clear picture of a cloud that
move to no-where or aimlessly. So, the cloud was lonely? Cloud travels in group, but the
one cloud that floats on high o’er vales and hills was the lonely one. The cloud
demonstrates his loneliness on the cloud. How he actually is not alone, but still felt lonely.
The cloud and him, they both wandered aimlessly just following where the external forces
lead them to.

b. Metaphor
#3rd – 4th Line:
“when all at once I saw a crowd, as hosts, of golden daffodils:”
The data above used metaphor as how here the crowd related to the golden daffodils.
It is unique how crowd is actually nothing alike to the daffodils, but they do have
connection. The word “crowd” refers to how the external force make the hosts or golden
daffodils moving and being an action of describing crowd.

c. Personification
#6th Line:
“fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”
This line refers to the daffodils. Creative is the best word to describe how he made a
personification to the daffodils with a human being action. Logically, flowers do not flutter
and dance. Yet, it become make sense that the description paints the happiness and joyful
expression in the movement of the daffodils.

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#9th Line:
“They stretched in never-ending line”
In the 9th line, the word “they” is referred to the previous stanza; the daffodils. Do
flowers stretch? Absolutely they do not. This is a term he used to color the poem, as
flowers are planted in a line and line. That make it seems like they stretch in the never-
ending line or how as far as eyes can see.
#12th Line:
“tossing their heads in sprightly dace.”
From above can be told that the poet used personification. It looked as if they were
actually tossing their heads. Tossing their heads here means while the daffodils dance, the
petals of the flowers touch each other. That happens because of the weight of the heads and
force of wind.
#13th – 14th Line:
“The waves beside them danced, but they out-did the sparkling waves in glee”
When wind blow the water then waves are made, that is how simply waves occur. It
is not related at all to how waves can dance like human. What actually the meaning is there
is also waves beside the daffodils, but the waves were not look happier than the daffodils.

d. Allegory
#15th - 16th Line:
“A poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company”
Not like when he described his earlier loneliness, otherwise now in these lines he
seems like could not stand the joyful. Using the word of “gay” to be the vision of the
happiness and that related to “jocund company”. Here, cannot be seemed literally that he
used comparison to beautify the poem. But from the followings “gay”; “,”, “in such a
jocund company”, can be concluded how he compared other words of joyful of gay to
other words of carefree of jocund company.

4.2 Figurative Language of Contradiction

a. Hyperbole
#9th Line:
“they stretched in never-ending line”
From the data above, it can be concluded that it used hyperbole to give more color in
the poem. The word of “they” refers to the flowers how they look like stretching in a long
line.
Literally, never-ending line means infinite line, no matter how far you look or walk
forward the line never ends. Yet, it does not work that way. The never-ending line actual
meaning is the long line that eyes can see.
#11th
Line:
“ten thousand I saw at a glance”
Logically, how could possibly he count ten thousand flowers that fast? Again, that
is not how it works actually. Ten thousand here is a hyperbole of figurative language. It
used to make a more tasteful meaning in the poem, in a way adding more seasoning of “ten
thousand”.

b. Paralysis
#15th Line:
“a poet could not but be gay,”

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 The data above is using the word of “gay” to be the vision of the happiness and that
related to “jocund company”. Thus, the literal meaning is the happiness that he could not
help after having the moment in his memory. It is more like experiencing a precious
moment that will stay in memories and know it was a priceless moment that bring
happiness every time it comes up on mind, like memories of lover.

4.3 Figurative Language of Correlations

a. Inversion
#11th Line:
“ten thousand saw I at a glance”
This line used figurative language of inversion. The data above Grammarly is
incorrect. A statement should be at least consisted of subject + verb + object but the data
is consisted of complement + verb + subject + adverb. In correction, the data above
should be “I saw ten thousand of daffodils at a glance”. That is the correct statement based
on grammar. It has a correct pattern and complete thought.
#23rd Line:
“and then my heart with pleasure fills,”
From the data above, it has pattern of subject + complement + verb. Instead of
that pattern, to make a statement Grammarly correct, that should be subject + verb +
complement. Which it means the data should be stated like “and then my heart fills with
pleasure,”.

b. Ellipsis
#21st – 22nd Line:
“they flash upon that inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude.”
Based on the data above, the research recognized there is a missing word in the data. Yet,
despite the word is missing, it does not affect the meaning still complete. Without the
ellipsis term, the data would be stated like “they flash upon that inward eye, which it is the
bliss of solitude”.

4.4 Figurative Language of Repetition

a. Alliteration
“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.”
From the data above and so the other stanza, the research concluded that in every
stanza used alliteration. With the head-rhyme pattern is; a – b – a – b – c – c.

b. Anaphora
#17th Line:
“I gaze – and gazed – but little thought”
Here, in the data used figurative language od anaphora, it can be found in the repetition of
the word “gazed”. It used the word repeatedly with the same meaning. The purpose of the
repetition is to emphasis the action of “gazed”.

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4.5 Imagery
a. Visual Imagery
#1st – 8th Line:
From the following data, the research can conclude there is a description to create a
picture in imagination. The picture is about the cloud floats on vales and hills and then the
scene changes to the daffodils beside the lake and beneath the trees. Move to the second
stanza, in both lines can be found how he aim stars to be created in mind. The description
draws a picture of stars shining and twinkling on the milky way.
#9th – 11th Line:
These following lines describing how the daffodils painted in the picture. Based on
the description, can be painted in mind of the groups of daffodils related to how in the
poem states “ten thousand saw I at a glance”. They are like stretching in the long line along
the margin of a bay.
#13rd Line:
In this line the description tells the exact location of the lake in the picture. Based
on the data, there is a lake beside the garden of golden daffodils. Then, the scene focuses
on the waves in the lake.
#19th – 22nd Line:
In the following data, the research found descriptions and hints that aims for
painting a picture in mind. At first, the scene starts when he lied on his couch feeling blue,
like a teenager who feels bored and tries to decide what to do. Then the scene turns to
happy atmosphere, when the picture of daffodils came up in his mind. Another hint to
conclude the happiness is a statement of “which is the bliss of solitude”.

b. Kinesthetic
#12th Line:
In this line the data states “tossing their heads”. Which it creates a movement scene
in mind. Because of that, the research conclude in this line, uses kinesthetic to invite
creating a scene of how the petals of the flowers touch each other because of the weight of
the heads and force of wind in mind.

V. Conclusion

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 Based on the analysis above, the research found that there are four types of figurative
language and two of seven types of imagery found in the data. the comparison figurative
language occurs 23%, the contradiction figurative language occurs 10%, the correlations
figurative language occurs 10%, and 16% occurs on the repetition figurative language. The
types of imagery that found in the data are visual and kinesthetic imagery. 47% occurs of
visual imagery and 10% occurs on kinesthetic imagery. Therefore, in this research can be
concluded that in the type of comparison figurative language occurs frequently in literal
percentage of 23% followed by simile, metaphor, personification, and allegory. Also, the
frequently occurs of visual imagery in percentage of 47%.

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