unknown citizen.pptx

B.A. final year
unit 4 : The Unknown citizen

1. The Unknown citizen W H Auden

2. About Poem " The Unknown Citizen " is a poem written by  W. H. Auden  in 1939. The poem was first published on January 6, 1940 in  The New Yorker , and first appeared in book form in Auden's collection  Another Time  ( Random House , 1940). The poem is the  epitaph  of a man identified only by a combination of letters and numbers somewhat like an American  Social Security number  ("JS/07/M/378"), who is described entirely in external terms: from the point of view of government organizations such as the fictional "Bureau of  Statistics ."  The poem is a  satire  of standardization at the expense of individualism. Tone : impersonal and monotone

3. The Unknown Citizen To JS/07 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 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. Bureau of statistics : सांख्यिकी ब्यूरो Saint : good person , आचरण Conduct : behaviour Greater community : सामाजिक हित Community : group Fired : dismiss , निकाला जाना

4. 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. 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 Instalment Plan Scab : odd , विचित्र Dues : expected at or planned for at a certain time Union : संघ Social psychology : सामाजिक मनोविज्ञान Mates : friends Press : media Convince : satisfy Cured : recover Sensible : mature

5. And had everything necessary to the Modern Man, A phonograph, 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. Necessary : required Frigidaire : fridge Content : satisfied Opinions : judgement Peace : calm Phonograph : gramophone, tape recorder Eugenist : those who study genetic quality of population Absurd : pointless Certainly : definitely

6. Interpretation “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H. Auden describes, through the form of a dystopian report, the life of an unknown man. [3] By describing the "average citizen" through the eyes of various government organizations, the poem criticizes standardization and the modern state's relationship with its citizens. The last lines of the poem dismiss the questions of whether he was "free" or "happy", implicitly because the 'statistical method' strategy used by the state to judge his life cannot understand such questions. The manipulative "State" in Auden's poem celebrates "The Unknown Citizen" as the ideal citizen. The  epigraph  to "The Unknown Citizen" is a  parody  of the symbolic  Tomb of the Unknown Soldier  commemorating unidentified soldiers; tombs of unknown soldiers were first created following the  first World War . [5] It is not just government organizations that Auden criticizes. His employer is "satisfied", his union "reports he paid his dues", his mates are found to like him, and the press are pleased with his buying papers daily and responding to the ads. The industry poll takers are happy with his buying habits, and teachers are glad he stayed out of their way. In Auden's poem, the entire system and society are responsible for the loss of individualism, whether or not government was the initial cause of the decline.

7. Summary The poem begins with the  speaker  stating the fact that throughout his life there was never one “complaint” against the citizen. No one thought badly of him, in fact, he was more like a “saint” than anything else.  The next section of the poem tells of the man’s popularity. He was well-liked by his friends, social enough to be normal, and dedicated to his work. The man served the “Community” for his entire life. The only lapse in his work for his company was when he went to serve in the “War,” and now, after he has died.  The speaker also states that the man read the newspapers to a sufficient degree. He went to the hospital once, but left quickly, “cured,” as he should have been. The citizen consumed all the latest technologies, as a “Modern Man” should, and owned the proper devices.  In the final section of the poem, the speaker concludes his report. He states that the man was “for” war when he was supposed to be, and for “peace,” when the government told him to be. The last lines prompt the questions a reader might have been wondering the whole time. Was this man happy? Was he free? These are things that the speaker sees as “ absurd .” He states that, of course, the man was happy, the government would have “known” if he wasn’t. 

8. The End