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.