The Unknown Citizen

The 20th Century witnessed the rise of nationalism. Government started to justify many of its actions, unimaginable before, as for the good of the nation. The government played a deeper role in people’s personal life, probing and examining every minute detail in search for any “unpatriotic” crime. Individuals who met the government’s standards were lauded as model and patriotic citizens. Those who did not, such as those in the Red Scare of 1950s, …

…and at the same time, a critique on modern society that remains passive in the face of ever growing government intrusion. He employs literary devices such as diction, ironic tone, and allusion to enhance his message to the reader. Finally, through the question of “was he free?…happy?”, Auden is asking us if that is the fate we want: a statistical Unknown Citizen, complex, troubled person lost in an uncaring world controlled by intrusive government?