Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Pastan's poem "Anna at 18 Months" captures the magical and transformative moment when a young child begins to acquire language, drawing parallels to the biblical story of Eve naming the creatures in the Garden of Eden. Through this comparison, the poem celebrates the power and wonder of language as it tumbles into the child's world, reshaping her reality and awakening new thoughts and possibilities.

The poem begins by likening Anna's discovery of language to Eve's experience in the Garden of Eden: "Just as it did / for Eve, / language comes / tumbling in." This comparison immediately places the child in a role of creation and discovery, where each new word she learns and speaks is an act of naming and bringing the world into being once again. The use of "tumbling in" suggests an uncontrollable, almost overwhelming influx of words, as if language itself is an unstoppable force that fills the child's mind and mouth.

The phrase "word / by parroted word" reflects the way children learn to speak by imitating the sounds and words they hear around them. The repetition and mimicry are essential parts of this process, yet the poem also emphasizes the creative aspect of language acquisition, as Anna "names / the world / again." In doing so, the poem acknowledges that each generation must learn and experience the world anew, with language serving as both a tool and a means of exploration.

The poem continues with the imagery of "floodgates / are open wide," emphasizing the vast, almost overwhelming flow of language into Anna's consciousness. The "dauntless / mouth" suggests the child's fearless embrace of this new ability, as she eagerly experiments with the sounds and meanings of words. The "roughhewn syllables" she produces are unpolished, imperfect, but full of potential, as she learns to articulate the names for "elbow, eyes / for chin." These everyday objects and body parts take on a new significance as they are given names, highlighting the child's growing understanding and mastery of her environment.

The poem's tone shifts slightly as it introduces the metaphor of the "wand / of the word," which "roused / from the alphabet's sleep, / new thoughts flutter awake." This imagery suggests that language has a magical quality, like a wand that can bring things to life. The idea that thoughts are "roused" from sleep by language implies that words have the power to awaken the mind, to spark new ideas and insights. The comparison to "butterflies utterly / changed" reinforces this sense of transformation, as language allows the child to perceive and interact with the world in new ways.

The poem concludes with a delicate image: "like her damp flirtatious / lashes, beating / their tiny wings." This final simile connects the fluttering of thoughts and the awakening of consciousness with the physical image of Anna's eyelashes, which are described as "damp" and "flirtatious." The choice of the word "flirtatious" adds a playful, tender quality to the image, capturing the innocence and curiosity of the child as she explores the world with her newly acquired language.

"Anna at 18 Months" by Linda Pastan is a celebration of the wonder and power of language, particularly as experienced by a young child who is just beginning to speak. Through rich imagery and a subtle, thoughtful tone, the poem explores the profound impact of words on our understanding of the world, drawing connections between the individual act of learning language and the larger, universal experience of creation and discovery. Pastan's use of metaphors—comparing language to floodgates, a magic wand, and the wings of butterflies—underscores the transformative nature of language, suggesting that it not only names the world but also changes it, imbuing it with new meaning and possibility.

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