The daffodils- from a native's perspective by Sia Figiel analysis

‘The daffodils- from a native’s perspective’ stood out to me upon reading it. I found it interesting as it kept parts of the original poem by William Wordsworth such as the first line “Lonely as a cloud”. Also Figiel chose to use old English in parts of the poem, I believe this was to remind the reader that the poem was a response to the original ‘The Daffodils’. I also believe that old English was used to contrast the colloquial language within the poem such as “Their big mouth Aunty”.  Even though this is a response to the original poem by Wordsworth it is also a challenge to the British literary tradition, Figiel does this by using humour and slang. The juxtaposition of old English placed within the same text that mentions such a current topic such as Days of Our Lives conceives irony.

Figiel has chosen to split up some of the words such as “Romatic” into “Roman” “Tic”. This creates a cadence effect which is important as it produces a completely different tone as opposed to the original which was soft and flowing.  Another difference is that Wordsworth’s poem is neatly structured and has orderly stanzas whereas Figiel’s poem lacks rhyme and has a chaotic arrangement. Also within the composition she has put emphasis on singular words to re-enforce the cadence.

I believe that this poem is a confrontation of Figiel’s bitterness towards colonisation and losing her identity within her culture. In one part of her poem it says “She’d pull my ear each time I stared at the auke bush next to the mango tree outside.” This shows that Figiel was taught to focus on the European culture and not her own. In the next line it says “But in the end I became quite the expert on your host of golden daffodils.” This line is sort of a derogatory backhanded compliment. 

In the last stanza of the poem it says “You know what I mean Mr Wordsworth? Do you know what I mean?” By placing the words on separate lines this forms a confrontational ending to the poem. The words themselves are antagonistic and the fact that she uses rhetorical questions as the ending emphasises her resentment. 

I feel like Figiel is trying to take ownership of her culture more towards the end of the poem where she says “The aiga my aiga the village my village,” etc. I think this is positive as a lot of the poem has been about her resentment and when she takes control of her cultural identity it gives a sense of power and pride to the poem.