Once the World Was Perfect by Joy Harjo: Complete Analysis And Meaning

Cover image for the Poem Once the World was Perfect featuring the Poet Joy Harjo

The poem “Once the World was Perfect” by Joy Harjo  describes a situation where the poet speaks about a world which was once perfect, but  now all one can see is doubt and greed.

The poet has described the world which was once perfect and full of hope but now all one can see is darkness. However, the poet has suggested that one can overcome this darkness only with hope and compassion in one’s heart. 

What do you think of the world that you live in? Is it full of hope, joy and peace? Or is it full of greed, doubt, envy and hatred? We all want our surrounding and environment to be peaceful and joyous, no one wants to be surrounded by jealousy or hate. 

We all complain when we have a bad day because of someone who was rude to us, but when we are rude to someone we do not even think about it twice. That is where we have to make a difference.

In order to light several candles, one matchstick is always needed. Therefore, in order to be hopeful and compassionate we have to start with ourselves  first. Everyone will follow next. It is that one step that we need to take in order to make this world a better place.

Once the World was Perfect

Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world.
Then we took it for granted.
Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind.
Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head.
And once Doubt ruptured the web,
All manner of demon thoughts
Jumped through—
We destroyed the world we had been given
For inspiration, for life—
Each stone of jealousy, each stone
Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light.
No one was without a stone in his or her hand.
There we were,
Right back where we had started.
We were bumping into each other
In the dark.
And now we had no place to live, since we didn't know
How to live with each other.
Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another
And shared a blanket.
A spark of kindness made a light.
The light made an opening in the darkness.
Everyone worked together to make a ladder.
A Wind Clan person climbed out first into the next world,
And then the other clans, the children of those clans, their children,
And their children, all the way through time—
To now, into this morning light to you.
 -Joy Harjo

Meaning and Summary

“Once the World Was Perfect” is a poem that describes a world in the past which was perfect and happy and the people lived together in unity. But, Doubt and Discontentment are two things that have bewitched people and persuaded them to follow the path of darkness. The people are now full of greed, hatred and envy. The world is infected with darkness.

The perfection which once existed is nowhere to be seen, rather it is so dark that people are bumping into each other. Humans have thrown stones at the intricate and delicate web which connected them together. But, the darkness was an opportunity for people to bring back light into the world. 

It was when one person felt pity for another and eventually the kindness started to grow. That kindness made an opening in the dark and people were united together to make a ladder to take them there. The world full of light and balance continued through generation and generations in order to reach us, the present world.

Analysis of the Poem

Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world.

Then we took it for granted.

Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind.

Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head.

In the first line of the poem the word “once” indicates that the speaker is referring to something that once existed or happened. The speaker tells us about the time when people lived together in  peace and harmony, unaffected by other things in the world.

 The poet has tried to symbolize the relation between humanity and world, stating that they go hand-in-hand because the happiness of the people is dependent on how they take care of the world.

Also, it is through the use of the word “we” that we understand the poet has referred to humanity and establish that how “we” have also taken the world for granted.

Everything was happy before, until we started taking “happiness” for granted and  stopped caring. The poet has personified “Discontentment” and “Doubt” by capitalizing them and to suggest to the readers that these two are real people that are inflicting pain to the world.

It all had begun like a “small rumble” like in human kind, this suggests that “ Discontentment and Doubt” have earth- shaking consequences and the downfall of society was because of this small movement,

Doubt here is described as something with a “spiked head” which depicts its character as sharp relating to knives and pain. Doubt pains people and hurts them, but people choose to have it anyway. 

These lines are clear in symbolizing their message that the world stopped being perfect when people started having doubt and discontentment.

And once Doubt ruptured the web,

All manner of demon thoughts

Jumped through—

We destroyed the world we had been given

For inspiration, for life—

Each stone of jealousy, each stone

Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light.

No one was without a stone in his or her hand.

The “Doubt” which supposedly has a “spiked head” has “ruptured” the earth, which means that it is because of doubt that the world has been destroyed. The enjambment in  “All manner of demon thoughts/ Jumped through-” describes the pace and the fast flowing nature of doubt in humanity. 

People started having all bad thoughts just because of doubt in oneself or others and it has destroyed the “web”. The “web” here reflects how we all humans are connected together. And, doubt has a knife-like character to cut through the web. 

Here, “we” suggests that not only one person, but each and everyone, humanity as a whole is responsible for this destruction. The world was made to inspire us to become better people, but rather we have demolished the world for selfish purposes. 

The poet has weaponized all human emotions of “fear, envy, greed and hatred” to stones, and there is no one without a stone in their hand. This stone has somehow put out the light of the world, and all one can see is darkness. And darkness symbolizes evil. The world which was “perfect” is now “dark” and “evil”

All these emotions have resulted in lack of humanity and eventually the negativity of people has made this world hopeless. The readers are able to relate with the poem because truly that is what our world has become where one feels dejected and devoid of happiness.

There we were,

Right back where we had started.

We were bumping into each other

In the dark.

And now we had no place to live, since we didn’t know

How to live with each other.

Humanity is thrust back into the darkness of the world from where it had started. Everyone is bumping into each other because there is no light. The darkness suggests the end of humankind. 

There is a lack of unity and darkness has infected the  world, people are so hopeless that there is no light left to follow. The last two lines might suggest that if people  do not know how to live in this world, they will not get any place in heaven as well.

Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another

And shared a blanket.

A spark of kindness made a light.

The light made an opening in the darkness.

Everyone worked together to make a ladder.

A Wind Clan person climbed out first into the next world,

And then the other clans, the children of those clans, their children,

And their children, all the way through time—

To now, into this morning light to you.

In the final lines of the poem the speaker makes its way back to the “perfect” world. There is “a spark of kindness” which suggests the onset of hope and light in the world. It all started when one human started feeling pity for another human and started the act of sharing. The “blanket” symbolizes warmth, protection and safety.

The poem implies that it all started with one person, suggesting that someone has to be the spark that lights everything else. The light of hope has made a portal in the world of darkness, and it is only through unity that people can reach the portal.

This can be read as an allegory for heaven. People can only climb up the ladder if they are kind, compassionate and hopeful. 

People have to work together in unity  in order to make this world a better place to live in. The first people to go into the next world were the “Wind Clan” and then all the other clans followed them.

In the last line, the speaker connects directly with the readers that we are living in a world of light. The poet wants to express the effort it takes to make the world a brighter place. And to bring “light” to the world one must be selfless and full of kindness.

Themes

The themes of the poem “Once the World Was Perfect” by Joy Harjo are loss of humanity and the role of kindness and hope. The poem reflects upon a time when the world was “perfect” and full of joy, however the happiness did not last. Humans started taking the world for granted which resulted in “greed, envy, doubt, discontentment and hatred”. When humans failed to appreciate other humans and the world, humanity was set back into darkness.

People were weaponized with stones of all human emotions and there was no one without this stone. Discontentment and Doubt were like demons that persuaded humans to turn against one another and enter into a world devoid of light and hope.

These stones somehow destroyed the web, the series of connections between all people. People’s selfishness and greed ended the peace and progress of the world. Humans had become inhumane.

Every human in the world was capable of cruelty and no one was blameless. In order to live with each other again, one has to learn to overcome the external forces of Doubt and Discontentment.

The world was not always evil, it was the people who made it so and in order to avoid darkness, people have to become the light.

Humans are capable of kindness as well as cruelty, one has to choose what they want to serve to the world. Though darkness and evil had taken a toll on the world, people were only able to survive it because of the pity that they had for another. 

One has to go through the phases of darkness just like the moon in order to reflect light.  The darkness was like the seed of hope for a better future.

The spark of kindness made an opening in the dark, suggesting that even small efforts can bring great changes. The light in the poem symbolizes hope in the world and in the life of people.

That spark also suggests passion, and longing for this day. No one can survive in a world where there is no light. This poem simply means that it is only through kindness, hope and unity we can make this world a better place.

Literary Devices

The literary devices used in the poem “Once the World Was Perfect” are:

Alliteration– A few examples of alliteration from the poem include:

Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world.

Then we took it for granted.

Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind.

Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head.

And then the other clans, the children of those clans, their children,

And their children, all the way through time—

Caesura– The use of caesura in the poem indicates that the speaker is trying to connect to the readers by having the rhythm of a normal conversation. For example:

Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world.

Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light.

And their children, all the way through time—

End- stopped lines– The end-stopped lines in the poem force the readers to move to the next line in order to finish the poem 

Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head.

And once Doubt ruptured the web,

Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light.

No one was without a stone in his or her hand.

There we were,

Right back where we had started.

We were bumping into each other

Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind.

Personification- The poet has personified Discontentment and Doubt by capitalizing them and giving them human qualities. For example:

Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head.

And once Doubt ruptured the web,

Metaphor- The poet has used metaphor in the poem to compare two different things. For example: destruction, restoration and kindness.

Imagery– The poet has used imagery in the poem so that the readers can perceive the objects with their five senses. For example:

Everyone worked together to make a ladder.

Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another

A spark of kindness made a light.

Enjambment– A few examples of enjambment from the poem include:

All manner of demon thoughts

Jumped through—

Each stone of jealousy, each stone

Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light.

We were bumping into each other

In the dark.

Anaphora– The poet has used anaphora in the poem to appeal to the emotions of the readers and also for delivering an artistic effect to the poem. For example:

Each stone of jealousy, each stone

Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light

There we were,

Right back where we had started.

We were bumping into each other

Conclusion

“Once the World Was Perfect” by Joy Harjo is a poem that implies that in order to survive in this world and make it a better place we have to be kind and compassionate.

We have to be that spark that lights other people. Darkness can only be avoided if we are strong enough to overcome our base instincts of selfishness and jealousy. 

I believe that darkness is the only way to bring light, because people discovered light through darkness. Both coexist together.

The poem can be read as a didactic one because the poet has given us a message or lesson that if that phase of  darkness comes again then being kind will be the only solution to pass through it. Therefore, let us all live in unity so that the phase of darkness never comes again and all one can represent is hope, joy, love and kindness. 

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