Satiric Elegy in Rhyme
An “elegy” is a poem about a dead person. These types of poems can be sad and mopey or grand and celebratory. “The Unknown Citizen” is of the grand and celebratory variety, but it’s also a satire, which means that it is making fun of the person it pretends to celebrate.
Keeping this in consideration, what does the unknown citizen poem mean?
It’s all an act. The poem is pretending to be an official celebration of a dead person: the Unknown Citizen. The words are inscribed on a “marble monument” that was paid for by the State, or government. It seems that “JS/07 M 378” is how the Unknown Citizen is identified, and the monument is dedicated “To” him.
Additionally, what type of irony is used in the unknown citizen? There is verbal irony in the poem “The Unknown Citizen.” It is a comparison between a regular citizen, who goes about his business daily and leads a very quiet life, and the Unknown Soldier, who received various monuments from the Allied Powers of WWI.
Likewise, people ask, who is the unknown citizens of the poems title?
The title of Auden’s poem parodies this. Thus ‘The Unknown Citizen’ means the ordinary average citizen in the modern industrialized urban society. He has no individuality and identity.
What is the theme in the unknown citizen?
“The Unknown Citizen,” a poem by W. H. Auden, deals significantly with issues of freedom. For example, the citizen is valued mainly because he serves the community, not because he freely pursues The title of W. H. Auden’s poem, “The Unknown Citizen” matches in satire the theme of his verse.
14 Related Question Answers Found
What is the message in the unknown citizen?
In the satirical poem, The Unknown Citizen, by W.H. Auden, the central message is that the government can look at a man’s life and from their eyes it can be a fulfilling one, but in reality, a man’s life is so much more than that.
What is the tone of the poem The Unknown Citizen?
The Tone of Irony in The Unknown Citizen Essay. “The Unknown Citizen,” a poem written by W.H. Auden, alludes to a time of great change in American history, where the poem is meant to mock the government’s viewpoint of the perfect role model for an unrealistic, impractical citizen.
What kind of information does the speaker provide about the deceased?
The speaker provide about the deceased in The Unknown Citizen is to be like everyone else. Explanation: “The Unknown Citizen” is a sonnet composed by W. H. Auden in 1939, soon after he moved from England to the United States.
Is unknown citizen free and happy?
The unknown citizen was neither happy nor free. The poem raises this question at the end of the poem and then calls it “absurd,” saying: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.
What does scab mean in the unknown citizen?
Yet he wasn’t a scab or odd in his views (line 9) A scab is a worker who ruins a labor strike by returning to work before the strike has achieved its goals. Although scabs are usually considered cowardly, at least they take a stand for something, even if it’s their own personal gain.
Why does the speaker refer to the unknown citizen as a saint?
Why is the citizen referred to as a saint? the Unnamed Citizen is a “modern” saint, which means that he always served the “Greater Community.” Why is the speaker sure that the citizen felt free and happy? Because the Bureaucracy would have heard if he wasn’t happy.
What is the setting of the Unknown Citizen?
The setting of the poem is a cemetery with a marble monument over the Tomb of the Unknown Citizen. No such tomb exists, but many countries have tombs memorializing soldiers killed in combat whose identity could not be established, often because of disfiguring wounds.
Has anything been wrong we should certainly have heard?
It is absurd to ask whether he was free or happy, for if anything had been wrong, “we should certainly have heard.”
What does the title contribute to the poem?
The title might be the most important word choice of all, because it’s the first thing the reader sees, so it shapes the way the reader understands the poem. In your analysis, then, the title is a big clue: it tells you what the author wants you to be thinking about as you start reading.
How do you cite poems?
MLA Works Cited entry for a poem In the Works Cited entry, you start with the poet’s name, followed by the title of the poem in quotation marks. Then include details of the source where the poem was published. Usually you will follow the format of an MLA book citation or an MLA website citation.
How does Auden describe the unknown citizen?
In his poem, “The Unknown Citizen,” Auden set forth an inscription upon a monument dedicated to this unknown man, much as we dedicate a monument to an unknown soldier. The poem describes the man as one who is utterly conforming, someone who has lived his life checking off the right boxes.
What is the meaning of Auden?
Auden as a boy’s name is pronounced AW-den. It is of Old English origin, and the meaning of Auden is “old friend”.
What is the author’s not the speaker’s purpose in writing this poem the unknown citizen?
With his nefarious reputation preceding him, Ian Walker was honored for his valuable and significant contribution to society. What is the author’s (not the speaker’s) purpose in writing this poem, “The Unknown Citizen?” He is criticizing the dehumanization of society. He is condemning the man for not working hard.
When there was peace he was for peace?
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.