My dog deserves a monument more than this unknown citizen does

W.H. Auden’s “The Unknown Citizen” is an epitaph on a statue of a man who was simply ordinary and is celebrated for just that. The speaker, presumably some government worker who researched Unknown Citizen JS/07/M/378, romanticizes this man’s unremarkable life but still maintains a tone similar to that of an official, unemotional report. The Unknown Citizen is memorialized as a model for all other citizens in this “fictional” society because of his lack of individuality or uniqueness. He is the government’s idea of a perfect man—one who doesn’t stand out, break the rules, or think for himself.

The poem gives us certain details of the citizen’s life, but Auden purposely omits any details that would make the unknown citizen seem to be irregular. Auden’s goal in doing so was to emphasize the fact that this man is celebrated because he fits the norm—not because he stands out as an individual or as one who has done anything remarkable with his life. This fictional government prefers this mindless conformity because it allows it to better keep track of and control its citizens.

The poem itself was written in 1940 and technically doesn’t reference any specific or real events, industries, or organizations. However, Auden uses this fictional society in which the government keeps very close track of its citizens to satirize America—the country where Auden himself had just become a citizen. In fact, the poem seems to be a social commentary on America. Auden criticizes America for its celebration not of the individual but of the citizen who fits in and does not think for him- or herself.

Auden’s word choice is simple. Since this epitaph is supposedly inscribed on a monument to this ideal unknown citizen, the speaker of the poem purposely made the inscription easy to understand so that all citizens could know exactly what their government views as ideal.

The rhyme scheme of “The Unknown Citizen” is irregular; however, it definitely contains rhyme and each idea in the poem is contained by its own unique rhyme scheme. For example, the pattern of the first five lines is ABABA, and the first five lines are a general introduction about the unknown citizen and what a “great” person he was. The pattern of the next eight lines of the poem is CCDEEFFD. Although this is not a normal rhyme scheme, each line rhymes with one other line. This section of the poem is concerned with the citizen’s work life and friends from work. The next two lines, a rhymed couplet, are concerned with the world around the unknown citizen and his reactions to it. The next two are another rhymed couplet and are about his health and insurance. The pattern of the next eight lines is IJJIKLK. These lines discuss the extent to which the citizen was an ideal consumer and patriot. The next three lines all rhyme with each other and depict the citizen’s family life. The last rhymed couplet seems to be Auden’s own voice letting us know that the whole thing was one big satire—surely an individual’s happiness cannot be measured by government standards and statistics.

The second to last line of the poem uses two rhetorical questions to clue us in to Auden’s clear satire. It makes us aware of the fact that the poem never addresses the citizen’s happiness or fun aspects of his life. This man seems to be living the American dream: he has a steady job, a family, a few friends, and some modern conveniences. However, we know nothing about his happiness or his ability—or lack thereof—to express himself as an individual. But as Auden points out, the unknown citizen’s life is measured not by how he developed himself as a human being, but by how he contributes to the society in which he lived.

(WC 638)

Do you think this poem is satirical? Why? How can you tell?

In my paper, I assume that the speaker is a government worker. What other assumptions could you make about the speaker?

What facts do you think were left out about this citizen? What traits could he have had that would make him less of a model?

Are any of the things that he is revered for potentially negative? (i.e. staying out of his children’s education, materialism)

Do you think this “unknown citizen” is a real person or did this fictional government just invent him as a model?