It was the time of authoritarianism in europe, and amid dictatorship in the various countries in europe, man as a rational individual was losing his stance, distinctiveness and identity. The unknown citizen is a governments view of the perfect modern man in an unrealistic society. Analysis the unknown citizen 1940 is one of audens most famous poems. Get an answer for please scan the poem the unknown citizen. The poem is a kind of satirical elegy written in praise of a man who has recently died and who lived what the government has deemed an exemplary life. The unknown citizen lyrics to js07 m 378 this marble monument is erected by the state he was found by the bureau of statistics to be. A poem written twohundred years ago when people spoke the language differently can make the interpretation difficult, thus leaving many different views of what the poem means. It comes under the genre of dramatic literary ballad, for it is. Jan 09, 2020 the unknown citizen is a poem that auden wrote at a turning point in his life, when he left england for the usa and left behind the idea that his poetry could make anything happen in the world. Although not directly expressed, it is clear that the poem presents an ironical comparison.
An analysis of a satire in the unknown citizen by w. Language and style in the unknown citizen studienet. The unknown citizen poem tells about a man that lives life up to the governments, or unions. Analysis of the unknown citizen english literature essay. The unknown citizen he was found by the bureau of statistics to be he was found by the bureau of statistics to be the academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets. Auden struck a chord in readers with his timely treatment of the moral and political issues that directly affected them. The unknown citizen poem analysis 772 words 4 pages. Auden is a 32 line poem that describes, through the form of a dystopian report, the life of. Auden is important to consider, when you do an analysis. The year was 1939, hitler had plunged europe into darkness and the young auden was horrified. In the unknown citizen the government has manipulated human intelligence to the. Through several readings of the poem, many would not even consider the unknown citizen as a poem. In this, the state pays tribute and describes a successful and positive product of its efficiency and effectiveness.
The poem contains examples of both skillfully written rhyming couplets and seemingly patternless portions of verse that are variable in their end rhymes. The unknown citizen he was found by the bureau of statistics to be. Auden to js07 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 oldfashioned word, he was a saint. Still, the most striking comparison is that of the unknown citizen with a saint. The author of 40 books of poetry and prose, masters is best remembered for his great collection spoon river anthology 1915, a sequence of. Auden, is a satirical poem declaring the petty accomplishments achieved by an unnamed citizen in a presumably american or industrialized society. May 07, 20 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. Those who follow rules and are wedded to their principles remain unknown. The poem starts by informing us that this unknown citizen was exemplary, in that no official complaint was ever made against him, that he was a saint for serving the greater community, being a soldier, and never getting fired from his factory job. Audens poem entitled the unknown citizen is a portrayal of a conflict between individualism and government control. Explain the main theme of the poem the unknown citizen by w. 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.
Auden, was a sympathetic satire on the attempts of human beings to escape, through their own efforts, the anxiety of our age. The unknown citizen poem summary and analysis litcharts. The unknown by edgar lee masters poetry foundation. If an individual is to be recognised in society, he needs to swerve from the path of righteousness tne world. By definition, the unknown citizen has no identity. Summary and analysis the unknown citizen, first published in the listener on august 1939, and later included in the collected shorter poems, 1950, is a satire, not on the citizen, but on the way in which the average man in the street is controlled by the conventions of bureaucracy and the welfare state which ignore the need for a man to be free and happy. Auden, was written in 1940 and that era can be seen in certain stanzas. Auden is a 32 line poem that utilizes a number of different rhyming patterns. He would unite the unequal moieties fractured by our own wellmeaning sense of. The unknown citizen poem by wystan hugh auden poem hunter. Edgar lee masters was born in garnett, kansas, and he grew up in the small towns of lewistown and petersburg, illinois.
The main idea i suppose is that noncommital people deserve the insignificance. 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. The unknown citizen is a poem that auden wrote at a turning point in his life, when he left england for the usa and left behind the idea that his poetry could make anything happen in the world. The unknown citizen by w h auden famous poems, famous poets. Auden, presents multifarious universal themes love, time and death. The unknown citizen has no voice of his own in this poem indeed, we suspect he had no voice of his own during the entire course of his life and it would be tempting to hear what he has to say about his experiences in the war, as a worker, as a citizen, as a family member, etc.
Thus the unknown citizen means the ordinary average citizen in the modern industrialized urban society. The unknown citizen 1940 is one of audens most famous poems. Nonetheless, we are going to take a stab in the dark and say that his sexual habits were probably conventional, like everything else about him. With the related concept of the unknown soldier, it is the soldiers physical remains, or dead body, that cannot be identified. The language and style of the poem the unkonwn citizen by w. The unknown citizen poetry analysis 20 cp english 2 by. The unknown citizen is of the grand and celebratory variety, but its also a sa. Here is our input on the way auden uses the language. Auden poetry analysis project sabrina, reilly, chris, wyatt 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 oldfashioned word, he.
Mseffies list of poetry essay prompts for advanced placement. Throughout the poem the unnamed man is described as a saint. The unknown citizen analysis by briana washington on prezi. These types of poems can be sad and mopey or grand and celebratory. The poem doesnt talk about the sex life of the unknown citizen, but he must have had sex at some point, because his wife gave birth to five babies. It describes an average citizen in a governmentcontrolled state. This piece is written in third person omniscient to project a nonbias perspective and that way transmit the truth without being affected by feelings or personal point of views. But for the unknown citizen, it is more that his life was so conventional that he did not distinguish himself in any way from his fellow citizens. The poem can be read easily and does support the title name.
Audens the unknown citizen pertains to audens middle period of creation. Subscribe to our mailing list and get new poetry analysis updates straight to your inbox. Paraphrase elegy poem about a dead person citizen is referred to in past tense parody of the unknown soldier saying used to acknowledge dead soldiers that couldnt be identified this person starts off by giving mad kudos to a citizen a government official reported about. He is praised throughout the poem as if he has no flaws.
Auden, presents multifarious universal themeslove, time and death. 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, semisocialist western societies. Auden 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 oldfashioned word, he was a saint. His life was so much inline with the progress of the state that a monument was raised in his honour. The unknown citizen analysis the unknown citizen, written by w. The unknown citizen was written by the british poet w. Support your statements by specific references to the poem. Often anthologized and read by students in high school and college, it is. 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 oldfashioned word, he was a.
The unknown citizen is a poem that auden wrote at a turning point in his life, when he left england for the usa and left behind the idea that his. The irony auden uses in the unknown citizen is indirectly suggested. In this poem, the citizen is just an average person who never stands out among the rest of the population. The poem represents a comparison or an analogy between the monument of the unknown citizen and the monument of the unknown soldier. The unknown citizen the unknown citizen is one of the significant poems of w. Auden uses irony, allusion, and irregular rhyme in his free verse poem the unknown citizen to analyse the fulfilment of the america dream. The poem tells about the persons who hope to become popular or famous.