On my way home tonight
I was stopped by a toothpaste
Which told me to beware of tooth-decay.
A cigarette further down
Asked me if I had any worries in my life.
Later a beer appeared in front of me
Telling me that it does good.
A Hi-Fi set promised me moments of grate amusement.
Following a washing machine came up to me
And talked about the hours of rest
that it can offer me.
Afterwards a computer asked me
If I want an easy access to knowledge.
Finally, a luxurious car was interested in my personality.
I went to sleep overwhelmed
With a strong feeling of joy
Because of the friendly gestures
Of my impersonal global friends.
The poem ‘A Strong Feeling of Joy’ focus on the global issue of a consumer society. In the poem objects have been personified and along with metaphors, their good intentions towards us have been demonstrated. This is exemplified through the verbs “told me”, “asked me”, “telling me”, “promised me”, “was interested” as the objects have been portrayed as if they care about us and take care of everything for us. Contrasted with most of Szymborska’s poems that do not use personal pronouns in order to have a universal effect, this poem includes the personal pronoun “I”, however it can be implied that “I” refers to the one-dimensional every-day man that returns to his home tonight, thus still applying its context worldwide. Consumer society challenges us on a daily basis, forces us to become over-consumers by thinking that we need the good it offers us. And many times we shape ourselves, our inner selves on the basis of these goods. This can be identified as a type of alienation as we think we are ourselves when we posses the good the consumer society offers us while when we do not have them we are not. By possessing not some car but “a luxurious car” drags other people’s attention towards us and this makes us feel special and important. Consequently, expresses the idea that us, humans, receive joy from these impersonal things. However, we need to learn to value other things than what consumer society offers, not matter how tempting.
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