Pages 321-322, #264. Spinster

Upon looking at the definition of the word ‘spinster’ in the Webster’s New Ninth Collegiate Dictionary, several results appeared.  A spinster, in all its glory, could be a woman whose occupation it is to spin, an unmarried woman of a gentle family, an unmarried woman and one past common age for marrying, and/or a woman who seems unlikely to marry—in that order.  Now, the reader is no Einstein, but as far as an audience is concerned, it can be assumed safe to disregard the first suggested definition, unless Sylvia Plath’s (1932-63) poem is about exercise routines.  The second definition is plausible, as for the last two, as well.  Still yet, the correct definition pertaining to Plath’s poem is there, and here is how all others fail to meet the criteria.  From first sight, the most interesting word of the very first verse is “girl.”  “Girl” implies a young lady—innocent, youthful, inexperienced.  Although our poem’s leading protagonist is not a little child, she certainly is not past common age for marrying.  This is supported by the notion of a suitor, found walking with the “girl” throughout most of the duration of the poem.  Therefore, definition number three is unacceptable, leaving definitions two and four up for grabs.  “During a ceremonious April walk /With her latest suitor . . .” (Plath, Page 321, Lines 2-3).  This line proves the presence of a suitor and indicates a ritualistic walk in the springtime—a time of rebirth and life anew.  It is implied that walks are something the young lady likes to do in her spare time, and something she does quite often.  With an interested young man by her side, the two share time partaking in a common occurrence for most people with aims of marriage in mind.  Unfortunately, upon strolling, a disturbance is caused in the nature of the path.  “She /Observed her lover’s gestures unbalance the air, /His gait stray uneven /Through a rank wilderness of fern and flower” (322, Lines 7-10).  The young man, realistically or in accordance with some quarry of the girl’s mind, caused a disturbance in the natural walking path, a sentimental part of the lady’s own personal ritual.  Elements so dear to the woman should not be affected so harshly by an awkward, eager suitor!  Still, the April season of new birth is not what the young woman has in mind for herself.  “How she longed for winter then!” (322, Line 13).  Although the text says that she judged the look of her pathway, she was instinctively judging her walking partner.  Because spring is a time of rebirth, the season could have predicted the birth of a new relationship, marriage, or even the eventual birth of a child.  Stanza three offers forces in reference to what is true to the girl’s heart; she aches for a winter “Of white and black /Ice and rock” (322, Lines 15-16).  “White and black” is symbolic for simplicity, the “ice and rock” symbolic metaphors of the walls of the girls mind and emotions.  Obviously, marriage is neither a priority nor a need at this point in time, and to have become so suddenly annoyed by elements generally pleasing to her is a symbolic sign.  Her negativity is not directed necessarily towards the young man, but towards the idea of marriage.  Therefore, definition number three is out. 

“A burgeoning /Unruly enough to pitch her five queenly wits /Into vulgar motley” (322, Lines 19-21).  Deeper into the story, realizing that allowing prestigious members of her party located in the vicinity of her house to hear her wild thoughts and ideas is not wise, she finalizes them to be stuck in the realm of spring—otherwise, a symbolic metaphor for a distasteful society.  The reader finds the number of wits (five) perplexing, however certain that such persons are of high-ranking society.  Diction such as “queenly” indicates prestige and the regard for esteemed reputation.  “Burgeoning” is in reference to the new growth or realization in the girl—she wishes to follow her heart.  Regardless of her barren winter, she finds spring a “bedlam” or insane place to dwell, viewing all its inhabitants as such.  The poem itself is considered a Ballad, mainly due to the fact that it is set and told in the form of a story.  Imagery is apparent all throughout the stanzas, referring either to the “rank wilderness of fern” (322, Line 10) or the “barricade of barb and check” (322, Line 26) she set “round her house” (322, Line 25).  The imagery provides a detailed or specific description (however diminutive) of what the words portray, adding realism to the story and work and placing the audience in the position of the leading character of the story.  The work is of five sestets and a peculiar rhyme scheme with the general pattern of ‘abcbac.’  Although most of the stanzas follow the same rhyme pattern, stanza two does not completely.  The end rhyme scheme, hence, supports the general theme of peculiarity, simply in relation to the girl who chooses not to conform within the boundaries of society, but to the boundaries of her own will.  Additionally, the technique known as “Last Syllable Rhyme” is more of a major aspect to the rhyme scheme than compared to most poetry:  “then . . . discipline” (322, Lines 13-17), “wits . . . idiots” (322, Lines 20-22), “weather . . . either” (322, Lines 27-30), etc.  Ballads, regardless, are known for their exceptions with rhyme schemes.  Additionally, they are known for usage of alliteration, which softens and lightens the mood of the poetry:  “By the Birds’ irregular babel” (321, Line 5), “leaves’ litter” (321, Line 6), “fern and flower” (322, Line 10), “season, sloven” (322, Line 12) and “barricade of barb” (322, Line 26).  The words are fun to recite and easily roll off the tongue.  Assonance may also be found in the line, “round her house” (322, Line 25) with the usage of the ‘ow’ sound, having the same effect on the work as alliteration. 

“And round her house she set /Such a barricade . . . /Against mutinous weather” (322, Lines 25-27).  The concluding aspect of stanza five of the poem is the girl willingly choosing to separate herself from what she sees as an absurd society.  Stanza four allows an insight to the girl’s thoughts:  “Let idiots /Reel giddy . . .” (322, Lines 22-23).  Stanza five is the literal action of the young woman forming a metaphorical barrier against the love of any man, which may also symbolically represent a barrier to protect her sexuality or virginity, violated by and during marriage.  The sentence structure throughout the whole poem vividly adds an irregular effect, as well.  Each sentence remains uneven in many ways, each stanza similar in structure.  For example, every third verse of each of the five stanzas is shorter than the rest of the verses.  In accordance to the rules governing the structure of a Ballad, the Meter has an altering patter of and Iambic tetrameter (1^st and 3^rd lines) and Iambic trimester (2^nd and 4^th lines) with the 1^st verse of a stanza having 8 syllables and the 3^rd with 6.  This does not apply to all stanzas; however, it does with this one.  Also, the number of syllables in each 3^rd line (in this case specifically) is about the same.  The odd theme is only supported once more by the unusual punctuation markings.  At the end of most versus there are no periods, but a strong End-Stopped effect includes periods and ends to tangible sentences in the middle of many verses.  The curious punctuation also involves exclamation marks preceding hyphens—possibly a visual expression of the girl’s feelings:  “How she longed for winter then!—” (322, Line 13).  “Let idiots /Reel giddy in bedlam spring:” (322, Lines 22-23) is another concurrent example such an effect, keeping the words and sentences in constant motion up to every important point in the poem.  Colons prepare for points of interest.  In this case, the important aspect for the audience to understand is that the girl did indeed “withdraw neatly” (322, Line 24) from her unfavorable crowd in the end.  Although Ballads are not one of the reader’s favorite types of poetry due to the unnecessary complexity in structure and meter measurement, etc., the idea was still an interesting one and easy to understand as an “upper-class” ballad.  Victory over society at the conclusion of the poem was a delight and made the ‘story’ worthwhile.  So, what can one infer?  The “girl” may not be likely to marry anytime soon—still, the reader wonders if she will ever marry at all!

Pages 320-321, #262. The Imperfect Paradise

Such a poem, as the reader noticed, contained a less amount of literary devices compared to many of the other poems looked over in Perrine’s Ninth Edition of Sound and Sense.  Mainly, one of the most significant literary techniques demonstrated in Linda Pastan’s (b. 1932) “The Imperfect Paradise” is the biblical allusions to Genesis of the Old Testament.  Biblical diction such as “Eden” (Pastan, Page 320, Line 2), etc. is found throughout the Sonnet.  Particularly, the poem is an English Sonnet, comprised of 14 lines and a rhyming pattern of ‘ababcdcdefefgg.’  English Sonnets generally provide a conflict, and then present a solution.  Typically, such poems are about love—this one, specifically, focuses on love and grief.  It explores the patterns of loneliness, and the natural cliché of the choice one may have to love and loose, as opposed to never loving at all.  Structurally, each sentence is about the same in length, giving the appearance of a ‘square,’ according to “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” by Tom Foster.  The whole poem is an allusion and a question, questioning the paradox of being happy and satisfied living alone in an Eden or utopia, or simply wanting more.  This is the reason for such allusive punctuation (the many question marks and colons preparing the audience for the peripeteia).  Although the reader generally favors poems longer in length, one may argue that the meaning the author was attempting to convey in this shorter piece came across to its audience very well/easily.   

From the beginning of the poem, the title hints to readers the irony present in the poem.  “The Imperfect Paradise” already gives notion of how ironic it is to have an imperfect utopia, since such a place (if one even exists any longer) is considered the place of ultimate peace and happiness.  “If God had stopped work after the fifth day /With Eden full of vegetables and fruits” (320, Lines 1-2).  In accordance to the rules of the English Sonnet, a conflicting question is presented at the start of the poem.  Pastan portrays an opposite world where humans do not exist.  God the Almighty, known as “a wise and just creator” (321, Line 12), is questioned as to whether or not such a being could withstand loneliness in his Eden.  This contradictory argument, however, does not necessarily refer to the Heavenly Father, but to all of creation.  The poem is directed towards its audience, using the biblical allusions to allow the audience to compare themselves to the situation Pastan places the Lord in.  “And God must look to wind for lamentation” (320, Line 7).  Instead of turning to people for comfort, one must turn to the wind with such sorrows.  Furthermore, the theme is more of one questioning the ability to withstand love preceded by loss.  Repetition is palpable in the poem from start to finish—the constant questioning and usage of the words “if” and “and” at the beginning of each verse provide suspense and mysterious elements to the poem.  It emphasizes the list of all that would be if Creation ended at the fifth day, placing pressure on the last question in the last two versus.  The end-rhyme scheme keeps pace within the reading of the lines, breaking down the poem into three quatrains and one couplet, all steps leading up to the climax of the poem.  The climax is the ending:  “Which would a wise . . . creator choose” (321, Line 12). 

Alliteration (even if only one line) forces the reader to focus solely on the line and places emphasis on those particular words.  “Which would a wise and just creator choose” (321, Line 12).  This line (focus on words that begin with ‘w’ and ‘c’) places emphasis on the most important question before the options to answer with are revealed.  Other examples include “picture postcards” (320, Line 8) and “hunger for a human” (320, Line 11).  An example of the Last-Syllable Rhyme technique is found in “creation . . . lamentation” (320, Lines 5 and 7).  Two of the few obvious examples of the End-Stopped method are, “If oak and lilac held exclusive sway /Over a kingdom made of stems and roots” (320, Lines 3-4) and “Would he have rested on his bank of cloud /With nothing in the universe to lose” (320, Lines 9-10).  Such a method keeps the first lengthy question (out of two) in the work incessant and unremitting.  Finally, irony is the most imperative literary device used Linda Pastan’s “The Imperfect Paradise.”  As mentioned before, there is irony in the title.  Finally, at the end, irony offers a demonstrative idea contrary to what is expected (situation irony):  “Which would a wise and just creator choose:  /The green hosannas of a budding leaf /Or the strict contract between love and grief” (321, Lines 12-14)?  This question forces the reader to question their own beliefs about the topic and place themselves in the conflicting situation.  It is used to express regret.  Would a God with the world at his feet be satisfied alone with paradise created by his perfect hands?  Or is it better to have had the love of another despite having to watch them decease in the end?  The poem even states:  “Would he have rested on his bank of cloud /With nothing in the universe to lose” (320, Lines 9-10), which implies not having to deal with the loss or death of a loved one (because they would not exist).  The author challenges the audience to question themselves:  is loss worth it in the end?  The theme provides evidence sustaining the concept that if even a God grows lonely, then all humans naturally must, as well.