Literary Analysis Of The Unknown Citizen By W. H. Auden

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The poem “The Unknown Citizen” by W. H. Auden is a part of the collection, Another Time, published in 1940. “The Unknown Citizen” is an occasional poem in which it commemorates a fallen man whose identity is unknown. Nonetheless, instead identified by name, this citizen is recognized by his social identification “JS/07/M/378” (497). This combination of number and symbols which precedes the body of the poem can be compared as a modern social security number that is require nowadays. The irony is deeply present in this poem since it exposes a satirical representation of an unknown citizen; a citizen who represents the ordinary man and his lack of personal identity, and individuality within modern society. The poem appears to protest against a …show more content…

The rhyme scheme changes a few times throughout the poem. Most frequently the reader notices rhyming couplets. These sometimes use the same number of syllables, but they are not in iambic pentameter; they are often 11 or 13 syllables long, or of differing lengths. The poem concludes with a closed couplet: two successive lines that contain a grammatically complete statement, “Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: / Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.” (497).The final word of each of these lines rhymes each one another. The statement is considered “closed” since its meaning is contained within the two lines, and it is within these two lines that the climax of the poem is …show more content…

He obeys completely to the given, not questioning or challenging it in any way. Moreover, between lines (12-15) the reciter continues to highlight the “apathy” of the citizen, and a list of organizations that influence his life in many different ways. For example, when Auden makes reference for these organizations (Fudge Motors Inc., The Social Psychology Work, The Health Insurance, and The Union) he’s criticizing the way they encourages individuals to behavior, not in accordance to their thoughts, but rather with the principles settled by such institutions. On the other hand, contrasting these sections (16-21) with the sections precedent, the poet ironically epitomize the unknown citizen as a modern man; as a result, he used a colloquial language to engage the readers, and to contrast the statement: “And had everything necessary to the Modern Man, / A phonograph, a radio, a car, and a frigidaire.” (497). Comparing unknown citizen as modern man, the poet encourages the reader to compare his/her own role in society, and if is not in some ways like “The Unknown

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