Man of the Late 20th Century – Valentine’s Day by Tadeusz Różewicz

Abstract

The author of the article presents critical look of Różewicz at the globalization of the world. It emphasizes the disappearance of rational cognitive sources and points to the consequences of economic changes of the 20th century. She also identifies marketing as an industrial instrument to reach as many customers as possible, because the modern people used to satisfy spiritual needs with material goods, the effect of this action is astoundingly profitable. Referring to the work of sociologists and political analysts (such as George Ritzer, Jean Baudrillard, Benjamin Barber, Marshall Berman), the author interprets the poem entitled Valentine’s Day (poem from the end of the 20th century) as a human response to participation in the consumed world. The analysis of the text shows a critical attitude towards the contemporary media, but not without a witty sense of humor, typical to Różewicz’s writing.