In the line 'I wandered lonely as a cloud,' which figure of speech is used?

• A. Metaphor
• B. Simile
• C. Personification
• D. Onomatopoeia

Answer: (B)

This line uses a simile. It directly compares the speaker’s wandering to a cloud using the word as, signaling a likeness rather than claiming identity. A simile keeps the two ideas separate while highlighting a shared quality—the speaker feels lonely, drifting in a light, solitary way much like a cloud drifting in the sky. It’s not a metaphor because it doesn’t say the speaker is a cloud; it’s a comparison that preserves two distinct images. It isn’t personification, since the cloud isn’t given human traits or actions here, and it isn’t onomatopoeia since no sound word is involved. This choice helps create a delicate, airy mood and a vivid image of solitude that mirrors the speaker’s inner feeling.