Figurative Language in Poetry

Figurative language uses words creatively to express an idea or feeling, and it is not meant to be taken literally.

The three steps to unlocking a poem's deeper message are to identify examples of figurative language, determine what the figurative language is saying about the subject, and find connections within the figurative language to identify the theme.

The speaker in "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" uses a simile to show he is alone, but a metaphor comparing flowers to a host tells us he doesn't really feel alone.