From the town hall to advice

Political issues, social, Civic has always been the most important trend in Potocki's work, writer, accompanied by the legend of the fearless fighter for progress, truth and religious tolerance, freedom of conscience. At the same time, his writing was also in the circle of the impact of Sarmatism. Certainly attachment to tradition comes from this ideology, The cult of noble origin, family, Praging knightly virtues of the nobility and idealizing the achievements of ancestors, opposing acts, present. Praising the noble families in many songs, The poet was also a definite opponent of ennoblement, penetration of new people to the nobility, He also strongly criticized the clergy and magnates, He defended the peasants. He also went on a characteristic path - from the worship of the noble Golden Freedom, privileges, free election to support the dynastic plans of Jan Sobieski.

Potocki was a great patriotic song Khotyn war, A rehearsal of the national epic about heroic struggles with the Turkish invasion. The poem presented the deeds of national heroes, He praised their knightly virtues, to show, How low the descendants of those heroes fell. The author of the Khotyn War remained a penetrating observer of social and political life in seventeenth -century Poland. He noticed various sources of the fall of the Commonwealth. Apotheosis of its social layer, nobility, he turned out to be his very harsh critic. He sensed the upcoming disaster and tried to prevent her – not always believing in the effectiveness of efforts and not proposing any more radical reforms.

In a short poem From the town hall to advice Potocki's views were entered on almost all the most important matters for Poland at the time. Their presentation seems to be briefly shown, even seemingly trivial, scene – The nobleman met on the street returns home from the town hall, where in a group of trusted people he intends to decide about the fate of the country, what he should do during a public discussion:

"And where from?" – "From the town hall." – "They dealt with you, I put,
What good. Where?"- "Home for advice".

The situation opening the poem already presents one of the most important problems: The issue of the spreading privacy, behind -the -scenes machinations of the nobility, which very often guided only by private interest, She was picking up the Sejms (The principle of liberum veto has made it easier for it), which sometimes even led to the paralysis of the state. The weak king could not oppose this (Every nobleman king), whose power in relation to a powerful aristocracy, The nobility was only illusory. The nobility could feel unpunished, After all, she constituted the rights and guarded their execution. The consequence of this state of affairs was, that a common thief was punished severely, However, you remained unpunished, who robbed the country, They led to his ruin.

The above -mentioned situation raises the author's firm objection, which declares in the poem (Potocki presented a similar attitude and in other songs) as a supporter of moderate reforms, based on the king's harmonious cooperation (His power had to be strengthened), Sejma and Senate, which should lead to at least a restriction of the privacy, placing in the foreground of public good.

Rhetorical question – rhetorical figure; The question asked to get the effect, strengthening the effectiveness of persuasive statements, her conviction, not obtaining any information. It is only to attract attention – The author immediately answers such a question or it is well known to the listeners. Example from Potocki's poem: Well after the king, where he would rule him and let him advise?

Journalistic (almost discourse – It is easy to translate it from the poetic language into prose language) Potocki's song is a Stychic poem (that is, continuous, He was not broken into individual verses) About even rhymes, female. The basic artistic means used in it are rhetorical questions, paradoxes (np. already mentioned: Every nobleman king).