The insanity of all of these inmates in Clarke’s is not dangerous, except for the beautiful chestnut haired boy who is schizophrenic, ‘on a good day’ and this shows the reader that looks aren’t always everything. They are trapped in their world of absences with no escape. In this poem, it is the rhythms of poetry that cures the dumb man. However, 'The Daffodils' describes the power of the actual flower to cure Wordsworth's '…vacant or pensive mood…' The significance of the actual flower differs in the two poems. Wordsworth bases his whole poem on them, whereas Clarke bases her poem on Wordsworth's poem-Wordsworth is Clarke’s inspiration and this is evident in her poem, as her opening line is a quote from Wordsworth’s poem.
The poems connect in that they are both describing an event where a memory lifts the characters spirits’ and in a way, cures them. Also contrasting with 'Miracle on St. David's Day' there is a sense of freedom in 'Daffodils'. The easy atmosphere, pleasant surroundings of nature and the movement of the flowers give this effect. Movement suggests freedom and in many cultures it is symbolised in native dances. The poet’s use of participles such as ‘dancing’ and ‘fluttering’ suggests constant movement, and that the daffodils are actually alive. This contrasts with Clarke's sense of entrapment as there is a dream-like atmosphere, especially in the first stanza: '…as a cloud … floats … fluttering …breeze…'
When Clarke introduces us to the patients, there is almost a hint of humour when Clarke describes "An old woman, interrupting, offers as many buckets of coal as I need", which shows the state of the patients. Her poem is detached and this allows the reader to form his own opinion of the poem.
The poems are different as ‘Miracle on St. David’s Day’ is written like a story, sentences starting in one stanza and finishing in another. Also this poem does not rhyme; it looks like a poem but sounds like prose. “The Daffodils” is written in four six-line stanzas, a quatrain followed by a rhyming couplet. The rhyme scheme goes in this order, ABABCC. Each line is metered in iambic tetrameter and the result of this is to create a simple, lyrical, musically, eloquent poem. The poem, I feel, is very lyrical, effective, memorable and touching.
In ‘Miracle on St. David’s Day’ each stanza apart from the last one has five lines all about the same length. In “The Daffodils” each stanza has six lines of similar length.
Wordsworth is interested in nature and man’s solitary relationship with the spirit of nature, whereas Clarke is interested in the people that she is writing her poem about – the mentally ill patients. Clarke doesn’t describe the daffodils; she describes the patients, whereas Wordsworth focuses on the flowers and describes them in great detail. Wordsworth describes the freedom of movement, whereas Clarke writes about the patients’ confinement.
Wordsworth writes in a past tense, reflecting on his experience. On the other hand, Clarke writes in the present tense. This gives the reader a sense that they are involved in the event. Wordsworth writes his solitary experience, and Clarke describes her experience as part of a group.
The last lines of both poems show movement in the daffodils. Wordsworth's poem, having maintained the theme of movement throughout the poem ends with an ardent movement where he himself participates (his heart dances with the daffodils). This gives finality to the poem. 'Miracle on St. David's Day' also ends with the fervent movement of the thrush that sings. I think that the most important part of the poem is at the end, as the end holds the meaning for the whole poem, and that the daffodils, which are ‘aflame’, are symbolising hope for the patients.
In my own opinion, I prefer Wordsworth’s poem over Clarke’s as I feel that it does something for me, and I feel that I want to be in Wordsworth’s shoes, as he gets such a ‘buzz’ when he sees the daffodils. When he sees them his spirit is immediately lifted, and he feels ‘gay’. This conveys that the sight of the daffodils was magnificent, and this is why I adore this poem so much, I almost feel jealous of Wordsworth for two reasons – one for his being there to witness the daffodils and also because he has an extremely talented writing ability always at his fingertips. Clarke’s poem is not as good as Wordsworth’s, although she does describe the event very well, and the poem is superbly written, but in my opinion, Wordsworth has written a better poem, one which is renowned the world over. I say that I prefer Wordsworth’s poem as he writes about a more uplifting theme, and this gives Wordsworth the edge. Clarke’s poem is not as uplifting as Wordsworth’s. I think that he has used the perfect words to describe his perfect feelings, and that is how I describe his perfect poem.
