Auden Analysis
“The Unknown Citizen” Analysis
W. H. Auden’s “The Unknown Citizen” is a dark satire about what can possibly
happen if political and bureaucratic principles corrode the creative and revolutionary
spirit of the individual. The poem was also titled after “tombs of the unknown soldiers”,
tombs that were used to represent soldiers who were impossible to identify since the end
of World War I.
Auden wrote the poem shortly after becoming a citizen of the United States. He
came to the U. S. to escape what he thought was the repressive nature of Britain. It is
clear how this poem stands the test of time so well, because Auden’s exile could be
compared to the actions of the Caucasians who inhabited this country and set up a
foundation for U. S. governance that represented rebellion and resentment against the
repression and dominance of England.
Before arriving in the States, Auden left his hometown of Britain for the country
Berlin. He said that it was there that he first experienced the social and political problems
that later became a centerpiece for the majority of the themes of his poetry. After staying
in Berlin, he temporarily moved to Spain where he had a job broadcasting propaganda.
This experience made him feel even more morally ambiguous regarding his typically far-
left viewpoints.
His background suggests that he provides the character of the “Unknown Citizen”
as a symbol for many of the people who mythically come to America to be free, but are
later surprised when they learn that capitalism and bureaucracy have been ineffective
systems that enslaved people in greater ways than the dominance of the status quo might
effect issues related to human independence.
The “Unknown Citizen” is given a reference to be identified by in the beginning
epigram of the poem, but the point of reference is not a human name but instead a
number. The epigram reads, “To JS/07/M/378, this
W. H. Auden’s “The Unknown Citizen” is a dark satire about what can possibly
happen if political and bureaucratic principles corrode the creative and revolutionary
spirit of the individual. The poem was also titled after “tombs of the unknown soldiers”,
tombs that were used to represent soldiers who were impossible to identify since the end
of World War I.
Auden wrote the poem shortly after becoming a citizen of the United States. He
came to the U. S. to escape what he thought was the repressive nature of Britain. It is
clear how this poem stands the test of time so well, because Auden’s exile could be
compared to the actions of the Caucasians who inhabited this country and set up a
foundation for U. S. governance that represented rebellion and resentment against the
repression and dominance of England.
Before arriving in the States, Auden left his hometown of Britain for the country
Berlin. He said that it was there that he first experienced the social and political problems
that later became a centerpiece for the majority of the themes of his poetry. After staying
in Berlin, he temporarily moved to Spain where he had a job broadcasting propaganda.
This experience made him feel even more morally ambiguous regarding his typically far-
left viewpoints.
His background suggests that he provides the character of the “Unknown Citizen”
as a symbol for many of the people who mythically come to America to be free, but are
later surprised when they learn that capitalism and bureaucracy have been ineffective
systems that enslaved people in greater ways than the dominance of the status quo might
effect issues related to human independence.
The “Unknown Citizen” is given a reference to be identified by in the beginning
epigram of the poem, but the point of reference is not a human name but instead a
number. The epigram reads, “To JS/07/M/378, this