The+Unknown+Citizen

by W. H. Auden // (To JS/07 M 378 //   // This Marble Monument //    // Is Erected by the State // ) He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be   One against whom there was no official complaint, And all the reports on his conduct agree That, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint, For in everything he did he served the Greater Community. 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. 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. 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 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. 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 that he never interfered with their education. Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard. media type="youtube" key="t6pxlmRv5D4" height="315" width="420" W. H. Auden was born in York, England in 1907. He moved to New York City in 1939 (the same year The Unknown Citizen was published), and his observations were perhaps influencing factors as he wrote The Unknown Citizen. As a young person he was an active socialist and very influenced by both Marx and Freud. Later in life, he changed his opinions drastically and he began studying Christianity and Protestant theologians. He died in Vienna in 1973. **Theme:** The poet's purpose in this poem is to make the speaker's view of the subject (the citizen he describes) seem superficial and cold, to such an extreme that it makes the reader uncomfortable. He does this to get across the meaning that being passive and fitting expectations (both put on people by society and the government) makes one neither happy nor free. Perhaps this is why the last two lines of the poem are the most impactful and discomforting. After the whole duration of the poem, as this man was being evaluated through such unconventional, cold methods, the speaker finally is asking the more human, heartfelt question. Even in doing so he disregards them and sticks to his viewpoint that as long as this man was within parameters of normality and didn't cause anyone problems, he must have been alright. By telling the story through the viewpoints of the uncomplaining organizations he was involved with, the speaker pokes fun at the fact that society as a whole looks for complacency and cooperation with rules. The wrongness of that perspective is a commentary on the conformity and passivity of this citizen, and how his individuality, happiness and freedom were thrown away by the government and various oraganizations who were satisfied with what he gave them rather than his welfare.
 * The Unknown Citizen **
 * 1) **Imagery:** Though there is not much imagery present in the Unknown Citizen, the title itself is considered to be an allusion to "the Unknown Soldier". Word choice, on the other hand has a very large purpose in communicating the theme of the poem. Words and phrases such as "normal", "not odd", "sensible" "right number" "proper opinions" show that the speaker is measuring this citizen to the standard of how much he helped/did not distrupt the organizations who now give reports about him. (See Emotion for more examples)
 * 2) **Meter:** There is a rhyme scheme present throughout The Unknown Citizen, although it is not uniform. While he uses a few different rhyming patterns in the poem, they all remain simple, as not to distract and take away from the meaning. The poem begins with an ABAB structure, continuing with both a rhyming couple and other structures, that always rhyme though not consistantly. Ending the poem with a rhyming couple pairs those two most important lines off. The structure can be seen as an example of the strict organization that the various evaluators of the Unknown Citizen were looking for and found in him.
 * 3) **Emotion:** The tone of The Unknown Citizen is perhaps the most distinct aspect of the poem. Word choice displays the very specific tone (condescending and cold) that Auden wanted to communicate. The speaker seems to be a member of the government, or at least of a supporter of it. Though the speaker calls the Unknown Citizen a saint, other comments that appear to be compliments are more acknowledgements that the citizen has accomplished the bare minimum. The speaker states that he "never got fired" rather than that he did his job well and made accomplishments in the workplace. He added the "right number" of children is the phrase chosen rather than "he was a supportive, hard-working father". Especially choosing the word "interfere" in the line "he never interfered with [his children's] education" shows that he is seen as almost an enemy to progess, were he to contribute something outside of school to his children's education. The Unknown Citizen was not painted as morally good or bad, but rather a piece of a utilitarian puzzle who did as he was told, serving the unknown "Greater Community" (by blending in, serving in the army when necessary, boosting the economy as a consumer and not hurting his children's education by teaching them his own views). Throughout, the tone that and the contrast between calling the citizen a saint and evaluating him based on statistics and value to society shows the speaker's lack of concern for this unnamed citizen.

Works Cited Poetictouch2012. //W.H. Auden - The Unknown Citizen//. //W.H. Auden - The Unknown Citizen - YouTube//. YouTube, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. . // The Unknown Citizen Analysis //. Shmoop, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. . // The Unknown Citizen - Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More //. The Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. . // W.H. Auden //. N.d. //September 1, 1938 | Andthisisourlife//. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. . // W.H. Auden- Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More //. The Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. .