The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden -commentaryThe poem The Unknown Citizen by W. H.

Auden, was written in 1939, a period of many economic and social changes for The United States of America. The Great Depression caused most of the citizens to have negative opinions about the governance of The U.S. Starting by specifying that the monument honouring the Unknown Citizen has been erected by the State, the author makes the reader aware of the fact that the following ideas will be in conformity with the desires of the government, and its ideas regarding the ideal model of how an American citizen should be. Further on, there are mentioned many characteristics, habits, and features of the Unknown Citizen. In what concerns the law, he didnt ever receive any complaints, which proves the fact that he was indeed an honourable citizen, who deserved respect, and had to be admired by his fellow citizens. Auden goes as far as calling him a saint, because he served the Greater Community, which is a bank, thus contributing to the improvement of economy. The reader thenceforth learns that he worked all his life for the same firm, an American one, Fudge Motors Inc., and that he also participated in the war, leading us to the conclusion that he was willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of his country. The Union of which he was a member states that he paid his dues, being consequently a responsible citizen. In what concerns his social life, he appears to have been popular among his friends and to enjoy drinking, emphasizing that he was sociable, friendly, and he liked to have fun. According to statistics, he had everything necessary to the Modern Man, had the right and normal opinions, and agreed with everything that needed to be agreed with. In addition, he extended his species by having five children, helping the population of the country to grow. The poem ends with two rhetorical questions, expressing doubt about his being free and happy. Throughout the poem, the author is highly sarcastic and ironic, protesting in a subtle way in what concerns the ideal behaviour and life of a model citizen. What he describes is the perfect modern man from the point of view of the Government. In their opinion, all the citizens should respect this concept of a utopian citizen, who could only exist in an overrated, unrealistic society, a citizen who would put the development of the country before his own interests. The U.S. in the late 30s promoted standardization of the lifestyle and even of ones opinions and thoughts. The people began to be called consumers, putting the status of the economy before individualism and variety. If every person would follow the instructions of this poem, then this world would become a world of robots, that are trained to think and act the same, and quoting Auden, to have normal reactions. What it is considered here to be normality, is in fact mediocrity. To put it in a nutshell, The Unknown Citizen is a satire of standardization at the expense of individualism, criticizing the picture of the perfect man, who should live his life only to be appreciated by the state and by the people around him, letting an impersonal entity to dictate to him how to behave and how to build his life, instead of realizing that we only get one chance to put into practice whatever we wish and enjoy most. One should never allow oneself to become only a statistic, and one should try to overcome their condition of average citizen, by expressing their individuality.