The collection of poems in Linda PastanÆs (2002) The Last Uncle is filled with universal feelings about human existence. Though many of them deal with death and illness, they are also celebrations of not going gently into the night. The bookÆs main theme is the ability to endure despite the struggles and travails of human existence, especially the inevitable fact of our mortality. PastanÆs style is quite precise as far as word choice, and many of the poems in the collection are rather short but still carry a significant impact. The author conveys a variety of information in her poems, many of them focusing on her family. Her Jewish heritage is quite obvious in a number of the poems. One of the most powerful poems in the book to me is The Cossacks, which not only demonstrates the struggles of human existence but also the painful heritage of many Jews, ôFor Jews, the Cossacks are always coming. / Therefore I think the sun spot on my arm is melanoma. Therefore I celebrate / New YearÆs Eve by counting / my annual deadö (Pastan 2002). Such poems cause us to feel more intensely about life and living, while evoking empathy in us toward others. The poem might seem pessimistic but in reality it is also a celebration and appreciation of her motherÆs ability to take lemons and make lemonade, so-to-speak, ôBut when I watched you planning / for a life you knew / youÆd never have, I couldnÆt explain / your genuine smile in the face / of disasterö (Pastan 2002). PastanÆs (2002) style seems to be able to combine pain with celebration, something this poem does in a powerful way. For the author not only admires her motherÆs ability to meet death with grace and dignity, she also hopes she will be able to achieve the same. Despite this, she ends the poem with a touch of sadness at the inevitability of human mortality, ôI want to live the way you did, / preparing for next yearÆs famine with wine / and music as if it
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