The Illusion of Perfection
Perfection: The standard by which everyone and everything is compared. It is a measure that people pursue and rarely achieve. The pursuit of perfection causes many people to realize their faults and their human characteristics. In "Love Song: I and Thou ," Dugan's realization of his own imperfect life implied through a misshapen house is recorded through strong straightforward statements and through a first person narrative that allows the reader to both sympathize and empathize with his failures. Dugan's style in "Love Song, I and Thou" is created through the strong language he uses to express his dissatisfaction with himself. Sharp, straightforward statements strike a response in the reader, "God dammed it. This is hell,/ but I planned it, I sawed it,/ I nailed it" (lines 23-25). Dugan is able to accept the fact that he has not led a perfect life, blaming no one but himself for his shortcomings. His "insistent first-person is without self-importance or self-pity. He is not complaining so much as chewing out himself and his world" (CLC 144). His first person style allows the reader to relate his failures with their own failures. Everyone has felt the frustration and Hopelessness that Dugan conveys throughout the poem
Dugan's description of his life is conveyed through an extended metaphor, using the example of a broken-down home to compare with his unfulfilling life. Through bent nails, bowed studs, and gaps he is able to convey a feeling of imperfections or flaws in his life. It is clear Dugan is not physically attempting to build a home, rather he is symbolically attempting to build his life. The bent nails that dance all over the surface like maggots (5-7) represent failures or mistakes that have occurred in his life, continually reminding him of his shortcomings and what could have been. Dugan has "danced with a purple thumb," (13) missing opportunities that have presented themselves and he is beginning to realize how costly all these mistakes are becoming as he cries out for help to build his "house." Structure is a main reason Dugan is able to express his theme so clearly. The overall structure of the poem is able to represent his theme of imperfection. The left hand margin is uneven, and the poem seems to flow without any particular justification given to line breaks or tempo. There is no pattern found in the poem that suggests fluidity occurs. In a sense, the structure is chaotic or in Dugan's own words, "Nothing is plumb, level or square" (1). The poem
Some common words found in the essay are:
Hopelessness Dugan, Jesus Christ, Song Thou, Thou Dugan's, , Love Song, love song, love song thou, song thou, throughout poem, help love, dugan able, straightforward statements, bent nails, help love wife, allows reader, level square, level square 1, plumb level square, nail right/ help, life bent,
Approximate Word count = 854
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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