The Unknown Citizen :: essays research papers

The Un cognise Citizen Is MeThe Unknown Citizen, a meter written by W.H. Auden, reflects a period of vast change in the Statess history, making The Unknown Citizen an example of the judicatures view of the perfect modern man in an overrated, unrealistic society. During the time period that this poem was written, in the late 1930s, The coupled States was going through tremendous social, political and economic change. Following the passing of Black Monday and at the onset of The Great Depression, umpteen Americans held negative opinions of their government and the many positive aspects that once drew citizens to the United States were becoming increasingly negative. The Great Depression fundamentally 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 issued cards with a personalized federal numbers, better known as Social Security cards, wh ich in turn depersonalized the political system of the United States.We the people, see our government as a coalition between our leading 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, but with the numbers. We are no longer individuals, but merely a vast pool of insignificant numbers. numbers game that only become imperative when the disparity between them is diminutive. Was he free? Was he happy? The challenge is absurd Had anything been wrong we should certainly have hear (Auden). This question is still being asked today, the only difference now is that there is no doubt 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 mak es it seem that everyone else is doing the right thing, so you must take in 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 akin 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 corporate trust and the faith of other countries in our political system.