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
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The poem “ The Unknown Citizen By W H Auden is a poem that pokes fun at the life of a automaton working in a factory. Reading it in a glance‚ I find the title that catches my very first attention. It is because Auden gives the poem such a title that the whole poem sounds so dramatic and pompous‚ as if it is dedicated to some citizen who have sacrificed so much for the nation. The citizen‚ to my dismay‚ is never named and remains as the unknown one throughout the whole poem. The citizen is referred to
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Themes of W.H. Auden’s "The Unknown Citizen" Conformity and Anonymity in the Modern World "Social Security Number? Birth date? Nine digit telephone number starting with area code? Mother’s Maiden Name?" In many ways‚ we are simply faceless numbers to modern society‚ not individuals with feelings and emotions and dreams. W.H. Auden‚ a well-known English poet and dramatist‚ discusses this important theme in his poem "An Unknown Soldier." Auden‚ being a modernist‚ is concerned with this modern idea
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"The Unknown Citizen" is an occasional poem. That is to say‚ it is a poem written to mark a specific occasion or event. The occasion is indicated in the lines contained in parenthesis that precede the body of the poem. As these lines indicate‚ the poem is a written monument that functions like a cenotaph: it commemorates a fallen man whose identity is unknown. However‚ unlike the soldier who falls in a battle of war‚ the battle this individual appears to be unwittingly a part of is a social battle
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The Unknown Citizen : W.H. Auden - Summary and Critical Analysis | The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden is a satiric poem. It describes an average citizen in a government-controlled state. In many big cities‚ there is a monument to the Unknown Soldier that stands for the thousands of unknown soldiers who die for their country. The title of Auden’s poem parodies this. | | The citizen to whom the monument has been built has been found to be without any fault. He was a saint not because he searched
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Karen Cote English 102 15 February 2011 W. H Auden: The Unknown Citizen The marble monument erected by the state or town is usually of a hometown hero. The person is almost always someone who did well for the country and originated from a certain town. The statue is almost never of someone who is just an ordinary man living life just like everyone else around him. This man is the model citizen; one who never causes a stir‚ goes to war when asked‚ and does everything to serve the common good
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<center><b>The Unknown Citizen Is Me</b></center> <br> <br>"The Unknown Citizen"‚ a poem written by W.H. Auden‚ reflects a period of vast change in America’s history‚ making "The Unknown Citizen" an example of the government’s view of the perfect modern man in an overrated‚ unrealistic society. <br> <br>During the time period that this poem was written‚ in the late 1930’s‚ The United States was going through tremendous social‚ political and economic change. Following the passing of Black Monday
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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
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them for succumbing to peer pressure. In “The Unknown Citizen” by W. H. Auden‚ the speaker‚ a government bureaucrat‚ also takes on this two-faced attitude towards a man identified as the unknown citizen. At first glance‚ this poem seems like the well-deserved tribute to a man who lived the perfect life‚ but after a more detailed analysis‚ the speaker reveals his attitude towards his subject. The speaker uses diction and irony to criticize the citizen for following the standards set forth by society
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they are setting‚ conflict‚ theme and tone. The Unknown Citizen‚ written by W.H Auden‚ is a poem that will be compared with the lottery‚ written by Shirley Jackson. Both‚ the short story and poem‚ share 2 literature devices in common. They exhibit Irony and symbolism within them. The usage of both will be compared to acknowledge the similarities between the two different literature styles. Although they may not fall into the same genre‚ both the Unknown Citizen and The Lottery share common literature
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