Thread: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I'm guilty, I watched the movie before I'd ever even heard of the poetry. It was a very confusing movie, and now that I've looked up the quote, I've found that was confusing as well, and it's something I would like to understand better....

Can someone help me interpret this? It's a quote by Alexander Pope...

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd...

I get the vague idea that it has something to do with innocence, some sort of "ignorance-is-bliss" thing, but I'm not quite sure exactly what he's saying...
It reminds me of Taoism, somehow.

I thought the poem was fantastic. I had to watch it twice to get it completely, but fantastic anyway. The poem is strange too - it is confusing but not confusing at the same time. Some of it makes no sense. That's Jim Carey for ya.

Vesta was one of the twelve Olypians and a Roman Goddess of the hearth, she was a virgin and the sacred flame in her temple was tended by six virgins known as vestals. They were subject to very strict rules and in the event of losing their virginity they were buried alive. It's a version of happy prole syndrome, you know "I wish I had been born an Italian peasant with a devout belief in God, how easy the world would be". It wouldn't and it never is, don't fall for it, being shut up in a temple and forgotten by the world is not my idea of happiness anyway.

P.S The flame is the one Aenaus (Lover of Dido the queen of Carthage and founder of Rome) brought from Troy. It is where Vesta matches get their name.

Alexander Pope is one of the greatest poets ever.

The entire poem, which is huge, is about preserving virginity and moral virtue over the temptations of a scandalous love affair, and echoes the pain of restraint. That particular quote in my opinion is about how being morally virtuous, being free of sin, makes you something that is not contained in the mortal world. The fact is that we are contained in the mortal world, and therefore cannot be morally virtuous - we are never going to have a spotless mind.

I absolutely love that movie. It's my favorite <3.
Beautiful poem as well .