The Unknown Citizen

Here is a quote from my text "Auden's sharply ironic tone reveals to us that the Unknown Citizen is being honored not for his accomplishments but for being a model of conformity to the politics of the state."
As you develop your thesis, focus on the discrepancies between the solomn praise the speaker offers and your recognition of these qualities as far from admirable. The qualities that the speaker is praising are things like having "no official complaint" (line 2) against him, never got fired, "wasn't odd in his views" (line 9), bought a paper everyday, "normal in everyway" (line 15), was insured, owned a phonograph (record player) and a radio and a car, "held the proper opions for the time of year" (line 23) and added the right number of children to the population. But are these really _important_? Who cares if he owned a phonograph and was insured. Does that really matter in the end? These are all impersonal things to praise about him, it's like saying someone was a good man because he wore clean underwear :). Who cares?

1. How is the "he" being referred to in the poem identified in the italicized epigraph?
He's isn't given a name for one. He's listed as "JS/07/M/378". This gives you a clue about the tone of the poem.
2. Who is the speaker in the poem? Why does the speaker use "our" and "we" instead of "my" and "I"?
The speaker isn't a person, but an organization, like the government. That's why they use ther plurals, instead of singluars to describe their thoughts.
3. Is Fudge Motors Inc." a serious name for a corporation? What is the effect of rhyming Inc. (line 8) with "drink" (line 13)?
It is most definitly not a serious name for a car company. It's a play on Ford, if anything. To fudge something is also to make an error. These are associations that attach themselves to the word, and can change their literal meaning.
inc/drink sounds like a drop of water; connects the 2 together. It is a metalic, impersonal sound. Doesn't sound serious = people aren't affected by his death, lack of greiving.
4. Why does Auden capitalize so many words and phrases that normally would not be captialized (like Greater Community), Installment Plan, Modern Man, and Public Opinion)?

These are things that defined him and are very impersonal.
5. a.)What is the attitude of the poetic voice toward the Unknown Citizen? b.)What is Auden's attitdue toward the Unknown Citizen? c.)What is Auden's attitude toward the speaker in the poem?
a.) attitude= indifferent, approving, disdain(line 29)
b.)Auden's attitude= sarcastic
c.) " attitude towards the speaker = quiet disapproval.
6. What, then, is the tone of the poem?
tone = ironic, sarcastic, cynical
The last 2 lines especially: "Was he free? Was he happy? the question is absurd:/ Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard." The speaker is saying that it doesn't really matter how he felt because he acted like a good little sheep and didn't question anything, or cause any fuss. The speaker doesn't care if he was happy or content. It only matters how he conformed throughout his life.

The Unknown Citizen Is Me

“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.

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 and at the onset of The Great Depression, many Americans held negative opinions of their government and the many positive aspects that once drew citizens to the United States were becoming increasingly negative. The Great Depression fundamentally changed the relationship between the government and it’s people. Citizens began to expect and accept a larger federal role in their lives and the economy. During this time period, Americans were issued cards with a personalized federal numbers, better known as Social Security cards, which in turn depersonalized the political system of the United States.

We the people, see our government as a coalition between our leaders and ourselves, leaders that we elect to represent and enforce our values. They merely see us a number. This issue emerges currently with regard to the election of the next president of the United States. The entire issue deals not with the citizens’ wants and needs, but with the “numbers”. We are no longer individuals, but merely a vast pool of insignificant numbers. Numbers that only become imperative when the disparity between them is diminutive. “Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong we should certainly have heard (Auden).” This question is still being asked today, the only difference now is that there is no doubt whether or not the opinions of the masses are being heard. The question remaining is whether or not the government is actually listening to the people.

This poem also expresses that government makes it seem that everyone else is doing the “right thing”, so you must follow in their footsteps and if you do so your reward is a happy and fulfilled life with all the comforts of the modern man. The standards are constantly changing so that you will never reach the optimum point, therefore you must always strive to improve. This can be seen in the 2000 Presidential Race. We the people have followed the same uniform procedures in determining our presidents since the founding of our country, yet we are now being told these standards are “outdated” and “unreliable”, which in turns breaks down our faith and the faith of other countries in our political system. Auden expresses a similar opinion in his poem. He presents the idea of the good society, at best a possibility, yet never actually achievable, but one in which we the people must always work towards. As citizens, we know the obligations of our citizenship, however it often times is the officials we tend to elect that forget their obligations to us. Is this idea not clearly being seen currently in the attempt to elect our 43rd president?

This poem was written at a time when a citizen would rarely voice such an opinionated stance on a subject such as politics. Yet after reading between the lines of the written words of the poem, one can grasp a better understanding the thoughts and feelings of the author concerning the political issues of the era. This poem can shed light on things in a totally different perspective. It can help one to understand that the ways of the “Modern Man” is not always the best choice. 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? Whatever happened to individuals being humble and honest? Auden’s view of the government, depicted through this poem, uses the “Unknown Citizen” as an example of the perfect modern man in an overrated, unrealistic society, represented by citizens’ views in this poem.