Table of Contents

An Unknown Citizen Questions and Answers

I. Auden’s conception of ‘An Unknown Citizen’:

[What does Auden mean by ‘an unknown citizen’? What is his conception of such a citizen’s characteristic traits and nature. Do you find anything satirical or ironical in this? Or Critically examine Auden’s portrait of an unknown citizen. ]

An unknown citizen, as the very adjective ‘unknown’ fairly suggests, is one who is not known at all, a rather quite unimportant being. He is, in fact, an average, common-place person (man or woman) of whom there is no commendation or fascination. He or she is too ordinary to draw attention.

The unknown citizen of Auden’s The Unknown Citizen is the portrait of a man (not a woman) of the like calibre. The poet draws this portrait with certain specific traits that bind the man to a standard pattern of the life-style and the mode of thinking. There is no official complaint or report against this man’s behaviour or dealing with others. He belongs to the society in which he lives thoroughly sincerely and ever upholds its conventions and values. Naturally his society finds in him nothing offensive or reprehensible to be criticised or despised.

Again, as a worker, whether in a factory or elsewhere, he is loyal and regular and does not falter to attend to his duty, even if rigorous, till his retirement. Moreover, he never fails to pay his dues to his union and as such is admitted by this as no idiotic or eccentric fellow. He is also at his ease and popular with his fellow workers and shares drink with them. He is also not negligent to his duty as a loyal ci citizen to participate in war, when necessary.

He is a perfect citizen in his adherence to other normal tasks, expected from a good citizen. Like any other modern man, he purchases and reads a newspaper daily. He is found to react to the advertisements, given in such a newspaper, and remains guided by the same in making and taking his decisions about purchases. He has the usual recourse to the instalment scheme in this respect. He possesses all the accessories supposed to be necessary for amenites and conveniences in modern living-a gramaphone, a radio, a car and a refrigerator. He also follows the standardised principle in his judgement and opinions. In fact, he is guided by the prevalent trend of thought, and does in no way deviate from this. During the time of peace, when war is discarded, he stands for peace and advocates its causes. But when war starts Bake and is much exalted in the general opinion, he has no hesitation to go to the front like many others. In fact, he has lost independent thinking and become a cog in the rolling machine of the dictating society.

Auden’s portrait also includes the typical family life of an average citizen. This man is definitely married, not a despairing bachelor, like Prufrock, and has rightly, in the view of the research workers on the population, added five children. He allows his children to be educated in the conventional manner without the least interference from him.

This is the portrait of the unknown citizen, as drawn by Auden. There may be

questions as to how far he is free or happy. But the question does not appear relevant as there is no report or complaint about anything relating to him.

Auden’s portrait shows the type of an average urban citizen who is pressed into conformism by all sorts of social forces, prevalent and dominant all through. He does not fail to indicate how such a citizen is bereft of any independent association or thinking. He is only to conform to the prescribed standard and view-points. Auden’s representation often ironically sings. He subjects to his light, but pointed ironies, the very situation as well as the patternized living in a modern urban community. His observations and comments on the modern interpretations of a ‘saint’, the functions of bureaucracy and the press and the basis of the favourable opinion from labour union are all marked with penetrative, though pleasing, ironical.

Auden’s ironies are particularly patent in his observation of the lack of any definite personal view of an average citizen. Such a man lacks any firm opinion, rather changes his opinion from time to time, according to the change of the trend of time.

“When there was peace, he was for for peace; when there war he went.” His irony is specifically pointed in the concluding lines of the poem :”Was he free? Was he happy?

Had anything wrong, we should certainly have heard.

Indeed, Auden exposes here the prevalent absolute regimentation in modern industrialized urban society where man is made to conform to an accepted pattern of living and thinking and any deviation from that is regarded as abnormalcy and eccentricity. He sarcastically shows here how, in a commercialized society, individual happiness or freedom has no consideration, and is set aside as something totally absurd and immaterial.

2. Irony and Satire in ‘The Unknown Citizen’.

[With reference to the theme of the poem, bring out the element of irony and satire in Auden’s ‘The Unknown Citizen.

Both satire and irony are intellectual excercises with the purpose to attack or hurt and expose what is wrong or ridiculous in a matter or situation. Of course, in irony the attack is made more subtly, rather indirectly, whereas in satire, this is rather open and straight. But in both the cases derision and delight go together. The author or poet makes fun of a person, a situation or a state of affairs only to lay bare what is wrong, silly, or even corrupt in this.

Auden’s poem The Unknown Citizen presents apparently a simple portrait of an average person. His unknown citizen’ is a mediocre personality whose mode of living and thinking is simple, standardized and without any glow or glory. He makes a list of the traits and tendencies of such a man, but has recourse to satirical and ironical observations on modern urban society and the standardized evaluation of life therein.

Auden’s poem actually sketches certain details about the life-style and the mode of thinking of an average man who lives according to a pattern and not on the basis

of his own liking or inclination. The poet sharply implies that the happiness of the individual cannot be truly possible in a society where life is measured in terms of successes, gains and good opinions from others. In a modern society, a person has hardly any individuality to exert. He has become a cog in the machine of his society that is run by the newspapers, insurance companies, commercial contacts, and so on. His happiness is a relative matter, determined by the solid situations and general opinion around him.

“When there was peace, he was for for peace; when there war he went.” His irony is specifically pointed in the concluding lines of the poem :”Was he free? Was he happy?

Had anything wrong, we should certainly have heard.

3. Title

[Bring out the significance of the title of the poem with reference to the theme ]

The Unknown Citizen, as the very dictionary meaning signifies, is a citizen who is not known. This actually refers to a citizen who is deemed average, mediocre and draws neither attention nor admiration. This is rather an ordinary, obscure citizen, little known, or almost unknown.

Auden’s poem presents the portrait of such a citizen in a modern, industrialized urban society. This citizen, no doubt, enjoys a good deal of amenities and conveniences of modern industrialized urban life. But, at the same time, he is reduced to an utter servitude of the society in which he lives, without any consideration for personal freedom or happiness. He is alive, but not vital over much. As an individual he is caring critically for nothing of his own freedom and happiness. He is shown as a conformist who lives according to a set pattern, ceases to have any independent thinking and is reduced almost to a cog in the rolling machine of an assertive society.

Auden’s poem is definitely a satire, not sharp but subtle, on modern urban lifeon its statistical records, commercial questionaires, bureaucratic scrutinies and the like to measure the value of man and his life. Auden’s unknown citizen’ is a helpless prey to the total regimentation imposed on such a citizen by various agencies in a modern industrialized urban society.

Auden’s poem is on an unknown citizen. The entire account is about this citizen. And the title seems quite appropriate, rather perfect, here.

3. Substance : Auden’s The Unknown Citizen contains an analytical account of an average citizen in an urban community. The poet gives out, in an ironical manner, how this man is measured by certain mechanical data and standard opinions. Different organs, like the Statistical Bureau, the firm where he works loyally and the union to which he subscribes regularly determines and confirms how far his nature and behaviour are satisfactory and sound. Again, the press, the insurance policy, the health card, the ready acceptance of the instalment scheme and other available modern conveniences reveal and judge his way of living. Of course, he is taken as a sensible modern man for owning all such necessary things for a decent living as a gramaphone, a radio, a car and a refrigerator. Moreover, the public opinion favours him for he ever conforms to prevalent thoughts and trends, leads a normal family life and approves the existing system of education. Of course, it is irrelevant to talk about the extent of his freedom or happiness, for nothing contrary or adverse has ever been reported from anywhere against him.

4. Critical Appreciation

(Attempt a brief appreciation of the poem by Auden’s The Unknown Citizen .

Auden’s The Unknown Citizen apparently very simple and innocent as a poem, has a quite serious content and a satiric and ironical bearing on a modern industrialised urban society. Through his portrait of an unknown citizen, implying an average man, Auden conveys here a quite serious thought about the impact of mechanized urban living on the individual mind as well as spirit. He even raises the vital issues of individual freedom and happiness in such a perspective. As a matter of fact, where life is measured by statistical reports, commercial offers, press opinions and the views of the union, individual freedom and happiness remain quite insecure and uncertain. The issue is a cardinal one and well raised by the poet

“Was he free? Was he happy?…..”

Such a question is, of course, dismissed in such a society as ‘absurd’, for no report has been lodged from anywhere in this respect.

Auden is here sharply ironical and brings out how materialism and commercialism cause the destitution of true freedom or happiness in the life of an average urban person. The unknown citizen remains individually unknown, and is known in the lump and reduced to a mere number. He is to confirm to the accepted pattern or code of life and any deviation from this is regarded as simply unnatural, ccentric and contrary to the order and discipline in the community.

Auden gives out in the poem his satiric review of the so called sophisticated, high urban society in a straight-forward manner. His poetic diction is simple and easily convincing with observations and comments adequately conceived and wittily conveyed. Written in a clear, simple, yet forceful style, The Unknown Citizen is found free from the usual obscurity of Auden’s poetry. What is more, the serious appeal of the poem is made particularly effective by the humorous vein of the poet’s communication.

SHORT TOPICS

2. “He was a saint”-, Who was a saint and how ?

An unknown citizen was a saint in the assessment of his society. He was qualified by that old term ‘saint’ in the sense ‘perfect’, because he perfectly upheld the conventional values of the community to which he belonged.

3. What is the sense of the expression ‘never got fired’?

The sense of the term ‘never got fired’ is that the man, that is the unknown citizen, was never charged for default in duty or dismissed from his post for negligence or insubordination.

4. Where did the unknown citizen work?

The unknown citizen worked in a work shop Fudge Motors Inc. Of course, the name is imaginary.

5. What is Fudge Motors Inc. ?

Fudge Motors is the name of some imaginary work-shop where Auden’s unknown citizen, perhaps, used to work.

6. What is his Union’s report about the unknown citizen and why?

The report of his union is favourable about the unknown citizen that he is neither dull-headed nor eccentric. This is because he is very regular in the payment of his subscription to his union.

7. In what ways does the unknown citizen reap the benefits of certain health and commercial adventages of modern life ?

The unknown citizen is found fully conversant with certain advantages of the urban industrial life of the present time. He purchased a daily everyday to be informed of the current affairs. He was quite attentive and responsive to commercial advertisements. He had insurance policies fully covering all risks. He had the health card and availed himself of the usual medical benefits. He was also quite sensible to the advantages of the instalment scheme.

8. “He had everything necessary to the Modern Man”-What things necessary to the modern man had the unknown citizen ?

The unknown citizen owned what things were much needed in modern living-a motor car, a refrigerator, a radio and a gramaphone.

9. How far did the unknown citizen conform to the public opinion ?

The unknown citizen was a conformist and scrupulous y followed the trend of the time. He supported peace or war, according to the prevalent general opinion.

10. Was the unknown citizen free and happy?

The issue was debatable, for he had no independent view or decision. But it was never officially raised and considered and so dismissed as absurd and unimportant.

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