Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Pastan's poem "Rachel (A Ewe)" is a poignant and layered exploration of the power and significance of names, specifically the name "Rachel," which carries deep historical, biblical, and cultural resonance. Through the act of naming, the poem connects the eponymous ewe to a rich tapestry of meanings, alluding to various Rachels throughout history and literature, each carrying a burden of memory, loss, and identity.

The poem opens with the act of naming: "We named you for the sake of the syllables / and for the small boat that followed the Pequod / gathering lost children of the sea." The choice of the name "Rachel" is initially linked to the sound of the name itself, suggesting a poetic or aesthetic consideration. However, the reference to "the small boat that followed the Pequod" introduces a more somber context. The Pequod, from Herman Melville's *Moby-Dick*, is a whaling ship associated with obsession and tragedy. The image of a boat "gathering lost children of the sea" evokes a sense of rescue or mourning for those lost to the sea, metaphorically connecting the name Rachel to themes of loss and the attempt to recover or remember what has been lost.

The poem then shifts to a biblical reference: "We named you for the dark-eyed girl / who waited at the well while her lover worked seven years and again seven." This line alludes to the story of Rachel from the Book of Genesis, who waited faithfully for Jacob, enduring years of separation and hardship for the sake of love. The "dark-eyed girl" represents patience, endurance, and devotion, qualities that are woven into the name Rachel. By invoking this biblical Rachel, Pastan adds layers of meaning to the name, imbuing it with a sense of timelessness and depth rooted in love and sacrifice.

The final lines of the poem bring the focus to a more tragic and historical resonance: "We named you for the small daughters of the holocaust / who followed their six-pointed stars to death / and were all of them known as Rachel." Here, the name Rachel is connected to the countless Jewish girls who perished in the Holocaust. The "six-pointed stars" refer to the Star of David, which Jews were forced to wear during the Nazi regime, marking them for persecution and death. By stating that these "small daughters" were "all of them known as Rachel," the poem universalizes the name, making it a symbol of innocence, victimhood, and the collective memory of those who suffered and died during the Holocaust.

The name Rachel, thus, becomes a vessel for a multitude of meanings: it is a name chosen for its beauty, for its biblical associations with love and patience, and for its tragic connection to the Holocaust. Through these references, Pastan weaves a complex and moving narrative that honors the legacy of those who have borne the name Rachel, whether in literature, religion, or history. The poem serves as a meditation on the power of names to carry the weight of memory and history, and on the way in which a single name can encapsulate both beauty and sorrow, both life and death.

In "Rachel (A Ewe)," the act of naming transcends mere identification; it becomes a way of preserving and transmitting the stories and emotions associated with the name. The ewe, named Rachel, becomes a living link to these histories, a symbol of continuity in the face of loss. Pastan’s poem is a testament to the enduring power of names to connect us to the past, to evoke complex emotions, and to carry forward the memories of those who came before us.

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