Danielle Lim R36 An Analysis on W.H. Auden’s “The Unknown Citizen” 1.25.12

W.H. Auden’s The Unknown Citizen: An Illusion of Individualism

The Unknown Citizen is about the story of a dead man who does not even have a name to

identify himself with. Instead, he is given a code, “JS/07 M 378”, as a way to be differentiated

from the rest. It is this same code that was also written in his epitaph. The speaker of the poem is

that of an outsider who knew about the man. He talks about the man in a manner filled with

praise and approval as if “JS/07 M 378” was perfect.

The poem begins with the line, “He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be / one against

whom there was no official compliant”. From this, readers can already deduce what kind of man

“JS/07 M 378” was and what kind of society he lived in. Based from the line, it can be said that

all throughout his life the man did what was asked of him and what was approved by society.

“Bureau of Statistics” and “official complaint” implies a society, or perhaps, a form of

government, that keeps close tract and record of all its citizen’s actions, whether good or bad.

In the next three lines, it says that “all the reports on his conduct agree / that, in a modern

sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint, / for in everything he did he served the Greater

Community”. Again, there is still that emphasis on the man being a good citizen and on the kind

of power, the society he lived in or the government who ruled over him, had because of the

words, “Greater Community”. However this time, there is also an interplay of words and irony in

these lines. The use of “modern sense” and “old-fashioned” provides some sort of contradiction.

It is possible the poet used this kind of word play to show how strange it is to have a modern

man as obedient as a “saint”. It is said he did everything for his community but here is where the

actual irony lies. The man may have been obedient but his reasons for being so is not for the

“Greater Community” but himself. He is not really a “saint” because the only reason he is such a

good citizen is because he wants to be in society’s good graces not because he wants to improve

the state of his community.

The next lines continue to put emphasis on how admirable this man is. He served in the war.

He was a good employee of “Fudge Motors Inc.”. The “Union” says he paid his dues. He was

friendly, popular, and sociable according to “Social Psychology workers”. He read the

newspaper, reacted to advertisements the “normal” way. “Producers Research and High-grade

Living” says he agreed to the “Instalment Plan”. Again, though he may seem obedient and

praise-worthy, the irony is that his reasons for such acts are actually for his own benefit. By

following all the rules and regulations imposed by all this government or societal institutions, he

was able to stay in their good graces and acquire “everything necessary to the Modern Man, / a

phonograph, a radio, a car, and a frigidaire”.

The other irony about this poem lies in the title itself. Why was he an “unknown man”? How

is someone supposedly so perfect and admirable not known? How does he not have a name for

himself? An identity? It is because by being too immersed in following the rules, conforming to

what society requires and agreeing with everything it promotes, the man loses himself. He loses

his own individualism. He, along with others like him, becomes an “unknown citizen”. Though

he may believe himself to be free, he truly is not. The speaker says the man held “proper

opinions” but it was in accordance to what society dictated so it wasn’t really his own. He wasn’t

really given any rights to stand for what he, himself, actually believed in. “When there was

peace, he was for peace: when there was war, he went”. Even the number of children he had was

not his choice. He had “five children” which the “Eugenist says was the right number for a

parent of his generation”. It is ironic how this man probably believed he was free since he was

permitted to have children but this is actually an illusion because society or the government

actually puts a limit to the number he can have.

The poem finally comes to an end with the last two lines. First, the speaker asks what he

believes to be rhetorical questions, “Was he free? Was he happy?” He answers this by saying

that “the question is absurd” because if there was anything wrong, he, along with the other

members of society would “certainly have heard”. There is once again an irony. The speaker

believes the man’s life was perfect but it truly was not. This is where the actual poet, Auden,

comes in and begs to differ. There is the use of an ironic point of view wherein the speaker and

poet differ in tone. The speaker depicts a perfect society and its perfect citizens while the poet

points out the problems with this kind of utopia. The last two lines weren’t written to support the

speaker. They were there to be able to emphasize the point of the poet, the theme for this poem.

The man and the rest of the citizens in society were not actually free or happy. They may or may

not have realized it. The point is by being too compliant to the norms of society, they actually

lose their sense of freedom and true happiness. Their concept of happiness has been distorted to

the point that they believe society’s happiness is their happiness. They don’t really do anything

for themselves. They don’t have their own opinions. It is truly sad and ironic how by devoting

themselves completely to the development of society, they lose their identity and own sense of

individualism.