The unknown citizen summary and Explanation of the poem and theme
In this assignment, we will define The unknown citizen summary, analysis and theme in detail. The unknown citizen summary starts with the assertion of the speaker of the poem. The speaker is pondering over the idea that he has not made any complaint against the citizen during his life. The speaker of the poem is presenting the idea that he was regarded as a saint by the other men and no one disliked any of his traits. The poem deals with the familiarity of the citizen with the society in which he is living. The poem also highlights the fame and popularity of the man. He was admired for his kith and kilns and was surrounded by his friends. The unknown citizen critical summary starts with the depiction of an inscription that is presented as an identification number. The poem presents the point of view that the reader should be capable of knowing the ways to the anonymity of the citizen. The first stanza of the poem offers a general outlook about the man and his life in society.
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The poem deals with the man’s attitude and behaviour about the man’s true approach to life. The speaker of the poem asserts that man is addicted to reading newspapers to a sufficient extent. In a critical analysis sense, The unknown citizen the speaker of the poem tells the incident of admitting to the hospital. But he was not staying there for a long period. He got better treatment with the new inventions introduced in hospitals. As a result of this, he was cured immediately and was discharged soon from the hospital. The final section of the poem deals with the dilemma of the modern man. He is wavering between the ideas of peace and war. The man supposes him to be created for war purposes. He thinks that his existence is limited to the ideas related to the war. The modern-era government tries to mould the role of the modern man as representative of the piece. The poem addresses the readers of the poem by posing a question in the final stanza of the poem. The poet has adapted a strange but familiar way of narrating the details in the poem by introducing ambiguous ideas. The poet is referring towards the unknown citizen as a saint and a miraculous person. No one has dared to complain against him. The first stanza of the poem seems to be a detailed report of the character of the person. The poet tries to include all the details about the person. He says that the unknown citizen was a gentleman by every inch. The first stanza of the poem does not provide any satisfactory detail about the unknown citizen.
The second stanza of the poem deals with the services of the unknown citizen that he has rendered in his life for the community. He has been regarded as a hero of the society in which he is living. He has been greatly indebted to the community in which he was living. The style of the poem keeps on running like a report and the second stanza of the poem adds more details about the deeds of the unknown citizen in the community in which he has breathed his last. The poet has used the technique of capitalization to emphasize the main idea of the poem. He continued to serve the community but the unknown citizen went to participate in the war that was not admired by his community.
The unknown citizen summary The third stanza of the poem pays tribute to the deeds of the unknown citizen that were being ordered to him. The speaker of the poem recounts the deeds committed by the unknown citizen. The unknown citizen was always placed in the good book of his employees. He was not at any risk or danger in paying the dues of his union. He was dedicated to his good deeds and the work which he performed for his community. He was much familiar and popular with his friends and community.
The next stanza of the poem deals with the popularity of the unknown citizen because other organizations were also looking forward to the unknown citizen. The next stanza of the poem deals with the surface-level details about the next citizen. He was admitted to the hospital at this stage of life but soon was discharged after being cured.
The unknown citizen and critical analysis summary: The final section of the poem deals with the poet coming to the end of his graphic report about the Unknown Citizen. Government organizations seem to declare the fact that unknown citizen was working for them in a gentle manner. The poet in the final section of the poem seems to be interested in the personal life of the unknown citizen. He tells the readers that the unknown citizen had five children and a wife in his home. The final section of the poem uncovers the hidden absurdity in the poem. The final lines of the poem present the idea of the defensive mood of the speaker. It seemed that the speaker is looking defensive about something which he has asserted in the previous section of the poem. But this thin also hints at the absurdity of the poem. The poet also seems to contemplating over the fact that whether the unknown citizen was free in his actions or happy at the end of the poem. The poet seems to be asserting that the speaker of the poem seemed too happy.
The unknown citizen poem by W.H. Auden critical analysis and theme
W.H. Auden is remarkably known for his poetic genius. This poem is also marked with high genius and thought-provoking fragments. The poem came to us in the year 1939 when the poet decided to move from England to the United States of America. Modernism has laid a great influence on contemporary society and the people belonging to that era. The poet has thus rendered his services in awakening mankind against the dangers hidden in the modern era. The poet presents hints and ideas about the troubles which may befall you in the modern era. He is passionately devoted to his task of spreading awareness against the odds of modern society. He tries to introduce us to the dangers prevailed by the anonymity, conformity and the idea of power which is required to control one’s government and other states as well. The title of the poem by Auden in this regard is very significant. The title is suggestive of the unworthiness and anonymity of many inhabitants of the society in general. The poet is of the view that many people and events in society remain futile and anonymous in this regard. The poet strikes and ponders over the idea of anonymity again and again in the poem through the use of extended metaphors.
The unknown citizen poem critical analysis
On the arrival of the modernist movement, many writers left their hometowns and moved to America in order to get expertise over certain ideas and matters. Auden seems to be at the height of his genius and creative powers in the poem. The poet deals with the disintegration and chaos which is evident in the colonial region. Being a modernist poet he is highly endowed with certain qualities of obscurity and novel ways of writing poetry.
The tone of the poem is resonating like an elaborate joke. Using rhyming couplets, he tries to devise a novel and obscure idea in the poem. The poem is written from the narrative of the fictional government. The poem hints at the idea of a government that is highly interested in sitting at a desk and shuffling the paper. The poem seems to be a replica of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984. The poem deals with the government structure which is rendering a great effect on its citizens.
The unknown citizen poem themes
The poem aims and theme at depicting the life of a man who has just died and led a life according to the true ideals of government. The poet thus shows his interest to depict the qualities of such a man. He is of the View that the unknown citizen has laid an exemplary life. The poem in this regard can be titled an elegy which aims to praise the qualities of an exemplary citizen. The poet is of the view that this man has never tried to deviate from the straight path designed by his society and remained truly addicted to the conventions designed by his society.
The unknown citizen critical analysis also highlights the theme of dangers of the modern life. The poet tries to build a true picture set by the modernist in every sphere of modern life. Modernist tends to care about the rights number of kids and accommodations owned by the citizens of modern society. In this way, we can say that they are trying to control the modern system in an illogical way. The poet is thus pondering over the implicit ideas of modern life in a satirical manner. He is of the view that the modern values of life and the modern standards of life are always objectionable. We also smell a sense of frightfulness in the poem which is being rendered by the conformity owned by the bureaucratic government.