Introduction of the Poem:
“The Unknown Citizen”, a light satirical lyric, was first published in The Listener, August, 1939, and was later included in The Collected Shorter Poems, 1950. It presents an ironical picture of a model citizen in a modern urban - industrial society. The poem is compilation of details about the average man written in the flat, matter of fact tone of a report. His work at Fudge Motors factory, his union membership, the newspaper he bought, are all listed in the manner of the social survey questionnaires and the various bureaucratic spies etc., investigating agencies, (the Bureau of Statistics, Producers Research, High - Grade Living) are all satisfied that he is average and normal.
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| A Critical Study of Poem The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden |
Summary of the Poem:
Stanza 1:
He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be
Once against whom there was no official complaint,
And all the reports on his conduct agree
That, in the modern sense of an old - fashioned word, he was a saint,
For in everything he did he served the Greater Community.
Except for the War till the day he retired
He worked in a factory and never got fired,
But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc.
Yet he wasn't a scab or odd in his views,
For his Union reports that he paid his dues,
(Our report on his Union shows it was sound)
And our Social Psychology workers found
That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. The unknown citizen = the unknown citizen is the ordinary average citizen in the modern industrialized urban society. There is no doubt that the author passes a satire on the modern craze for statistics, questionaries etc., for collection and facts and figures of a man so that the record of a man relating to his past and present life may be judged. On the basis of facts and figures his real personality and his nature can be judged. 2. He was found= it indicates as if citizen was merely an object. It also shows the insignificance of the citizen as an individual. 3. The Bureau of Statistics =dept. of the secret police. 4. There ... complaint = the department of secret police found that unknown citizen was a man of pure conduct and he was neither a spy nor a dangerous man for the security of the state. 5. He was a saint = the reports of the secret police declared on the basis of their observation that the unknown citizen was a perfect man who obeyed the social rules and values, hence he was called a saint. 6. The Greater Community = society or the nation or state. 7. Got fired = he never committed any mistake; hence he was never dismissed from his post. 8. Satisfied his employers= the owners of his factory were happy and satisfied with his work and sincerity. 9. Fudge Motors, Inc. = the name of an imaginary company in which he worked. 10. Scab = a mean, worthless fellow. 11. Odd = eccentric; whimsical. 12. Views = political views. 13. For his union ... dues= according to the reports of his Trade Union, he paid his membership dues regularly. 14. Our report ... sound= according to our secret police reports on his Trade Union, the reports of the union are trustworthy. 15. And our ... liked a drink = research bureau on the workers’ social psychology reports that he was popular with other workers and liked to have a peg or so every day.
Paraphrase:
An unknown citizen, who lived a regimented life, was honoured by the state. The state, in his memory, erected a marble monument and recorded his statistical number (JS / 07 / M / 378) on his epitaph. According to the reports of Bureau of Statistics, the unknown citizen was found to be all right. The report of the secret police declared that he was neither a spy nor a dangerous man for the state. All the reports of his conduct had the same opinion that he was blameless and he could give no harm to the state and its Government, the following details were given about him such as: He followed the rules and values of society. He was a perfect citizen. There was nothing against his conduct, so he was called a saint. As an average citizen he gave importance to the society or nation. All his actions were dedicated to the nation. Except during the First World War, he worked in a factory until he retired. During his service, he never gave any chance to his owners to be dismissed him from his post because he was a blameless and faultless worker. He was sincere in his work. His owners were much pleased and satisfied with his work. They appreciated his behaviour and conduct. He was not a scoundrel or a man of odd political views, either. For, according to his Trade Union reports, he paid his membership dues regularly. Secret police reports on his Trade Union show that his union reports about him trustworthy. The workers of Social Psychology employed by the State reported that being a social man, he was popular among his fellow - workers and he was fond of having a peg or so every day.
Stanza 2:
The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day
And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way.
Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured,
And his Health - card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured.
Both Producers Research and High - Grade Living declare
He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan
And had everything necessary to the Modern Man,
A gramophone, a radio, a car and a frigidaire.
Our researchers into Public Opinion are content
That he held the proper opinions for the time of year;
When there was peace, he was for peace; when there was war, he went.
He was married and added five children to the population,
Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his generation,
And our teachers report that he never interfered with their education.
Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd:
Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. The press ... every way the newspaper= men had no complaint against him because he bought the newspaper regularly and reacted normally to the advertisement given in the paper. 2. The press= the newspaper boys; the newspaper – men. 3. Convinced = were confident. 4. Policies ... insured = insurance policies taken on his life showed that his life was fully insured. 5. Insured = secured. 6. And his health ... cured = his health card showed that he seldom fell ill. He was hospitalized once and got recovered soon. 7. Health – card= the card on which record of health was mentioned. 8. But left it cured = once he was shifted to the hospital but he did not remain there for longer and soon returned after being healthy. 9. Producers Research…living= names of the two imaginary firms engaged in the market for surveying about the likes and dislikes of consumers to promote sales of consumer products. 10. He was ... plan= he got great benefit of installment schemes launched by different companies and he bought many things on installments. 11. Fully sensible= he was fully aware of the advantage of the installment plan. 12. Had everything ... man= he possessed everything necessary to the modern man, namely, a gramophone record player, a radio, a car, and a refrigerator. 13. Frigidaire= refrigerator. 14. Our researchers ... of year= he had no firm opinion, his opinions an opportunist. The sentence is ironical. 15. Eugenists= scientists who study the problems of population - control. 16. He never ... education= this shows the passivity of the citizen. He never went beyond the words of his teachers. He remained in a limited circle of study. He learnt whatever his teachers taught him. 17. Was he free? ... heard= there is total regimentation in modern industrialised society. Man loses all individuality, and becomes a mere number. He must conform to the accepted pattern, as any deviation from it will be regarded as abnormality and eccentricity.
Paraphrase:
The newspaper - boys and men were also impressed with him because he was a regular reader of the newspaper. He read every news whether significant or insignificant. He expressed his reactions on the advertisement published in the newspaper. His reactions were normal. His life was completely secured against any accident because he had taken insurance policies to insure his life. He always remained healthy. His health card showed that he passed a healthy life. Only once he was shifted to the hospital but he did not stay there for longer and soon recovered from his illness and returned home. Both the Producers Research Bureau and the High - Grade Living Research Bureau were of the view that he had been fully aware of the advantages of the Installment Scheme launched by different manufacturers of various products. He bought many things on installments. The consumer goods produced by companies necessary for high grade living of a modern man were found in his possession. He appreciated the installment plan of companies and got goods like phonograph, radio, car and fridge on installments. Secret service researches into public opinion reported with satisfaction that his political opinions have been in harmony with the current opinions of the state for the time of the year. He believed in whatever he was asked to believe. He was an opportunist. In peace time he worked for peace. In war time, he joined war. He got married and produced five children as directed by the State and population scientist. According to his academic report, he never gave any trouble to his teachers. He followed whatever his teachers said. He never strayed from the subject of his education. Was this unknown citizen free and happy in the real sense? The poet sarcastically replies that these questions are meaningless. He had no complaint against the system and was never heard grumbling. He was taken to be a model citizen, because he had no individuality, no independent thinking, which might have made him different from others.
Critical Analysis of the Poem:
Introduction:
The poem entitled “The Unknown Citizen” was first published in The Listener. August, 1939 and was later included in The Collected Shorter Poems, 1950. This poem presents an ironical picture of a modern citizen in a modern urban - industrial society. It is an epitaph. It is inscribed on the marble wall of a monument erected by the state in memory of a certain JS / 07 / M / 378. This poem tells us that in the modern regimented and totalitarian; an average citizen is deprived from freedom of thought and expression. The poem condemns the state which forces an individual to live a life of conformity.
Thought - content:
The poet conveys his ideas by telling about an unknown citizen. This man gets killed in war and the state has erected a monument in memory of this unknown citizen. During the whole of his active career there was no official complaint against him. He was a loyal servant of the system. Reports on his conduct tell that he was a saintly man who worked as best as he could and never tried to create problems to anybody. He always tried to serve society. This man was very sincere in his work. He was never rebuked or punished. His employers were always satisfied with his work. There was nothing strange in his behaviour. He paid the dues of his union regularly and the report on the union said that it was perfectly a sound organisation which never created any problem for the employers. His sincerity earned him many friends. He also liked drinking. He was fond of reading newspaper daily. His reactions to advertisements were very normal. He possessed insurance policies, as he was fully insured. His health - card showed that he was hospitalized only once. He bought many things on installment basis, as he thought all the things necessary for modern living. He was with the time, i.e., he was guided by the trend of thought set by the newspapers and other media of propaganda. During peace time he advocated the cause of peace, and when war broke out, he went out to the front like many others. He led the kind of family life led by millions of others. As a student he was very docile and never questioned his teachers on any issue. Such a person loses his individual identity, freedom and happiness.
A Satire on the Modern Society:
Auden satirizes the modern society, which is bereft of religion and all other values of life. The modern society is committed to materialism, which makes the modern man unhappy. Auden feels that both the society and the individual are to be blamed for the corruption that exists in the society. The poet shows that poverty and totalitarian regimes are not the only enemies of freedom. Human freedom is restricted in subtler ways in the so - called free capitalist states as well. Hence, the average man was completely a conformist. He obeyed the orders of the powers. He dutifully performed whatever he was asked to do. His response to advertisements and political propaganda was predictable. The unknown citizen was a typical member of the modern conformist society.
Style and Language:
The poem has been composed in clear and simple language. It is direct and free from indirect references. The colloquial language and the everyday allusions to frigidaries, radios, installments plans, trade unions, etc., make one immediately at home with this poem. It is written in free verse with alternate rhymes or couplet rhymes. The rhythm is dominated by a conflict of stress and prose rhythm. In every line prose rhythm prevails. But this rhythm is striking to a high degree. It can be evident from the last two lines:
“Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd,
Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.”
