W. H. Auden: Analysis Of Auden And God, September 1, 1939 And The Unknown Citizen

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In poems studied in class, WH Auden offers insight on what it is to be human in the modern age through his poetry and beliefs. By studying the critical reading “Auden and God”, the reader is better able to understand the way Auden conveys these human feelings in a sophisticated and religious way. Two poems that Auden wrote include ‘September 1, 1939’ and ‘The Unknown Citizen’. These poems share similar themes in that they convey human feelings and emotions from Auden’s perspective and how he deals with these natural things. Auden was religious so was able to provide insight from a religious point of view through his poetry.

In the poem “September 1, 1939” Auden writes about human folly and that we should steer away from it, and instead be mindful of our actions and thoughts, especially towards others. This specific date in 1939 was the invasion of Poland by the German forces resulting in a Soviet and German victory, and thus sparking WWII into life. Upon hearing this, Auden at the time was in a pub and used this event as a stimulus to write this poem. He writes

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Here, Auden is feeling uncertain and afraid of what these events will bring about in this world, and is alluding to a coming war. In Auden and God, he tries to console himself with a fantasy about historical inevitability, and that a just and loving society would emerge instead of the horror of Nazism and the disaster it brought. Throughout this poem, Auden makes constant parallels with Adolf Hitler, and as quoted

In this scenario, the technique used is an allusion of Luther with Hitler.

Auden saw events of the Nazi regime as human error that ‘can delay but cannot prevent the education of man’, and included a stanza inside the poem, utilising these themes. This stanza answered his questions of what validated his values and refuted the Nazis by stating his belief that the universe was on his side, not theirs. He believed that sooner or later everyone would be forced into loving their neighbours whether they wanted to or not. But then he realised that this idea made nonsense of the commandment to love one’s neighbor, as a commandment assumes that everyone is free to refuse it. No one needs to hear a commandment before deciding to sleep or breathe. So Auden got rid of this stanza before publishing, not before renouncing his most famous line of the poem because by treating love as a necessity like breathing rather than a personal choice, it concluded the same nonsense Auden was contemplating.

Auden was later hoping for a way to dislodge him from this fantasy dream that and found it through a cinema watching, when German immigrants would shout “Kill the Poles!” during a movie about the Nazi victory over Poland. What was more astonishing was that the immigrants were under no compulsion to support the Nazis. Upon realising this denial of every humanistic value, Auden decided to go back to church.

By looking further into the poems of WH Auden, and specifically “The Unknown Citizen”, the reader is better able to contemplate the way Auden expressed what it is to be human in this modern day and age.

He depicts an ordinary human being that just seemingly goes with the flow of society, not complaining and being the most perfectly ordinary person society could ask for.

The Unknown Citizen is a dehumanisation of state bureaucracies, which can also be a reference to WWII. For example, Hitler had likened the Jews to vermin and rats, and the treatment that was dished out to them can be considered anything but human. Also, when both sides during the war conflict would constantly stereotype the enemy, referring to them as beasts and monsters through means of the media i.e. propaganda.

Auden isn’t just referencing WWII in this poem, although it is a recurring theme throughout, as war itself is a timeless and universal language that many artists draw inspiration from. In this poem, individuals are seen as numbers, instead of actual living people who have human emotions and feelings. This citizen is treated as a statistic, with an almost sardonic take on the tiny impact that they were making in this modern world. Auden is conveying that the best thing about yourself is what you haven’t done in this world. An example in the poem can be quoted:

Auden, however doesn’t want this type of society to continue. He tries to break conformity and be an individual in this world, so as to break away from tradition and not be another cog in a machine.

The overarching theme for this poem (aside from the dehumanisation aspect), is that it is an attack on a model citizen. During Auden’s churchgoing days, he wrote that despite the teachings of the bible and the influence of theology on society, being devout doesn’t mean satisfaction in todays’ world (especially during times of war) and it is perceived as futile, and useless. Also, Auden saw that certain aspects of his religious beliefs, were in his opinion, incorrect. He saw that to become a Christian, it did not require belief in an immortal soul separate from the body, nor in the resurrection of Christ, nor in miracles that violated the laws of physics. So here, Auden breaks conformity by believing in selective parts of his own religion, and not just flowing with society daily.

In conclusion, WH Auden offers insight on what it is to be human in the modern age through his poetry and beliefs. By studying the critical reading “Auden and God”, the reader is better able to understand the way Auden can convey these human feelings in a sophisticated and religious way. Two poems that Auden wrote include ‘September 1, 1939’ and ‘The Unknown Citizen’. These poems share similar themes in that they convey human feelings and emotions from Auden’s perspective and how he deals with these natural things.          

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