Key
I chose to exhibit the postmodernist ideals of no essential truth, especially as it relates to the changing self, as well as the temporality of order. I used selected lines of poetry from the works of Philip Larkin, Seamus Heaney, Carol Ann Duffy and Ted Hughes. This ‘remixed’ poem particularly qualifies as a postmodernist poem for it’s references to retelling a memory, the inevitable temporality of oneself and the delusion of imposed order being revealed when facing death in the absence of religion.
The foremost ideal expressed in postmodernist writing is the idea that there is no essential truth, only retelling. The speaker in this poem begins with “but I remember,” (3) which indicates that they are retelling a memory. The word “groundswell,” which is defined as a buildup of opinion, in line 4 suggests the memory to be unreliable or biased. The conclusion of the poem, “Nothing resettles right,” (46) indicates the imperfect consistency of memory. Though this poem wasn’t particularly performative of the self, it did illustrate the inevitable change occurring in the “looking glass” (18). This approaching death of “Day” can also be interpreted as a metaphor for the inevitable temporality of life.
Many postmodernists were trying to contemplate what was in the absence of scientific or religious absolute truth. “Wondering what to look for/ When church’s fall completely out of use,” (32-33) poses one of the principal questions that many postmodernists were trying to answer in their art. “What remains when disbelief has gone?” (42). One of the major themes of this poem was death, one of the few things that are guaranteed, “nothing more terrible, nothing more true (21). The line “most things may never happen. But this one will,” (30) brings in some metafiction tactics, reminding the reader that they are hearing a story. This “Postmodern Remix” poem interweaves prominent postmodern themes of retelling memories, the temporality of oneself and chaos when facing death in the absence of religion.
Emmalion 