The Unknown Citizen Group
Question:
abrahem
Student
College - Sophomore
Answers:
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ms-mcgregor Teacher
High School - 12th GradeeNotes Editor
Posted by ms-mcgregor on Sunday December 7, 2008 at 11:38 AMAuden is communicating the connections between the "alienation" of modern life and the loss of "personal identity" which has been brought on by modern technology. The title, "The Unknown Citizen" is reminiscent of "the unknown soldier", a man who gave his life for his country yet no one even knows who he is. Auden is drawing a parallel between the unknown soldier and the everyday person who labors day in and day out and, in the end, is known only by some kind of number--like a social security number or today as a computer serial number. Unfortunately, numbers only give identity, not the stories behind the people who represent them. Andfor all the information gathered about a person, the "Unknown Citizen" is not allowed a voice or a word during the entire poem.
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