As mentioned, an important aspect of the poem is its style, which is easy to read but is also complex and deceptively simple. The poem uses simple but powerful images in order to express the central theme of the critique of the way that governments and those in control and authority can deprive us of our freedom. For example, the poem states that the citizen, had everything necessary to the Modern Man, phonograph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire.
The Unknown Citizen 2)
These ordinary images add to the impact and the meaning of the poem. In essence, what the poem suggests is that while the modern individual has all the material aspects and goods that are deemed by those in power to be necessary to a contented life, he has in fact been deprived of his personal and individual freedom.
Freedom is in effect replaced by material goods. This aspect is made clear...
The images used are familiar and this adds to the ironic impact that although the citizen had material goods, he did not have his basic freedom
Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd:
Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.
The Unknown Citizen 2)
The human being is reduced to a consumer of goods should be "happy "in the eyes of those in power. Through the subtle use of irony the poem clearly suggests that this view is false and emphasizes the way in which the individual is manipulated and deprived of essential humanity.
I feel that this theme as it is expressed in the poem is pertinent to the age in which we live. In an era of mass commercialism,
advertising and media influence, as well as increased intrusion by
government in the life of the individual, this poem resonates with new meaning in our time. Therefore, the poem is particularly relevant to our contemporary world, even though it was written more than sixty years ago. In essence, the power is more than a critique of power and control but is also a poem about the need to protect our individuality and freedom.
References www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=96435526
Firchow, Peter. (1999) "The American Auden: A Poet Reborn?." American Literary History 11 (3), pp. 448-479.
A www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=105360294
Haffenden, John, ed. (1997) W.H. Auden: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge,.
The Unknown Citizen. Retrieved March 11, 2008, at http://bambooweb.com/articles/t/h/The_Unknown_Citizen.html
The Unknown Citizen 2. Retrieved March 11, 2008, at http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/386.html
