"Once the World Was Perfect" was written by former U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, and published in the 2015 collection Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings. The free verse poem condemns the divisive power of greed while also celebrating the unifying power of kindness. As the title suggests, the poem depicts a time when the world was "perfect" and human beings lived in harmony with each other and with the planet. Doubt and selfishness made people turn on each other, however, destroying the world and casting humankind into darkness. People are only able to rebuild what they destroyed by treating each other with compassion and working together, constructing a metaphorical ladder that leads to the "light" of a better future.

• Read the full text of “Once the World Was Perfect”

• “Once the World Was Perfect” Summary

• “Once the World Was Perfect” Themes

  • 

    The Destructive Nature of Jealousy and Greed

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-18
  • 

    Unity, Kindness, and Hope

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Line 1
    • Lines 19-27

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Once the World Was Perfect”

  • Lines 1-2

    Once the world ...
    ... it for granted.

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

  • Lines 3-5

    Discontent began a ...
    ... ruptured the web,

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

  • Lines 6-9

    All manner of ...
    ... inspiration, for life—

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

  • Lines 10-14

    Each stone of ...
    ... we had started.

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

  • Lines 15-20

    We were bumping ...
    ... shared a blanket.

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

  • Lines 21-23

    A spark of ...
    ... make a ladder.

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

  • Lines 24-27

    A Wind Clan ...
    ... light to you.

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• “Once the World Was Perfect” Symbols

  • 

    The Web

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 4-7: “Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head. / And once Doubt ruptured the web, / All manner of demon thoughts / Jumped through—”
  • 

    Humanity's Light

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 11: “put out the light.”
    • Lines 15-16: “We were bumping into each other / In the dark.”
    • Lines 21-22: “A spark of kindness made a light. / The light made an opening in the darkness.”
    • Line 24: “next world,”
    • Line 27: “into this morning light ”

• “Once the World Was Perfect” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Personification

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

    Where personification appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind.”
    • Line 4: “Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head.”
    • Line 5: “And once Doubt ruptured the web,”
    • Line 6: “All manner of demon thoughts”
    • Line 7: “Jumped through—”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “Once,” “world,” “was,” “we,” “were,” “world”
    • Line 3: “Discontent”
    • Line 4: “Doubt”
    • Line 5: “Doubt”
    • Line 6: “demon”
    • Line 8: “destroyed”
    • Line 12: “his,” “her hand”
    • Line 21: “light”
    • Line 22: “light”
    • Line 23: “ladder”
    • Line 24: “Clan,” “climbed”
    • Line 25: “clans,” “clans”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 4-7
    • Lines 10-12
    • Lines 15-16
    • Lines 19-22
    • Line 23
    • Lines 24-27

  • Diacope

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

    Where diacope appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world.”
    • Lines 4-5: “Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head. / And once Doubt ruptured the web,”
    • Lines 10-11: “Each stone of jealousy, each stone / Of fear”
    • Line 12: “No one was without a stone in his or her hand.”
    • Lines 17-18: “And now we had no place to live, since we didn't know / How to live with each other.”
    • Lines 21-22: “A spark of kindness made a light. / The light made an opening in the darkness.”
    • Lines 24-26: “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”

  • Anaphora

    

    

    

    

    Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

    Where anaphora appears in the poem:

    • Lines 9-11: “For inspiration, for life— / Each stone of jealousy, each stone / Of fear”

• “Once the World Was Perfect” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Earthly mind
  • spiked head
  • Demon thoughts
  • Wind Clan
  • Clans
  • (Location in poem: Line 3: “Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind.”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Once the World Was Perfect”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Once the World Was Perfect” Speaker

• “Once the World Was Perfect” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Once the World Was Perfect”

• More “Once the World Was Perfect” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Muscogee Creek History — Learn more about the history of the Muscogee Creek Nation, of which Joy Harjo is a member.

    • Joy Harjo's Biography — Learn more about the poet's life and work.

    • The Poem Aloud — Listen to a recording of "Once The World Was Perfect."

    • An Introduction by the Poet — Joy Harjo reads the poem aloud and briefly discusses her inspiration for it.

    • Joy Harjo's Poet Laureate Project — Explore Joy Harjo's Poet Laureate Project, which samples the work of 47 Native Nation poets.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Joy Harjo

    • Eagle Poem

Cite This Page