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Critical analysis of the unknown citizen
Audens the unknown citizen how it is a product of its time
The unknown citizen by W.H. Auden essay
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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
The poem is written in the style of free verse. The poet chooses not to separate the poem into stanzas, but only by punctuation. There is no rhyme scheme or individual rhyme present in the poem. The poems structure creates a personal feel for the reader. The reader can personally experience what the narrator is feeling while she experiences stereotyping.
Rhyme-The last words of line one and line three of each stanza rhyme. The last words of line two and line four of each stanza also rhyme. The rhyming words contribute to the rhythm and flow of the poem.
The most noticeable aspect of the structure of the entire poem is the lack of capital letters and periods. There is only one part in the entire forty lines, which is at the very end, and this intentional punctuation brings readers to question the speaker’s literacy. In fact, the speaker is very young, and the use of punctuation and hyphens brings to attention the speaker’s innocence, and because of that innocence, the
A captivating novelette in which a man’s priority is to serve only for his brothers, Ayn Rand’s Anthem illustrates a society that has suffered the ghastly consequences of collectivism. She depicts an oppressive culture in which the word “I” is unheard of and men belong to the collective “We.” Men’s lives are determined through the Council of Vocations, a group that maintains a powerful dictatorship by subjugating the public from the beginning of their lives. The idea that “If you are not needed by your brother men, there is no reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies” (Chapter 1) has been forced into average mindset of the vehemently maintained society. In contrast, Rand mocks the totalitarian civilization through the main character Equality. Since he was born, Equality possessed a quick mind and constantly strayed apart from his peers. Through his life, he shows an unwilling behavior to conform not only to his name, but also to the rules of society. After he is found guilty of independent thought, he is sadistically beaten and dragged into the Palace of Corrective Detention, an unguarded jail that castigates the public of their wrongdoings. Shackles are unnecessary as a result of the brainwashed society and their compliance to obey orders, which consequently allows Equality to escape. In a collective society, citizens are denied their inalienable right of individualism, which ultimately eliminates all thoughts of opposition. Through their submission, the presence of their souls vanishes and society deems the collectivist tenet true. The lack of guards and old locks in the Palace of corrective Detention symbolize the evils that result from a collectivist society.
Though most of the poem is not dialogue, from what little speaking there is between the...
A small glimmer of hope in an imperialistic world is only taken away in order to ensure equivalence in an imperfect society. Harrison Bergeron is a classic sociological tale written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. that is based on the sociological aspect of everyone being equal - not one individual could be above another. This short story focuses on the idea of symbolism by using masks and handicaps to force the social norm of being the same while foreshadowing the courage of being unique in a seemingly perfect world, all while displaying irony through the way in which our society runs today. This story relates to today’s society in that both are alike in that individuals want to break free from societies constraints of social norms.
Alliteration is a key aspect to how the reader experiences the poem; it especially gives interest toward alliteration of the letter T. This alliteration begins in the very first line “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant-” (1.1). The alliteration on the T is used three times within the first line; however, it does not stop there. Dickinson uses the “T” sound to continually draw back to the theme of truth. Dickinson, through the use of two stanzas, four lines each, uses quite a distinct rhyme scheme to organize her poem. The second and fourth lines of each stanza are clearly examples of end rhyme, by using words such as “lies” (1.2) and “surprise” (1.4). However, every single line is not an example of end rhyme. The first and third lines rhyme words such as “slant” (1.1) and “delight” (1.3); which can be described as near rhymes for they give a small sensation of rhyming. This rhyming pattern continues for the second stanza as well. The sequence of rhyming is not arbitrarily put into practice, rather, it also adds on to the truth theme. The near rhymes Dickinson stresses to not tell the truth in its entirety, but rather, convey a little bit of truth. This is being directly compared to the almost rhyming sensatio...
...ration, onomatopoeia, rhyme etc. One of the sound types I will be looking at is Full or perfect rhyme. This sound type is significant as in Dulce Et Decorum Est at the end of each sentence rhymes with the one before the last. This is significant as when reading this poem you notice this rhyming scheme and take more time to stop and ponder over the significance of the language it is based around and what connotations that word has: “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks” and “Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs”. This is one of the most effective rhyming schemes in the poem. Due to every second line rhyming this makes your remember what the poet was trying to put across in the previous lines as all the different lines have a way of tying in with one another.
Without knowing the word “I”, he finds different ways to express his unique persona. He has been intellectually superior to his brothers from the time he was in the Home of the Students where he thought the work was “too easy” and “it is evil to be superior” (Anthem 21). It is not only his mind that stands out in this society, but also his appearance. His height, which he thinks “is a burden” stands out too, because “there are not many men that are six feet tall” (Anthem 18). He is not only above them mentally, but also physically. For Equality to reach his full potential for individuality, he has to side with curiosity and embrace his desire to learn. When he does do this, he says, “[his] soul is as clear as a lake” and it “is the first peace [he] has known in twenty years” (Anthem 37). Demonstrated here is how this excessively altruistic society crushes curiosity and has the people’s true nature repressed for the “benefit” of everyone. Twenty years is a long time, especially when it is put into consideration that at the age of forty, they are sent to the Home of the Useless. Living in this society is a life sentence, in which they are stripped of anything that could make them an individual, even something as simple as the word
Personal identity in first world countries is often taken for granted. We have the ability to act however we please or be whatever we want without any real limitations. In George Orwell's, “1984”, identity is not taken for granted because personal identity does not exist. Orwell illustrates a vision of life where a totalitarian government eradicates individual identity. Winston Smith, the narrator of the novel, lives in a dystopian society where he and every other citizen struggle to maintain their own personal identity. The author suggests that individuals may struggle to maintain personal identity in a totalitarian government due to the lack of diversity this is because identity can only exist if the environment allows it to. Although if
He states, “Waves of anger and fear circulate over the bright and darkened lands of the earth” (6-8). Auden’s use of oxymoron and personification serve as a guide here as he begins to allude to the current conflicts that are beginning. More importantly H.W Auden is also attempting to get the reader’s attention, by stating that people are oblivious to the horrific events that are unfolding. He is disillusioned because humanity as a whole, had become so consumed by their personal affairs, that they became oblivious to the great evils that where unfolding. He elaborates “Obsessing our private lives” and “the unmentionable odor of death offends the September night” (9-11). Again Auden’s use of imagery and personification both allow the reader to visualize the problems that surround the globe and additionally support his enragement with
What is a person worth to their society? People do not normally consider what their community values them for, and perhaps ignorance is better than the realization of the truth. “The Unknown Citizen,” a poem by W. H. Auden, is an almost tedious epitaph of a deceased man’s life, but the poem is unexpectedly profound in its purpose of causing the reader to evaluate his or her own meaning to society. Other works that touch on the same topic as Auden’s poem are the plays Mrs Warren’s Profession by Bernard Shaw and Endgame by Samuel Beckett, which both portray the cold way that society evaluates its members like “The Unknown Citizen” does. These two plays and single poem compel the reader to question what is his or her life means to society, and see how people within their community view one another.
C. Connotations:The poem is written in free verse with no rhyme or rhythm to be
...ur lines each. Each line ends with a vertical line that marks the feet. The rhyme isn't but there is rhyme in this poem like "Me" rhymes with "Immortality" and, farther down the poem, with "Civility" and "Eternity." This poem repeated the phrase, "We passed," which is changed a bit in the fifth stanza to, "We paused." This repetition of a word or phrase throughout a poem is called anaphora. The use of these poetic elements allows the words to flow as they describe an event.
During the poem the speaker does not address his readers. The readers are simply overhearing a man assessing the society in which he lives as he daydreams about what is could be and yet what it is not. It is evident that his goal is to get the readers to look down upon this society which is so caught up in daily routine; prohibiting anyone from having freedom of imagination. This detachment that is created between the speaker and his readers incorporated with the boring monotone at the very beginning of the poem gives the readers a negative impression of the society before they begin to analyze the actual words of the poem.