The Unknown Citizen :: essays research papers

The Unknown Citizen Is MeThe Unknown Citizen, a poem written by W.H. Auden, reflects a period of vast change in Americas history, making The Unknown Citizen an example of the disposals view of the perfect ultramodern man in an overrated, unrealistic society. During the duration period that this poem was written, in the late 1930s, The United States was going through tremendous social, political and economic change. side by side(p) the passing of Black Monday and at the onset of The Great Depression, many Ameri corporations held negative opinions of their government and the many positive aspects that once drew citizens to the United States were becoming more and more negative. The Great Depression fundament solelyy changed the relationship between the government and its people. Citizens began to expect and accept a larger federal role in their lives and the economy. During this time period, Americans were solventd cards with a personalized federal numbers, better known as Socia l Security cards, which in turn depersonalized the political system of the United States.We the people, detect our government as a coalition between our leaders and ourselves, leaders that we elect to represent and enforce our values. They merely see us a number. This issue emerges currently with regard to the election of the next president of the United States. The entire issue deals not with the citizens wants and needs, precisely with the numbers. We be no longer individuals, but merely a vast pool of insignificant numbers. Numbers that only become imperative when the disparity between them is diminutive. Was he free? Was he golden? The question is absurd Had anything been wrong we should certainly have heard (Auden). This question is still being asked today, the only difference now is that there is no interrogation whether or not the opinions of the masses are being heard. The question remaining is whether or not the government is actually listening to the people.This poem also expresses that government makes it seem that everyone else is doing the right thing, so you must follow in their footsteps and if you do so your reward is a happy and fulfilled life with all the comforts of the modern man. The standards are constantly changing so that you will never reach the optimum point, therefore you must always strive to improve. This can be seen in the 2000 Presidential Race. We the people have followed the same uniform procedures in determining our presidents since the founding of our country, yet we are now being told these standards are outdated and unreliable, which in turns breaks down our faith and the faith of other countries in our political system.