The unknown citizen poem text. The Unknown Citizen: by W. H. Auden 2023-01-01
The unknown citizen poem text
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The "Unknown Citizen" is a poem written by W. H. Auden that uses satire to critique the way that society treats its citizens. The poem is written in the form of an epitaph, or a tribute written to honor a deceased person, but it is clear that the speaker of the poem is not actually paying tribute to the person being described. Instead, the speaker is using the form of an epitaph to mock the way that society reduces individuals to a set of statistics and labels, rather than recognizing them as complex and unique human beings.
The poem begins by introducing the "unknown citizen" as a man who has lived a "sensible, orderly" life, according to the standards of society. He has never gotten into trouble with the law and has held down a steady job. He has also fulfilled his civic duties by paying his taxes and voting in elections. The speaker of the poem describes the unknown citizen as a "model" for society, someone who has lived a "good" life by conforming to the expectations placed upon him.
However, as the poem progresses, it becomes clear that the speaker is not actually paying tribute to the unknown citizen, but rather using him as a means of criticizing the way that society treats its citizens. The speaker notes that the unknown citizen has been "buried in the hall of fame," suggesting that society has reduced him to a mere label or statistic, rather than recognizing the complexity and individuality of his life. The speaker also notes that the unknown citizen was "found worthy" of a "burial" in the hall of fame, implying that society has a set of predetermined standards for what it considers to be a "good" or "worthy" life.
Throughout the poem, the speaker uses irony and satire to criticize the way that society values conformity over individuality. The unknown citizen is described as a "model" for society, yet the speaker seems to view this as a negative thing, suggesting that society values those who conform to its expectations over those who may be more creative or independent. The speaker also points out that the unknown citizen has "nothing against" him, implying that society values those who do not cause trouble or challenge the status quo, rather than those who may be more rebellious or unconventional.
In conclusion, the "Unknown Citizen" is a poem that uses satire to critique the way that society treats its citizens. The speaker uses the form of an epitaph to mock the way that society reduces individuals to a set of statistics and labels, rather than recognizing them as complex and unique human beings. The poem suggests that society values conformity over individuality and those who do not cause trouble or challenge the status quo, rather than those who may be more creative or independent.
"The Unknown Citizen"
After a wasted life, there is no point asking if he was free or happy. What is the attitude of the poetic voice toward the Unknown Citizen? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard. The pre-scientific society left much scope for the individuality of man but in the modern age of science and technology, he has been reduced to the position of a cog in the machine. This feeling makes the poem eerie and prescient; one often thinks of the dystopian, totalitarian states found in the writings of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley or the data-driven surveillance state of today. People today move so fast, they never get a chance to slow down and realize that there are more important things in life than being picture-perfect, whatever happened to individuals accepting defeats in their relationships, education and employment? There, the youth learn society's expectations for their behavior.
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The Unknown Citizen Poem Summary and Analysis
Auden feels that both the society and the individual are to be blamed for the corruption that exists in the society. He was careful with credits. Once the identity of the speaker is a bit clearer though, one might come to recognize the faceless, seemingly lifeless person of a government worker or customer service representative. Is this idea not clearly being seen currently in the attempt to elect our 43rd president? In this poem, in a straightforward manner, Auden implies that in such a society where a man has to live for the 'Greater Community' his individuality is annihilated. Although the man is a perfect citizen to the government, they do not even know what his name is. Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured, And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured.
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The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden
The citizen is being referred to by a number rather than a name. Because freedom means freedom of conscience. Its structure is that of a satiric elegy, as though the boring, unknown citizen was so utterly unremarkable that the state honored him with a poetic monument about how little trouble he caused for anyone. Whatever happened to individuals being humble and honest? He led the kind of family life led by millions on others. This can be seen in the 2000 Presidential Race. Cummings uses words to create confusion. Yet he wasn't a scab or odd in his views, For his Union reports that he paid his dues, Our report on his Union shows it was sound And our Social Psychology workers found That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink.
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The Unknown Citizen
Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Instalment Plan And had everything necessary to the Modern Man, A phonograph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire. Auden Poem Analysis: The Unknown Citizen Essay those who actually never do anything. It is a drudgery, and one that people do not even recognize because they are consumed in leading materialistic ways of life, conforming to the state and the society or both. Yet he wasn't a scab or odd in his views, For his union reports that he paid his dues, Our report of his union shows it was sound And our Social Psychology workers found That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink. 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 man did as he was told, dedicated himself to his work, and was continually in the good graces of his employers.
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Poem Analysis: The Unknown Citizen
The modern society is committed to materialism, which makes the modern man unhappy. Modern mass-organize a-such as the factory or the trade union impose a uniformity on the individual and this is strengthened by the press and the educational system one such man gets killed in war and the state has erected a monument in memory of this unknown citizen. Auden, is about the ideal person that the government wants in their society. No one stepped forward, during their investigation, to say that he had done some wrong. 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. This gives you a clue about the tone of the poem.
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W. H. Auden
Often anthologized and read by students in high school and college, it is renowned for its wit and irony in complaining about the stultifying and anonymous qualities of bureaucratic, semi-socialist Western societies. Auden, is a satirical poem declaring the petty accomplishments achieved by an unnamed citizen in a presumably American or industrialized society. Auden expresses a similar opinion in his poem. GradeSaver, 9 March 2014 Web. Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured, And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured.
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The Unknown Citizen Poem Analysis
Auden, is a commentary on government and the materialism of modern man. We are no longer individuals, but merely a vast pool of insignificant numbers. The Big Brother perspective begins from the very outset of the poem, with its evocation of a Bureau of Statistics. The speaker uses diction and irony to criticize the citizen for following the standards set forth by society to encourage the reader to be brave enough to stand out as an individual. We get the man swallowed up the system. The question remaining is whether or not the government is actually listening to the people.
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The Unknown Citizen: by W. H. Auden
His psychological status was normal and he led the normal life. These are things that defined him and are very impersonal. Throughout the passage, the speaker lists facts about the citizen's life which he believes prove that the deceased was a valuable person. It's a play on Ford, if anything. The man has had every aspect of his life catalogued. This man does what he is told and does not do anything that is bad or shamed upon. 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.
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The Unknown Citizen
He was married and added five children to the population, which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his generation, And our teachers report he never interfered with their education. Citizens began to expect and accept a larger federal role in their lives and the economy. While a person might be persuaded that he is free or happy, the evidence of his life shows that he is just one more cog in the faceless, nameless bureaucratic machine. Except for the war till the day he retired He worked in a factory and never got fired, But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc. Lines 23-29 That he held the proper opinions for the time of the year; When there was peace he was for peace; when there was war he went.
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