Discovering Joy in the Mundane In “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” one initially believes the speaker to be unhappy with his present solitude. However, William Wordsworth uses the words “bliss” and “solitude”—two seemingly contradictory words—together to highlight the benefits of being by oneself and ultimately, to emphasize how anyone can discover joy in the mundane. In general, the word “solitude” carries with it a negative connotation because many people associate feelings of depression with it. It even seems as though readers are supposed to view the speaker as depressed as a result of his solitude because he somberly says that “[he] wandered lonely as a cloud” in the opening line (1). Furthermore, the fact that he compares himself to a cloud—something so “high” and distant from the rest of life on earth—leads one to believe that he is in a state of discontent due to his present loneliness (1-2). However, the speaker uses the word “bliss” to describe solitude, which comes as a shock to readers because it carries a positive connotation and is associated with feelings of extreme joy and happiness (22). Specifically, the speaker declares that, for him, “the bliss of solitude” is …show more content…
All it takes is for people to realize that solitude does not result in missed opportunities; it, instead, invites them to create and explore the opportunities that lay in their own minds. After all, life is too short to not soak up every second of every day (20). Just as the speaker reflects on the beauty and vibrancy of nature to help him find “the bliss of solitude,” each person can creatively visualize something they are passionate about within their own minds to discover the “bliss” within their mundane circumstances