The Unknown Citizen Essay
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The Unknown Citizen Essay
The Unknown Citizen
In "The Unknown Citizen," Auden is implying that people are statistics and easily conformed to the
normality of society. Throughout the poem, Auden portrays the character as being an all around
normal citizen and "one against whom there was no official complaint." In lines 4 and 5, the speaker
describes the character as a "saint" and "for in everything he did he served the Greater Community."
He served in war, never got fired from his job, popular with his mates, and "normal in every way."
Auden develops the theme by describing the character's life through the research of different
bureaus, researchers, and psychology workers. Each one of these descriptions point to the same idea
that the character is a
...show more content...
Also, by focusing on the descriptions of the character's life, the readers become more aware of their
own lives and how their lives compare to his. This makes the poem intriguing and brings a more
personal affect towards the reader.
One literary device the author uses is symbolism. This poem was written in 1940. During this time
period the common occupation was a factory worker. In line 8, "Fudge Motors Inc" is the factory
that the character works for. Also, in line 26, the character had "a phonograph, a radio, a car and a
frigidaire." These were all the things "necessary to the modern man." Auden uses these cultural
symbols to accentuate the main idea of the poem. He wants the reader to realize the commonality of
the character's lifestyle.
Another device that Auden uses is alliteration
. In line 29, the speaker said "that he held the proper
opinion for the time of year; when there was peace, he was for peace; when there was war, he went."
The alliteration, "when there was war he went" enhances the meaning of the poem because it
emphasizes to the reader the type of citizen the character was and the conformity of the character.
Auden also uses visual imagery to contribute to the meaning of the poem. Almost every single line
is effective in describing the character's life, his personality, and how he lived. For instance, in line
13, the "Social Psychology worker found that he was popular with his mates and liked a drink."
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The Unknown Citizen Poem Analysis
Message Exchange Three Messages Citizen, Old, and Anyone Many may say that within every
piece of literature, object, and spoken word there is a deeper meaning, or perhaps a hidden message.
These hidden meanings are often hard to find and require more thought. In the three poems "The
Unknown Citizen","
Old Age Sticks" , and "Anyone lived in a Pretty How Town" there is a hidden
meaning behind each word. Some could say that they all tie together in some way. The three
messages from these three poems will be examined in the paragraphs below. Here is the way these
three messages, can be deciphered within each text. In the first poem "
The Unknown Citizen
" we
can see that Mr. W.H. Auden is diving into a more elaborate view of how he believes that the
government just views this man as a number. For example when Mr. Auden says "Was he free? Was
he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard".
(Pg.775) In this line this shows that the government only cared about statistics. They did not care
much about whether or not if he was satisfied in his life or if he wanted anything more to do. All
they seemed to care about was the reports they had about his life. When he says "Yet, he wasn't a
scab or odd in his views" (Pg.775) Mr. Auden is explaining the this unknown citizen was not
particularly different in his views and that he did not particularly stand up for things he believe in.
This is makes him just another person, and nothing special about him. With this text it is easily
shown that sometimes all you are in society is a number. This unknown citizen did not disturb the
universe as many people strive to do in their lives.
In the poem "Old Age Sticks", we can see the deeper meaning behind it at first it may be the hardest
thing in the world to read, but that is because Mr. E.E. Cummings uses words to create confusion.
However, the meaning behind this is that the young continue to grow old and the old try to tell the
youth what to do and what not to do which is super controversial for example, "Old age sticks up
Keep off Signs and youth yanks them down"
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Analysis Of The Poem ' The Unknown Citizen '
"The Unknown Citizen" by W.H Auden and "next to of course god america i" by e.e. cumming are
two poems that deal with similar issues. They both address the issue of dying soldiers and blame
blind patriotism for the deaths of these soldiers. The theme of both poems deals with the need for
citizens to become more outspoken and follow their own beliefs instead of simply following their
country. However, each poem addresses a topic that isn't found in the other poem, and the poems
themselves are structurally different. Auden's poem is simply a description of a man who lived in the
past. It is very reasonable to say that this man lived in the first half of the 20th Century, considering
the fact that Auden states that the average person owned: "a phonograph, a radio, a car and a
Frigidaire" (line 21). At the beginning of the poem, the man is described as a "saint" (4). However,
as the poem/description continues, it becomes apparent that he was hardly a praise–worthy person.
He was simply a man who did what he was told. In Bruce Meyer's essay, he states that "the
Unknown Citizen was a law–abiding veteran and union member who served his community through
his very facelessness and his participation in a consumer society" (par. 9). He was never "odd in his
views", meaning that he was completely conformed to the views of the nation (Auden 9). The poem
continues to describe this excessively normal man, and at the end of the poem, Auden writes: "Was
he free? Was he happy? The question
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The Unknown Citizen Auden
In the late 1930s, many countries struggled politically and economically because of the governments
that rose up after the first world war. Though at first the United States prospered after the war, they
soon fell into the Great Depression. To some Americans, the government's attempts to alleviate their
financial struggles made their situation worse. They viewed the government as an overbearing,
controlling body that needed reform. One poem written in 1939 showcases this opinion through a
satirical story of a state official praising a citizen who died. W. H. Auden
's "The Unknown Citizen"
criticizes the government for not truly caring about its people.
The government commends its citizens only when they do not interfere with the state's agenda. In
this poem, one specific man is what the state considers an ideal citizen, so they build a monument
for him after he dies. The words of this poem are their tribute to this citizen for his respectable life.
Their ideal citizen, though, is one who blindly follows their rules; for example, they check all the
reports on his conduct and call him a "saint" because they see no official complaints against him
(line 4). They also say he had "the proper opinions for the time of year" (23). Basically, they are
happy that his opinions matched theirs, whether it be in politics, education, or war. The last line of
the poem neatly summarizes the government's motives. The speaker of the poem says, "Had
anything been wrong, we should certainly have
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'Capitalism, Marxism tells us, thrives on exploiting its labourers'– Auden presents a dominant
undermining theme in The Unknown Citizen where the protagonist is portrayed to be acting in a
conformist manner and thus accepting their lives under Government control and restriction. Through
the use of force and threat, the protagonist's life are being overpowered by rules on how to live their
lives in what is deemed to be in a 'normal way'. Auden, throughout his illustrious collections of
poems, philosophically, warns his audience of the dangers of State and its governing's, often lending
itself to a fictional Marxist society which Auden warns the readers against abiding by these rules.
Doing so Auden insinuates that you are mocking yourself if you do not expose your individuality.
Undermining Communism and its theories Auden, specifically in the Unknown Citizen, slanders a
state which fundamentally is an autocratic dictatorship therefore, Marxist readings can be applied.
As a result we see the states repression, exploitation and denigration of its supposed valued
followers. Therefore, the Unknown Citizen is lavished with undertones of irony and a sense of
mocking against people who abide by the law of the State. It is Auden's way of saying simply; do
not live your life like this. The state essentially exploits its labourers which in my understanding is
not too dissimilar from how Marxists themselves view Capitalist societies. Tremendously Ironic that
this is how Auden
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What Is The Tone Of The Unknown Citizen
The advancement of technology allows the government to access more information about their
citizens. "The Unknown Citizen" tells a story of a citizen's life to death through the eyes of the
government. The government seeks to publicize their superiority so they may receive more fame and
glory, but while doing so, they magnify their faults. In the poem, W. H. Auden uses formal word
choice to create a serious tone with a sarcastic effect and irony through the lack of a rhyme scheme
and knowledge about the citizen to illustrate how the government knows many statistics and facts
about the citizen; however, the government loses details about his personal life in the process.
Auden's wording appears to be serious and understanding during the death
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Unknown Citizen Literary Analysis
Knowledge from the Past
(Literary analysis on Citizen, Old, and Anyone) Ever since a child is born they are immediate
following into a system when the are label by their physical traits they are believe to stay with them
all throughout their life to identify who they are even at the age of 98. This system is like a trap with
question that no one is able to truly find an answer to simple question like: Are you happy, Are you
Free? William Hugh Auden wrote Unknown Citizen, which talks about a political sense of freedom
and directly is question the system that everyone is living in. Another writer by the name of E.E..
Cumming wrote Old age sticks and Anyone live in a pretty how town, Both talk about growing old
and aging; one comparing youth to the old, and the other about loneliness and finding love
. Each
story has a central message, Unknown Citizen follow the system unconsciously, Old age sticks
youth vs. the old, and Anyone lives in a pretty how town love is all you need to be happy and
successful in life. Proposed in Unknown Citizen everyone is trapped in a system that is try to keep
them in order to follow the rules. In the story it says, "And that his reactions to advertisements were
normal in every way" (line 15 Citizen). Normal in every way, so to be just like everyone else, it is
what is expected of this man to follow the rules to the "T". Only following the rules, this man has
never thought for himself to question! Am I happy? Am I Free? The simple answer is no,
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The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden Essay
The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden The poem that I am going to talk about is the Unknown
Citizen by W.H Auden. I am going to talk about what I first glimpse in the poem but then after
further study what you actually see. At the start of the poem under the title it has a serial number,
also it shows that he is getting a monument erected in honour of him. This already gives you an
expectation of him. An expectation that he has done something great in his life.
When you look at the serial code at
...show more content...
We learn that the Unknown Citizen has never been fired and that he was satisfactory, at first I
thought that this was ok, but after further analysis I seen that the fact he got fired was a negative, the
way that it is wrote out, instead of him staying at the same company the author says he never got
fired, It also talks about how he was satisfactory. This man is getting a monument to him in his
honour for being satisfactory?
Yet again there is another report on him, this time from his Union. At first it when it talks about
"Our report shows it was sound" I thought nothing of it, but further readings of it talks about the
Union being sound, generally Unions are opposed to the Government, it looks as if this Union is
sanctioned by the Government.
Yet again there is report about him, but this time it is from the Social Psychologist, they delve into
every facet of your life, from your professional life to your home life. They social psychologist does
not report on you, he/she spies on you, on what you do, wear, act and think.
The Unknown Citizen is a regular guy, he is popular with his mates, he likes a drink he is a normal
guy. So if they had a report on the regular average guy, then they would have a report on everyone, I
realised this after 2 or 3 reads of the poem. The
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The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden Essay
The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden The Poem "The Unknown Citizen" by W.H. Auden is a satire.
Its narrator is the state. In this, the state pays tribute and describes a successful and positive product
of its efficiency and effectiveness. In other words, it builds the character later described to the reader
as "the perfect citizen." The narrator speaks as if he is delivering a speech or common tribute using
words and phrases that are familiar to the reader. Using such imagery helps the reader paint a clear
picture of the character. The subject or character is illustrated as a hardworking, common, tax
paying, proud – to – be American citizen living in an obvious post Depression setting. The post
Depression
...show more content...
By that we can define our setting and later on helps us begin our characterization. The narrator uses
words and phrases familiar to the reader such as (8), "Fudge Motors Inc."; the reader would think it
to be Ford Motors Inc. A technique used by the author for both imagery and humor purposes. The
narrator describes the subject in a way that is like the character himself. Common, conversational,
easy to understand with a touch of understood humor. The author uses examples from daily life to
get the point of humor and fact across to the reader. (20) "And he had everything necessary to the
Modern Man" (21) " A phonograph, a radio, a car, and a frigidaire." (25 & 26) "He was married and
added five children to the population, Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of
his generation." Lines 5–15 are clear and accurate examples the narrator gives in better quality detail
to clearly state the character's success in his being common. Although, the above is found to be
satirical. The narrator goes on to describe a man that he
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The Unknown CItizen by W.H. Auden Essay
"The Unknown Citizen"
"The Unknown Citizen" by W.H. Auden, is a commentary on government and the materialism of
modern man. The poem is written in the form of an obituary inscribed on a monument built by the
government in commemoration of an average, upstanding, and decent community member.
Throughout the passage, the speaker lists facts about the citizen's life which he believes prove that
the deceased was a valuable person. In actuality these facts represent nothing more than the socially
accepted values and actions instilled in society by materialistic views. This makes the government
appear unconcerned with the true thoughts and feelings of its people, seeing them only as statistics.
We can see this in the subtitle "To
...show more content...
And if he hadn't lived like this he wouldn't have had his phonograph, radio, car, and frigidaire.
However, it was also this conduct that turned him into a follower, unable to make decisions for
himself. This is shown in lines 23 and 24 when the speaker says, "he held the proper opinions for the
time of year; When there was peace, he was for peace; when there was war, he went. He even had
five children, which was the right number for a parent in his generation". He did everything by the
book just like everyone else of this time. In the final lines of the poem Auden uses irony to show the
government's role in creating a certain society. In Auden's eyes the government considers a
working–class income, good credit, and a sense of national loyalty and social duties to be the only
things necessary to make one's life complete. He seems to feel that, by insisting on material wealth,
society has given government an opportunity to control its actions by creating a world in which a
"desirable" lifestyle can only be obtained by adhering to a strict set of ideals and philosophies. The
poem can also be viewed as a spoof on certain aspects of the typical middle–class lifestyle. It mocks
what many feel are necessities of modern life and points out man's lack of true feeling for himself
and others. But, most importantly, it paints a picture of a world in which people are willing to give
up their personal dreams,
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Synthesis Essay On Being Old
You're not going to be young Forever Time waits for no man. As a human race, we understand that
the minute we come into this world our clock of life begins to tick. Among all the species on Earth,
humans are the only ones that truly understand the passage of time. Due to this understanding, we
also understand that our time will eventually run out. How do we know when we have grown old
and our time is soon spent? When we are young we picture high school as being older or better yet,
old. But truly when high school does come than college is old. As you grow older than old seems
farther away. Wystan Auden and E. E. Cummings were poets that wrote The Unknown Citizen
, old
age sticks, and anyone lived in a pretty how town, one message that all three of these poems brought
was getting old is not fun. First off, in Citizen, it tells of a normal man, a man that does not do
anything special and is the perfect role model for what an average citizen should be like. This man
does what he is told and does not do anything that is bad or shamed upon. Auden states, "He is fully
sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan" (line 19) This normal citizen did not do anything
that would cause people to believe that he would ever have a mental break down. He was perfect in
all ways. As he grew older he had a family, he had 5 children. One would think that he lives a great
life no family issues or job problems. Therefore when he died no one notice him, some may even
ask was he happy? Did
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The Unknown Citizen : Character Analysis
Conforming traps you
In the '50s people used to straightly follow the rules of normality, All a person could wish for was
being like the others, integrate in the society. But as much they tried to be like the others, as they
were losing their individuality. It's right in the '50 that the movie Pleasantville takes place, two high
school seniors, David and Jennifer, are catapulted into the tv show Pleasantville, a black and white
city where people live pleasant lives, without knowing emotions and doing what they are supposed
to do. "
The Unknown Citizen
" is a poem that takes care of a conformed person too, this individual is
so anonymus that doesn't even have a own name. This person lives a life that is completely ordinary,
and the conformist state puts him on a pedestal trying to spread the model
"ordinary is right".
When people conform they don't discover themselves and the world around them, they are trapped
into a cage that keeps them from their freedom.
Wearing a mask is much easier than putting ourselves into the game, it's when we embrace our
individuality that we are able to feel and take colours.
In both, the movie and the poem, there's somebody questioning if they are actually free, or happy in
that world which is characterized by a complete social flattening, "Was he free? Was he happy?
The question is absurd: had nothing been wrong we certainly have heard". In Pleasantville David
and Jennifer, after an initial confusion, try very hard to change the situation, waking all the people
around the from the daydream of normality they are trapped in. In Auden's poem history shows us
that it's been possible to go on and create a world that is more free.
Regarding the truths of the characters in both Pleasantville and The Unknown Citizen the characters
wear masks to seem normal, ordinary, anonymus, to fit in with all the others. In
Pleasantville, people's masks are black and white: they hide under a concrete layer of pale grey.
One significant scene of the movie, that indicates what said before, is the scene when the mother is
starting to take colours, and she is so shamed by that, that she puts on black and white makeup in the
same way actors and actress used to put on the greasepaint,
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Poem Analysis: The Unknown Citizen Essay
The Average Man
W. H. Auden satirizes the United States as an entity, which restrains individual advancement.
Through depersonalization, the government rewards those who actually never do anything.
However, the "Unknown Citizen" has a monument built as a symbol of his perfection. Thus, Auden's
"
The Unknown Citizen
" shows how the government makes each individual merely a number unless
they do not conform to society's norms.
The monument of the "unknown citizen" is erected not to honor the memory of a man, but to show
how he is the perfect example of a good citizen (Auden). In this poem, the citizen is just an average
person who never stands out among the rest of the population. For example, "Yet he wasn't a scab or
odd in his
...show more content...
Auden ends the statement with a comma rather than an exclamation to illustrate the inconsequential
nature of the citizen working in a factory. Factory work is monotonous, one shift after another not
evoking any emotion. Indeed, the citizen lives a boring life, doing the exact same thing as the
average person. He cannot stand out, for the only way to do so is for the citizen to be different, not
fulfilling society's demands.
Throughout the poem, the citizen's actions do not amount to anything but further conformity. For
example, Auden states that "And all the reports on his conduct agree that, in the modern sense of an
old–fashioned word, he was a saint" (3–4) which illustrates how all his actions were normal
according to the government's standards. The government considered his actions so good that they
call him a saint. Therefore, Auden uses this tone to prove that living the life of the statistical,
average citizen would be boring. Courage defines a hero. The citizen Auden describes is a hero to
the government because he never causes any problems. They even dedicate a statue to him, but he
never acts courageously. He follows the crowd and never stands up for himself. A true hero leads as
Abraham Lincoln did when he held the nation together during his Presidency. However, Auden
proves that the citizen follows the crowd with the line, "When there was peace, he was for peace:
when there
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The Tone of Irony in The Unknown Citizen Essay
"The Unknown Citizen," a poem written by W.H. Auden, alludes to a time of great change in
American history, where the poem is meant to mock the government's viewpoint of the perfect role
model for an unrealistic, impractical citizen. The author, W.H. Auden, writes and intends for the
historical context of his poem to be in the late 1930's, when America was going through the Great
Depression. Citizens were losing a sense of nationalism for America and had begun to negatively
view the government
. During this time period, the government had also begun to distribute Social
Security cards with personalized federal numbers to American citizens, which was the mark of
depersonalization in America's political system. As a result, the tone is one of
...show more content...
"Our Social Psychology workers found...," from Line 12 demonstrates the citizen's active social life.
"Our researchers into Public Opinion...," from Line 22 represents the citizen's ideal public
involvement and choice of activities such as going to war and having children. "Our Eugenist
says...," from Line 26 reflects the citizen's supposedly correct number of children, according to the
government. "Our teachers report...," from Line 27 displays the citizen's correct choice of avoiding
interfering with American educational systems. "...we should certainly have heard," from Line 29
represents the speaker him/herself, along with the American government and its early decision of
assuming that if nothing else but the good was reported about the citizen, then the government
would have heard otherwise. In all these lines, the speaker associates the describing of all aspects of
the citizen's life with his acquaintances from the government. The speaker is uniquely portrayed in
this poem through certain qualities that he possesses: being observant and being detached. All
positive and only positive events that have occurred in the citizen's live are recorded by the
government; no negative events are to be found in his life. The speaker takes special note of the
citizen's military service (Line 6), perfect employment (Lines 7–8), Union participation (Lines 9–
11), social life (Lines 12–13), newspaper customs
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Analysis of The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden "The Unknown Citizen", written by W.H. Auden
during 1940, is a poem where the speaker, a representative of the state or government, directs a
speech to the audience about a monument being erected for a citizen. Written in free verse, although
using many couplets, this poem is a poem that describes the life of a certain person through his
records and documents. This citizen is portrayed as a normal and average human being who is being
honoured for being normal. Auden, however, uses the fact that the state is honouring someone for
being normal to criticise his society. By emphasizing certain grammatical conventions and the
structure the author explains the true meaning of this poem,
...show more content...
Throughout the poem, Auden sarcastically shows that the state is erecting a monument for a nobody.
Monuments are usually erected as a memorial to a person with outstanding accomplishments who
stand out from the rest of the population. However, this citizen does not do anything that makes him
different from the rest of the population. As Auden writes: The Press are convinced that he bought a
paper every day And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way. Policies taken
out in his name prove that he was fully insured, And his Health–card shows he was once in a
hospital but left it cured. Both Producers Research and High–Grade Living declare He was fully
sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan And had everything necessary to the Modern Man,
A phonograph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire. Our researchers into Public Opinion are content That
he held the proper opinions for the time of year; When there was peace, he was for peace; when
there was war, he went. (14–24) The author describes this citizen as being an overall regular man in
society, who did not change or impact the world by any means. He was a normal man who bought a
paper every day
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In the world today, society has created individuals that conform to the expected norms and those that
rebel against them. In each of the pieces selected there is a character that conforms to meet the needs
of the society. A conformist is someone who follows the rules that are given to them without any
complaints. Each of the three literary writings has a character that is considered rebellious within the
norms of society. A rebellious person is someone who does not follow the rules that are given to
them. The poem "
The Unknown Citizen
" by W. H. Auden is mainly about an unnamed man who is a
conformist, because he listens to all the rules that are made for the society. On the other hand, the
short story "A & P" by John Updike and the play "Antigone" by Sophocles there is a conformist
character which enforces the rules set in place, and a rebellious character which goes against the
principles of society. Each author depicts a character to represent the conformist and rebellious
individuals within today's society.
Within the three different literary writings there is a character that acts as a conformist. W.H. Auden
created a main character in "The Unknown Citizen" that does not appear to want to do anything for
himself, but rather for the others within his community. In line five W.H. Auden states, "for in
everything he did, he served the Greater Community" (497), meaning this man is known to be a
good person because he did not just do something for himself, but for the
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The Unknown Citizen Explication Essay
Alek Haugen
Advanced Placement English 12
Dr. Werner
05 March 2012
The Unknown Citizen
By W. H. Auden
Several conflicts are dramatized in The Unknown Citizen, the most prominent being: conformity of
the middle class, government manipulation, and the loss of individualism to the standards of an
average citizen. The speaker of this poem is non–traditional as the poem is, in fact, an inscription on
a "marble monument erected by the State." The inscription is dedicated to a "JS/07 M 378"–
presumably, "
The Unknown Citizen
," although this term only appears in the title. The Unknown
Citizen is essentially an elegy, a lament for the dead, written by either a government official or a
strong believer in the government. This becomes clear
...show more content...
Among his "praises," for example: "When there was peace, he was for peace: when there was war,
he went" (24). In this, it becomes clear to the reader that you do not want to be an average citizen;
you do not want this to be your elegy. Some critics argue this, however, as Auden stating that there
is nothing disgraceful in being unknown. The poem is, above all, a satire of the way conformity
hinders the individual and leaves ridiculous and solely external distinctions between human beings.
Auden presents an allegory in The Unknown Citizen that begins even before the poem itself. The
phrase "Unknown Citizen" appears only once–in the title. This term is an immediate allusion to and
parody of the "Unknown Soldier," especially considering the details of who the poem is dedicated to
and the fact that it is found on a marble monument, much like those one might expect to see in
Washington, D.C. where the United States is home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The
"Unknown Solider" is a soldier who cannot be recognized after being found in battle. This
sometimes–controversial idea can be interpreted to mean that many people die as unknowns because
they lived uninfluential lives. Aside from this large allegory, the poem uses only a few rhetorical
devices. In line four, for example, "...in the modern sense of an old–fashioned word, he was a saint"
is quite an exaggeration because being "one against whom there was no official complaint" is hardly
saintly (2). Another
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The Unknown Citizen By. Auden
The Unknown Citizen Analysis The Unknown Citizen, written by W.H. Auden, is a satirical poem
declaring the petty accomplishments achieved by an unnamed citizen in a presumably American or
industrialized society. Through several readings of the poem, many would not even consider the
Unknown Citizen as a poem, but rather, a letter of recommendation or a speech for a political
election. The only obvious characteristic of this piece resembling a poem is the rhyming scheme.
Other than rhyming, there are no apparent similes, onomatopoeias, or any other widely–used literary
devices. This strengthens the tone and setting of this poem, for the diction and overall language is
meant to be interpreted as thoroughly formal, literal, and professional. From the very first line, the
reader is given a common but accurate stereotype of the government. It reads: "He was found by the
Bureau of Statistics to be". This provides the common assumption that the bureaucracy and
government don 't consider the common citizen a human being, but rather a numerical value or
worth. Also, although there is no negativity told of the citizen in question, the compliments seem
rather petty and are told so through the excessive use of litotes and double–negatives. Some
examples include: 'no official complaint '; 'never got fired '; and 'he never interfered '. In this lack of
economic writing, the narrator, presumably a businessman or bureaucrat, describes this citizen with
insignificant or average
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The Unknown Citizen By Auden
"The Unknown Citizen," written by W. H. Auden, is a poem that describes a man who lived a life
most people would see as ideal. The man illustrated by this poem did what society expected him to
do, which resulted in a model life. This poem, however, can be seen in more than one way. Some
may see the story in the poem as a description of a man who had an unfulfilling life because he did
exactly what was expected of him. Instead of trying something new, exploring the world, or making
a change, the man did what everyone else regarded as acceptable. W. H. Auden
's poem can be seen
from two perspectives: the man who lived an ideal life that many people sought to have or the man
who lived an unfulfilling, ordinary life which caused him to blend in
...show more content...
W. H. Auden's poem, "The Unknown Citizen," is a great example of this because one can find at
least two meanings within the poem. One person could see the poem as a description of a perfect
man while someone else could see the poem as a message to be unique and make a change in the
world. The man in the poem fulfilled society's expectations, but at the same time
, the man may not
have had a fulfilling life. These two ideas could not be the only interpretations of the poem. Other
readers may discover their own meanings or explanations of the poem. Overall, the speaker in "The
Unknown Citizen" describes the life of an unknown man, but the reader must decide the message
behind being
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The Unknown Citizen Research Paper
The Unknown Citizen is a danger to society. One example of this is JS does nothing at all to have
freedom and be different. Another example of this is that he is the normal nothing more nothing less
he just goes with the flow and doesn't care about being different. In The Unknown Citizen JP does
nothing at all to be different. For example when there was war he went and when there was peace he
was for peace, If the government liked something he liked it too. He didn't have his own opinion or
his own thoughts about anything. Another example on how The Unknown Citizen is a danger is that
he is the normal nothing more nothing less he just goes with the flow and doesn't care about being
different. Since JS doesn't care about being different
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