Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Rachel Hadas's poem "Performances, Assortments" engages deeply with the legacy of Hart Crane, reflecting on themes of identity, urban life, and the fragmented nature of modern existence. By incorporating quotes from Crane's works and evoking his vivid imagery, Hadas crafts a meditation on the complexities of self-representation and the influence of the cityscape on personal and collective identity.

The poem begins with a reflection on the ubiquity of self-presentation in contemporary urban life: "Performances, assortments, resumés: / I see these rubrics or their variations / plastered on lampposts in the neighborhood daily." Hadas immediately connects the reader to the constant display of identities and achievements, reminiscent of the performative aspects of social media and job markets today. This sets the stage for a comparison to Crane's time, sixty years prior, when the poet died. Hadas questions whether Crane foresaw this culture of self-promotion or merely observed it: "Were you predicting, or did you just see, / vatic, distracted, how the city spoke / in disembodied voices, Faxes, numbers?"

Through her analysis, Hadas explores how Crane's observations of the city resonate with today's experiences of urban life, where "Performances, assortments: these deploy / a whole cast of accomplishments and lies." She captures the essence of the city as a marketplace, a place of constant exchange where identity is both constructed and consumed. The use of terms like "resumé" and "assortment" highlights the transactional nature of modern identity, likened to "life's feast as restaurant offering."

Hadas's contemplation of presentation—"Presentation: that's the word I want"—serves as a pivot to examine the deeper implications of Crane's imagery. She reflects on the notion of the city as an exhibition space, where "everything on display, strutted, touted, but at a remove," and how this resonates with Baudelaire's imagery of modernity. Hadas notes that Crane "saw beyond advertisements. Behind each paper face / lurked splittings of the soul, its mask or its persona," suggesting a deeper, more existential crisis beneath the surface displays.

The reference to Crane’s "Janus-faced capture" evokes the duality and fragmentation inherent in urban life. The image of "a spit revolving in a restaurant window / closely watched by hungry passersby" ties back to the idea of constant surveillance and consumption, both of literal goods and of identities. Hadas continues by quoting Crane: "I, turning, turning on smoked forking spires," a vivid depiction of the relentless movement and transformation within the city.

Hadas then shifts to a more introspective tone, questioning how one can maintain a cohesive identity amidst the city's relentless pressure to "Divide, proliferate, diversify." She echoes Crane's struggle with these themes, using his words to frame her own inquiry: "In the face of all these riches, how to stay, to be one person in one skin?" The poem reflects on the paradox of unity and multiplicity in urban life, where "twin shadowed halves" symbolize the fragmented self.

The poem concludes with a contemplation of the eternal interplay between individual identity and collective experience. Hadas draws a parallel to Wordsworth's concept of unity in diversity, but adapts it to the urban environment: "Not tree, not in New York, but anything / of many one, and one becoming many." This final meditation on "Assortments, resumés: our several selves" captures the essence of the modern individual's struggle to navigate the complex landscape of identity.

Through "Performances, Assortments," Rachel Hadas not only pays homage to Hart Crane but also expands on his themes to explore contemporary issues of identity and urban life. The poem is a rich, multifaceted reflection on how we present ourselves, how we are perceived, and the existential dilemmas that arise from living in a constantly shifting urban environment.

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