W.H. Auden's "The Unknown Citizen": Poetry Analysis
This paper examines W.H. Auden's poem "The Unknown Citizen" alongside a broader introduction to poetry as a literary form. It opens by reflecting on the social and financial struggles faced by poets such as Langston Hughes, contrasting public recognition with economic hardship. The paper then surveys key poetic components — imagery, metaphor, tone, theme, and structure — before offering a close reading of Auden's poem as a satirical critique of bureaucratic depersonalization in modern society. The analysis concludes with a presentation of Langston Hughes's poem "I, Too, Am America" as a counterpoint, affirming identity and belonging against racial exclusion.
- Introduction to Poetry and Its Purpose: Stanley Kunitz on poetry's private and public power
- The Struggles and Rewards of Being a Poet: Hughes's financial hardship despite prolific output
- Key Components of Poetry: Imagery, metaphor, tone, theme, and structure explained
- W.H. Auden and 'The Unknown Citizen': Auden's background and evolution as a poet
- Close Reading of 'The Unknown Citizen': Bureaucratic depersonalization and obedient citizenship analyzed
- Langston Hughes: 'I, Too, Am America': Hughes's poem affirms Black identity and belonging
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What makes this paper effective
- It contextualizes poetry historically and personally before diving into analysis, grounding abstract poetic theory in real poets' lives and struggles.
- The close reading of "The Unknown Citizen" is methodical, working through who speaks, what is said, and why specific word choices matter — a solid model for textual analysis.
- The inclusion of Langston Hughes's poem as a contrasting voice adds thematic depth, showing how poetry can challenge rather than accept social norms.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the poetry explication method effectively: it identifies the speaker, subject, tone, and word-level choices systematically before drawing broader thematic conclusions. This question-and-answer scaffolding (What is dramatized? Who speaks? What happens?) is a practical and reproducible approach for analyzing any poem at the undergraduate level.
Structure breakdown
The paper moves from general (what poetry is and why it matters) to specific (a close reading of one poem), then closes with a complementary poetic example. It begins with testimony from celebrated poets and critics to establish authority, transitions through technical poetic terminology, and ends with a primary text that reinforces the paper's themes of identity and social visibility. This funnel structure — broad context narrowing to close textual analysis — is a reliable model for literary essays.
Introduction to Poetry and Its Purpose
The late Stanley Kunitz received just about every prestigious award and appointment that a poet could achieve. He was named United States Poet Laureate in 2000, designated State Poet of New York, and served as Chancellor Emeritus of the Academy of American Poets. He won the National Medal of the Arts, served two years as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, and won the Pulitzer Prize for his Selected Poems, 1928–1958. He died on May 14, 2006. The Academy of American Poets published a portion of an interview conducted with Kunitz regarding his thoughts on poetry:
"Poetry is the medium of choice for giving our most hidden self a voice — the voice behind the mask that all of us wear. Poetry says, 'You are not alone in the world: all your fears, anxieties, hopes, despairs are the common property of the race.' In a way, poetry is the most private of all the arts, and yet it is public too, a form of social bonding. It gains its power from the chaos at its source, the untold secrets of the self. The power is in the mystery of the word."
Works Cited
Bates, Jane. "Art for Health's Sake." Nursing Standard. 19.31 (2005): 28–29.
Erenkrantz, Justin R. "'The Unknown Citizen' by W.H. Auden." University of California at Irvine. (2002). Retrieved May 20, 2006, at
Poetry Explications. "Preparing to Write the Explication." The University of North Carolina. Retrieved May 21, 2006, at
Poetry Magic. "Imagery in Poetry." Retrieved May 21, 2006, at http://www.poetrymagic.co.uk/imagery.html.
Scott, Jonathan. "Advance, Repressed, and Popular: Langston Hughes During the Cold War." College Literature. 33.2. (2006): 30–51.
Smith, Vivion. "What is Poetry?" English Department, Gallaudet University. Retrieved May 21, 2006, at (2004).
The Academy of American Poets. "Stanley Kunitz" and "Langston Hughes." Retrieved May 21, 2006, at (2006).
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