The Unknown citizen By W.H. Auden Starting with the title one gets the feeling of anonymity; that is he was just one in many. It is a play on "The unknown soldier". It is obvious that this is in fact a report and the dedication "To JS/07/M/378" further proves the idea of no individuality. W.H. Auden had become the unofficial poet laurite of his time, and although the poet laurite is known …showed first 75 words of 596 total…

…showed last 75 words of 596 total…is never finished, it is abandoned". This was written in Auden's politically left period. I feel that this poem is a very scary one. The closing line is sure to stick with you; "Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard". This engraves further the idea of the government; they always watching, knowing. One might almost say that it is a pre cursor to the Orwellian idea of the state controlling you. Mikiel Calleja