How to Disappear?

Short Story

November 25th,2021
 Society versus Individuality
The Unknown Citizen, written by W. H. Auden, satirizes the modern life of man, and

implicitly deals with the relationship between society and the individual. It is a work written

in the United States in the year 1939, around the outbreak of World War II. In the context of

two different ideological realities. That of National socialist Germany that seeks the

predominance of the so-called superior race; and that of the capitalist consumerism of the

American dream that is glimpsed in modern man. According to Jarell (2005) (cited in

Columbia University, n.d.), the ideas and ideologies that animated and, at times,

overwhelmed Auden's poetry probed into the interior of modern society, with marked

influence from left-liberal politics, and psychoanalytic and evolutionary theory. Undoubtedly,

modern man has developed in a civilization that has brought him many benefits, but which at

the same time has caused him a diminution of happiness, for man is born free and everywhere

he is in chains. (Rousseau, 1762). Society imposes rules of coexistence, laws, moral norms,

and the authority of the State to achieve common objectives and to be able to live in society.

However, this coexistence, in many cases, implies the idea of restricting people's individual

rights. Throughout the poem, Auden accurately describes the historical record of the

unknown and monitored life of a deceased citizen, conformist and faithful to the average

standards of the state, at the expense of the happiness and freedom of the individual.

Social forces monitor the life of an unknown citizen. Auden (1940) begins the poem

with an epitaph "A JS/07 M 378 This marble monument is erected by the State." This

inscription, engraved on the grave, is a monolith that functions as a sepulcher and

commemorates a fallen man whose identity is unknown. Although his name is unknown, the

citizen is identified with the number "JS/07/M/378". This number can be associated with the

person's identity number. In the successive verses (short and long), an external voice praises
the individual, and even considers him a saint, citing information from the various reports of

the control institutions (such as the Statistical Office and the Syndicate). The portrait that

emerges of this typical person is that of a normal person who buys the newspaper every day,

regularly pays taxes, is married and has children, and owns important consumer goods (such

as a car and a radio); but, above all, he makes his opinions conform to those of the State. All

the other reports, such as that of Social Psychology, that of the press, that of the company in

which he works, that of the insurance companies, that of the eugenicist, and that of the

school, show an exact knowledge of the fulfillment of the duties of this citizen. Therefore, it

can be deduced that the surveillance represented in the use of the number was efficient in the

invasion of privacy and in the social control that had to be had over the citizen. This may

show an ironic aspect of the poem. Although many facts about the citizen are known, the

citizen remains unknown because the details that highlight his individuality are ignored.

Modern citizens easily become symbols of conformity. Auden's poem's ideas about

freedom are closely tied to his criticisms of the standardization and conformity he sees as

inherent in modern life. Although much of this conformity was imposed on him by the state,

the poem argues that it also comes from elsewhere, by mentioning all social sectors. For

example, the citizen's employer, 8-"Fudge Motors Inc.", was concerned with the worker

doing everything by the book. This suggests the role of big business in the process of

standardization to increase production. In fact, the poem takes particular aim at the world of

consumerism and advertising, suggesting that it sells all the products a citizen needs.

Furthermore, he notes that reactions to the deceased's advertisements were normal and,

consequently, he bought all the advertisers' items 20-"And he had everything necessary for

Modern Man." On the other hand, standardization also manifests itself in the alliterative

expression of the poem. While Auden's poetry defies traditional poetry, his low metrical free

verse gives impressions to understand the tone of the message. For example, in the phrase
"Modern Man." The alliteration makes it sound like an advertising slogan, or a kind of

ideological concept thought up by the state. This reflects the poem's broader ideas about

freedom and conformity in the modern world; society standardizes to improve the economy

and prepare citizens; states standardize to control them, and individuals are forced to follow

these norms in living in society.

The happiness and freedom of the individual can be judged in terms of his

achievements in society. The question at the end of the poem is thought-provoking: 28 "Was

he free?". Freedom means freedom of conscience. In modern society, it is difficult for an

individual to listen to the dictates of his conscience. A person who has become a cog in

society's newspapers, trade unions, insurance, etc. The other question: 28 "Was he happy?".

For all intents and purposes, the more the state grows, the more control mechanisms develop

and freedom diminishes. Being part of such a society implies submitting to the general will, a

force that transcends individuals and aims to defend the common good. Human success in a

commercialized society does not go hand in hand with happiness. In fact, consideration of

happiness is quickly brushed aside as absurd, for all that matters is conforming to the norm

and the comfort that goods and services produced. This poem also implies that the

government makes it seem that everyone else is doing the right thing, so you must follow in

their footsteps and if you do, the reward is a life of accolades, happiness, and fulfillment.

Standards are constantly changing, so the optimum point will never be reached, and the

citizen must always strive to improve. On the other hand, happiness has been a human pursuit

for as long as we can remember, and positive psychology has brought this concept into the

realm of scientific research in the hope of gaining a better understanding of overall well-

being and a fulfilled life. (Nelson, 2021). Furthermore, social control does not measure

happiness. Therefore, it is ironic to give validity to the last line-29 of the poem "If anything

were wrong, we certainly should have listened."

 In summary, Wystan Hugh Auden's "The Unknown Citizen" is poetry in free verse, with

complex rhyme or little meter, open to interpretation (see Appendix). With an ironic tone, it

refers to a list of all the ways in which the social system, perfected in the state, can violate the

individual liberties of its citizens. The poem does not limit itself to criticizing a single

perspective but points to the conformism of modern life in general. The rhetorical questions

are you free, are you happy, can only be answered affirmatively by each individual who

perseveres in the name of life, and his personal reasons that give him happiness and freedom,

despite the blindness with which society sets its standards of happiness. Finally, society and

the individual must coexist, they are two concepts that should not be invasive of each other.

Personal beliefs, values and practices, in which individual objectives predominate over group

ones, must be open to social openness and mutation when this does not violate their

elementary rights.

Royalty free drawings (self-made).

 Appendix

The Unknown Citizen

W. H. Auden - 1907-1973

(To JS/07 M 378 This Marble Monument Is Erected by the State)

1. He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be

2. One against whom there was no official complaint,
3. And all the reports on his conduct agree
4. That, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint,
5. For in everything he did he served the Greater Community.
6. Except for the War till the day he retired
7. He worked in a factory and never got fired,
8. But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc.
9. Yet he wasn't a scab or odd in his views,
10. For his Union reports that he paid his dues,
11. (Our report on his Union shows it was sound)
12. And our Social Psychology workers found
13. That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink.
14. The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day
15. And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way.
16. Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured,
17. And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured.
18. Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare
19. He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Instalment Plan
20. And had everything necessary to the Modern Man,
21. A phonograph, a radio, a car, and a frigidaire.
22. Our researchers into Public Opinion are content
23. That he held the proper opinions for the time of year;
24. When there was peace, he was for peace: when there was war, he went.
25. He was married and added five children to the population,
26. Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his generation.
27. And our teachers report that he never interfered with their education.
28. Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd:
29. Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.

From Another Time by W. H. Auden, published by Random House. Copyright © 1940 W. H.

Auden, renewed by the Estate of W. H. Auden. Used by permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd.
 References

⎼ Auden, W. H. (1940). The Unknown Citizen. Published in Poets.org. From Another Time

by W. H. Auden, published by Random House. W. H. Auden, renewed by the Estate

of W. H. Auden. Used by permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd.

https://poets.org/poem/unknown-citizen

⎼ Columbia University. (2005). Book Review of Randall Jarrell on W. H. Auden. Columbia

University Publication. [Blog].

http://cup.columbia.edu/book/randall-jarrell-on-w-h-auden/9780231130783

⎼ Nelson, K. (October 22, 2021). The Science of Happiness in Positive Psychology.

https://positivepsychology.com/happiness/

⎼ Rousseau, J. (1762). The Social Contract. About the British Library.

https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-social-contract-by-jean-jacques-

rousseau#:~:text=The%20Social%20Contract%2C%20with%20its,well%2Dbeing%

20of%20its%20citizens.