Joan of Arc, the fifteenth century rebel warrior who was burned at the stake, defied the authorities’ order to renounce her beliefs.
Explanation:
Joan of Arc was born in a turbulent time when the Hundred Years' War had ravaged for well over ninety years. Her homeland was divided into two: the Armagnacs wanted to expel the English, and the Burgundians concluded an alliance with them. That made it impossible for France to win. The English dissatisfaction with the French interference in the king's vassals led to fierce battles over who should inherit the French throne. Joan of Arc started hearing voices when she was 12 years old. She thought she heard the voice of God. The voice told her that she should liberate France. The northern part of France was under English rule. In Joan's time, the war entered a new chapter, when England and France were to have new kings: In England, an infant was heir to the throne. In France, the later Charles VII awaited the next step that could lead him to the French throne. Joan of Arc, who had come to crown her king and liberate her people, ended her short life on the heresy fire; convicted of dressing in men's clothing and of mocking the church and God, who she believed had imposed on her her mission.
The "inward eye" refers to the mind recalling an image. He's saying that while he lays on his couch he sees the daffodils in his mind; using his memory of what he had seen.
