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Jack Park

Mr. Damaso

Honors English II, Period 3

1 May 2012

Accepting the Flaws

On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the first president of the United

States. After centuries of racial prejudice and hatred, Barack Obama, among other figures like

Marin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, stands as a symbol of the progress that the United States

has made. But without racism and segregation, the courageous acts that these, and a great many

other people, have made could never be. People fight and struggle with this concept of accepting

both the fault and the beauty in life. This search for closure permeates all levels of our society. In

art, Michael Jackson in his song Man in the Mirror, decides that one must accept their flaws by

looking “in the mirror” and act to make a positive change. Similarly, the concept of Realism in

the visual arts finds the beauty and grace in depicting the world for what it is, with all of its

imperfection and asymmetry. However, this idea is not confined to only the visual or musical

arts. It also extends into the vast field of the literary arts.

One group of literary artists in specific, poets, seek find a solution to accepting life.

While several poets scratch the surface of this question, Linda Pastan, cuts through the outer

membrane of simple platitudes to find a deeper meaning through her poetry. Linda Pastan is an

American poet who is famous for her heavy use of symbolism. Born in 1932, she still lives

today. She has often been considered for the national poet laureate of America, and has served as

the poet laureate of Maryland. Her poems are often considered to be both deep and meaningful

through her extensive use of imagery. While Linda Pastan has written many wonderful poems,

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her poems Grudnow, I am Learning to Abandon the World, and, To a Daughter Leaving Home

most directly seek the answer to the meaning of life. These three poems share a common theme

of accepting both the good and the bad in life.

While one is tempted to dive directly into the deep imagery and precise diction of Linda

Pastan’s poems, it is equally important to observe the author herself. She was born in New York

City in the year of 1932, and she still lives to this day (Linda Pastan). Mrs. Pastan graduated

from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts with a B.A. degree. She would go on to

graduate from Simmons College in Boston with an M.L.S. degree. Finally, she graduated from

Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts with a M.A degree (Linda Pastan). Linda Pastan

would marry Ira Pastan and become a housewife which made her very unhappy (Linda Pastan).

Her husband, noticing Linda Pastan’s unhappiness as a housewife, encouraged her to return to

poetry. This unhappiness shaped some of Linda Pastan’s poetry (Linda Pastan).

Linda Pastan’s interesting and unique life mirrors her interesting and unique style.

Considered a master of imagery, Mrs. Pastan ignores the traditions of both meter and rhythm.

This leads her to write almost entirely in free verse, a form that is not confined by meter, rhythm,

rhyme scheme, or any other constraints, save for the ones the poet chooses for him or herself. In

order to compensate for her seeming lack of order, Pastan makes use of very specific diction,

pursuing her subject with a needle-thin precision (Franklin). Pastan uses imagery to examine the

difficult themes of morality, love, the inevitability of death, and the meaning of life. One of the

greatest influences to Pastan’s poetry was the interruption of her literary career when she

assumed the role of housewife (Franklin). Pastan defends her lifestyle as a housewife, saying that

a housewife experiences both great joy and great sacrifice. The historical era and events that

raged about Linda Pastan’s head as she wrote also played a large influence on her poetry.

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Linda Pastan lived through multiple periods of great turmoil as well as growth. She was

born in the early 20th century, just before the rise of industrialism and the dawn of globalization.

She also lived through WWII and saw the rise of domesticity. Perhaps one of the most prominent

of these is World War II. Linda Pastan is Jewish and the anti-Semitic Nazi movement had a large

impact on her poetry. During the Nazi regime, the German people wanted legal discrimination

and action taken against the Jewish people (Hartman). Linda Pastan, rather than shying away,

accepts the terrible atrocities of the Nazi regime and courageously expresses the fear it caused in

her poetry. Not many poets, or people for that matter, are comfortable expressing their fears for

the world to see. Another important historical event that added context was the decline of the

classic humanitarian education. People had lost sight of the value of humanities and the arts.

They did not realize that true humanities promote many positive values, including integrity and

honesty. They help us to become less and less like animals, and more civilized (Hintz). Pastan

realized the need for the humanities to re-inspire people and is one of the reasons that her poems

are so meaningful.

While Linda Pastan’s body of work as a whole expresses themes of morality, love, the

inevitability of death, and the meaning of life, the poems Grudnow, I am Learning to Abandon

the World, and To a Daughter Leaving Home specifically deal with accepting the beauty in the

flawed nature of life. These poems express an acceptance of hardship, of loss, and of change.

Speaking generally, critics say that the poem Grudnow is about a grandfather and his description

of his hometown, Grudnow, before immigrating through the eyes of his granddaughter as well as

her idea of what life in Grudnow would be like for her (Constantakis 72). Likewise, the poem, I

am Learning to Abandon the World is about the slow and inevitable approach of death, and

accepting this fact. (Overview). Finally, the poem To a Child Leaving Home is about a child’s

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future adulthood and departure from the mother’s life (Greenbaum). These are scholars and

critics the latter of whom are attempting to produce a credible article that can be used as a non-

biased source for research. The former are also trying to make credible articles, but they are

slightly biased by personal preference.

While the general ideas within the poems are great, the deeper ideas unearthed by

analysis are even better. For example, Linda Pastan’s poem Grudnow, is about accepting the

hardships of life while also cherishing the joy in it. Constantakis believes the poem is about how

acknowledging both the painful and the pleasant moments of the past are equally important to

remembering it (Constantakis76). The critic goes on to observe that one cannot truly recall a

memory without accepting all facets of it. If one only chooses to remember the good times and

ignore the hardships, then one warps and twists the past, making it less than it was before.

Therefore, one must accept the entirety of their past, both the ease and the struggles, in order to

respect its memory and pay it homage. In the text itself, the speaker recalls her grandfather

saying “He left… because there was nothing there” (Lines 8-9 Grudnow). This excerpt from the

poem expresses the hardship of Grudnow, prompting her grandfather to leave and immigrate to

America. However, it is important to note that he still recalls the hardships endured there. Later,

the poem depicts the people as “standing against a landscape emptied of crops and trees, scraped

raw by winter” (Lines 12-15 Grudnow). This also expresses the hardships in Grudnow. It

emphasizes the burden of winter. Finally, the speaker recalls that her grandfather “always sipped

his tea through a cube of sugar clenched in his teeth, the way he sipped his life here, noisily,

through all he remembered that might have been sweet in Grudnow” (Lines 31-36 Grudnow).

While his grandfather did recount the difficulties and hardship of Grudnow, symbolized by the

bitter tea, he also remembered the joy and happiness that may have been in Grudnow,

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symbolized by the sugar cube. While this poem discusses accepting the hardships in life, the next

emphasizes accepting loss in life.

The poem I am Learning to Abandon the World outlines the acceptance of loss

throughout the course of life. One critic says that one of Pastan’s themes is that life is able to

temporarily defeat death and it is too good to give up (Overview). There is too much joy in life to

surrender each time one encounter the loss that death symbolizes, therefore, one must accept it.

In the poem, the speaker notes how “the world has taken my father, my friends” (Lines 6-7

Abandon). This implies how her friends and father have either died or are no longer on friendly

terms. This expresses the loss that one experiences through the course of life. Further into the

poem, “And every night I give my body up limb by limb, working upwards across bone, towards

the heart” (Lines 10-12 Abandon). This excerpt expresses the desolation felt in the face of

inevitable death, and ultimately, more loss. The speaker knows that death is inevitable and

acquiesces to it. However, at the end of the poem, “I [the speaker] take my body back the sun

lays its warm muzzle on my lap as if to make amends” (Lines 19-21). The speaker accepts loss

and the inevitability of death and decides to continue to live her life. Similar to accepting life, the

next poem is about accepting unwanted change in life.

The poem To a Daughter Leaving Home expresses a need to accept the unwanted and

unforeseen changes in life. Greenbaum, a critic, says that the poem is about a child’s future

adulthood and departure from the mother’s life (Greenbaum). The mother in the poem has yet to

let go of her child and she does not desire the change in her lifestyle or in her child’s lifestyle.

Set in the pretense of a bicycle lesson, when the daughter pulls away from the speaker, she talks

about “my [the speaker] own mouth rounding in surprise when you pulled ahead down the

curved path of the park” (Lines 7-10 Daughter). This excerpt shows the unexpected nature of the

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change. The mother was expecting to continue teaching her child about riding bikes and how to

live life. After the daughter pulled away, the mother noted that “you [the daughter] grew smaller,

more breakable with distance” (Lines 15-17 Daughter). This shows the fear felt by the mother

that also comes with the change. She does not desire to see her daughter hurt and wants to

protect her child. The mother never wants the bike lesson, being a metaphor for learning about

life, to end. The final line of the poem consists of one word, “Goodbye” (Line 24 Daughter).

This emphasizes the acceptance of the mother. While this was part of a larger sentence

comparing her daughter’s hair to a handkerchief waving goodbye, the only reason for the line

break was to emphasize the closure that the poet wanted to bring. The mother accepts the change

that her daughter is undergoing, however unwanted or unexpected.

The messages about accepting the flaws in life that Pastan communicates are similarly

expressed in modern works of art. Dictionary.com defines artwork as “the production of artistic

or craft objects.” One group of artworks in specific, Project Err, deals directly with the idea of

greatness in flaws. Project Err prompted the laborers of mass production facilities to produce an

artistically flawed unit. The man who was the impetus for the project, Jeremy Hutchison, is

rather obscure, only claiming to be based out of London. It is apparent however, that he is still

alive today, as he has a Twitter account. Jeremy Hutchison gathered the artworks during the year

of 201 requesting flawed products to be used in an artistic function. The Project Err includes

things ranging from a backwards shovel, a toothless comb, and a mangled chair. While there is a

bit of humor or a satirical aura about the artworks, there is a far deeper message being

communicated by them.

The whole of Project Err is based around the idea that there is still artistry and beauty in

the flawed objects in life. However, Jeremy Hutchison is no one-trick pony. Jeremy Hutchison’s

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other works seems to be designed to make people think. His art varies in style and doesn’t even

seem to fall into a single specific style. Project Err is an outcry for individualism in a world

where the goal is to be identical. Almost all of the works of Jeremy Hutchison praise the beauty

of a flawed work. He takes the mistakes made by workers and raises them up on a pedestal,

praising their uniqueness. Like Linda Pastan, Jeremy Hutchison and Linda Pastan both note the

imperfections of the world. Similarly to Linda Pastan, Jeremy Hutchison also recognizes that

there is good in the world as well through the original design of the item. In the end, Jeremy

Hutchison and Linda Pastan both decide that life is better with both the good and the bad

experiences.

Insert Book option Paragraph here.

The literary arts, the visual arts, and above all poetry, have recognized the need for a

greater depth in education and within the arts. All of these different mediums have found the

same message they want to express; that life is unlivable without the pain and sorrow or the

happiness and joy. While in the course of history, man has witnessed some terrible things, but he

has accepted these and decided to make a change for the better. Similarly, people today need to

realize that there is equal value in the good and the bad in life. People struggle to accept this fact,

and they live much poorer lives because of it. It can be assumed that Linda Pastan’s work will be

seminal, inspiring people to not only live better lives, but also to produce better art and literature.

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Appendix A

Grudnow, Linda Pastan (1986)

When he spoke of where he came from,

my grandfather could have been

clearing his throat

of that name, that town

sometimes Poland, sometimes Russia. 5

the borders pencilled in

with a hand as shaky as his.

He left, I heard him say,

because there was nothing there.

I understood what he meant 10

when I saw the photograph

of his people standing

against a landscape emptied

of crops and trees, scraped raw

by winter. Everything 15

was in sepia, as if the brown earth

had stained the faces,

stained even the air.

I would have died there, I think

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in childhood maybe 20

of some fever,

my face pressed for warmth

against a cow with flanks

like those of the great aunts

in the picture. Or later 25

I would have died of history

like the others, who dug

their stubborn heels into that earth,

heels as hard as the heels

of the bread my grandfather tore 30

from the loaf at supper. He always

sipped his tea through a cube of sugar

clenched in his teeth, the way

he sipped his life here, noisily,

through all he remembered 35

that might have been sweet in Grudnow.

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Appendix B

I Am Learning To Abandon the World, Linda Pastan (1981)

I am learning to abandon the world

before it can abandon me.

Already I have given up the moon

and snow, closing my shades

against the claims of white. 5

And the world has taken

my father, my friends.

I have given up melodic lines of hills,

moving to a flat, tuneless landscape.

And every night I give my body up 10

limb by limb, working upwards

across bone, towards the heart.

But morning comes with small

reprieves of coffee and birdsong.

A tree outside the window 15

which was simply shadow moments ago

takes back its branches twig

by leafy twig.

And as I take my body back

the sun lays its warm muzzle on my lap 20

as if to make amends.

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Appendix C

To A Daughter Leaving Home, Linda Pastan (1988)

When I taught you

at eight to ride

a bicycle, loping along

beside you

as you wobbled away

on two round wheels,

my own mouth rounding

in surprise when you pulled

ahead down the curved

path of the park,

I kept waiting

for the thud

of your crash as I

sprinted to catch up,

while you grew

smaller, more breakable

with distance,

pumping, pumping

for your life, screaming

with laughter,

the hair flapping

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behind you like a

handkerchief waving

goodbye.

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Appendix D

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Appendix E

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Appendix F

Project Err, Jeremy Hutchison 2011

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Appendix G

The Lion King, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff (1994)

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Greenbaum, Jessica. "Family Albums." The Women's Review of Books 6.1 (1988): 19.JSTOR.

Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

"Grudnow." Poetry for Students. Ed. Sara Constantakis. Vol. 32. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 72-90.

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Hintz, Howard W. "The Humanities in American Culture." Prairie Schooner 27.2 (1953): 127-

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Pastan, Linda. "I Am Learning To Abandon the World." Poetry (1981). Poetry Foundation. Web.

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2012.

The Lion King. Dir. Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers. Perf. James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan

Taylor Thomas. Walt Disney Pictures, 1994. DVD.

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2012. <http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/june/jeremy-hutchinson>.

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<http://www.lionking.org/text/FilmNotes.html>.