Park 1 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,

Park 2 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 Pastans 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 Pastans unhappiness as a housewife, encouraged her to return to poetry. This unhappiness shaped some of Linda Pastans poetry (Linda Pastan). Linda Pastans 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 Pastans 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 Pastans head as she wrote also played a large influence on her poetry.

Park 3 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 Pastans 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 childs

Park 4 future adulthood and departure from the mothers life (Greenbaum). These are scholars and critics the latter of whom are attempting to produce a credible article that can be used as a nonbiased 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 Pastans 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,

Park 5 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 Pastans 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 childs future adulthood and departure from the mothers 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 childs 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

Park 6 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 daughters 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 Hutchisons

Park 7 other works seems to be designed to make people think. His art varies in style and doesnt 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 Pastans work will be seminal, inspiring people to not only live better lives, but also to produce better art and literature.

Park 8 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. the borders pencilled in with a hand as shaky as his. He left, I heard him say, because there was nothing there. 5

I understood what he meant when I saw the photograph of his people standing against a landscape emptied of crops and trees, scraped raw by winter. Everything 15

10

was in sepia, as if the brown earth had stained the faces, stained even the air.

I would have died there, I think

Park 9 in childhood maybe of some fever, my face pressed for warmth against a cow with flanks like those of the great aunts in the picture. Or later I would have died of history like the others, who dug 25 20

their stubborn heels into that earth, heels as hard as the heels of the bread my grandfather tore 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 30

that might have been sweet in Grudnow.

Park 10 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. 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 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 10 5

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 as if to make amends. 20

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Park 12 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

Park 13 behind you like a handkerchief waving goodbye.

Park 14 Appendix D

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Park 16 Appendix E

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Park 19 Appendix F Project Err, Jeremy Hutchison 2011

Park 20 Appendix G The Lion King, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff (1994)

Park 21 Works Cited Bennes, Crystal. "Err." Icon Magazine. Icon Eye. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. Franklin, Benjamin, V. "Linda (Olenik) Pastan." American Poets Since World War II. Ed. Donald J. Greiner. Detroit: Gale Research, 1980. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 5. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. 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. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. "Linda Pastan." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. Hartman, Dieter D. "Anti-Semitism and the Appeal of Nazism." Political Psychology 5.4 (1984): 635-42. JSTOR. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. Hintz, Howard W. "The Humanities in American Culture." Prairie Schooner 27.2 (1953): 12735. JSTOR. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. Hutchison, Jeremy. "Project Err." Jeremy Hutchison. 2011. Web. 01 May 2012. <http://jeremyhutchison.com/work/project2.html>. Kronen, Steve. "The Imperfect Paradise." Prairie Schooner 65.1 (1991): 130-33. JSTOR. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. "Linda Pastan." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. Moreno, J. L. "American Culture-in-Transition." Sociometry 18.4 (1955): 95-99. JSTOR. Web. 1 Apr. 2012.

Park 22 "Overview: 'I Am Learning to Abandon the World'." Poetry for Students. Ed. Sara Constantakis. Vol. 40. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. Pastan, Linda. "Grudnow." Poetry 149.1 (1986): 1-2. JSTOR. Web. 1 May 2012. Pastan, Linda. "I Am Learning To Abandon the World." Poetry (1981). Poetry Foundation. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. Pritchard, William H. "Poetry Chronicle." Poetry 143.4 (1984): 234-35. JSTOR. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. The Lion King. Dir. Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers. Perf. James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Walt Disney Pictures, 1994. DVD. Williams, Eliza. "CR Blog." Creative Review. Creative Review, 29 June 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/june/jeremy-hutchinson>. Wilmes, Josh. ""The Lion King"" The Lion King: Film Notes. 25 May 1994. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.lionking.org/text/FilmNotes.html>.