W.H. Auden - Poem Quotes (HSC)
The Unknown Citizen
“reports” – Shows the surveillance of the State
“He was found by the Bureau of Statistics” – Passive voice, unimportant, surveillance
“He held the proper opinions” “There was no official complaint” – he was compliant with the beliefs of the time
“When there was peace, he was for peace: When there war, he went” – he did what he was told, even though he never says he was for war
“Was he free? Was he happy? This question is absurd” – Sarcastic comment on the government and how they don’t care about these questions. Rhetorical questions emphasise the unimportance. Abstract noun, non-quantifiable but important in terms of societal values
“Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard” – Criticising the people who empower the system and conform
In Memory of W.B. Yeats
“The day of his death was a dark cold day” – Impersonal Passive Voice is used reducing his importance in the sentence, which subverts the traditional point of elegy which is normal about the individual – repeated at the end of the section for emphasis. This is emphasised by “Far from the illness the wolves ran…” – The poem isn’t even about him anymore, shifted focus. Also, life continues on without him “only a few thousand will think of this day”
“The death of the poet was kept from his poems” – poet is separate from their work. Emphasised by “The words of a dead man are modified in the guts of the living” – Effect on people, new meaning, passed through society, independent of the person who created it
The use of the difference sections of the poem shows the different voices and opinions of people at the time
“For poetry makes nothing happen” “it survives” “a way of happening, a mouth” – the lack of power of poetry, however it does give you a voice
This constrasted to the final section of the poem “intellectual disgrace stares from every human face” – everyone is to blame for what is occuring in Europe “with your unconstraining voice still persuade us to rejoice” – providing hope and looking for the truth as “all the dogs of Europe bark”
“For poetry makes nothing happen” “it survives” “a way of happening, a mouth” – the lack of power of poetry, however it does give you a voice
This constrasted to the final section of the poem “intellectual disgrace stares from every human face” – everyone is to blame for what is occuring in Europe “with your unconstraining voice still persuade us to rejoice” – providing hope and looking for the truth as “all the dogs of Europe bark”
September 1, 1939
“The unmentionable odour of death offends the September night” – Criticising our fear to face reality, unjust, critical comment on the ignorance of America “waves of anger and fear” – anger at not only hitler but also governments for not doing enough to stop him “a low dishonest decade” people abandoned to their fate because it was easier, comment on the complicit governments to hitlers regime
“that has driven a culture mad” “what huge imago made a psychopathic god” “what all schoolchildren learn, those to whom evil is done, do evil in return” – hitler was influenced by his culture and was bred into this beliefs and attitudes, the effect of education on politics and people
“all that a speech can say about democracy” “the elderly rubbish they talk” – old, backwards, true democracy does not exist yet, “to an apathetic grave” – however this has been caused by our complacency in not doing anything to improve the system “a euphoric dream” – we think we are in a democracy but its all fabricated and we are deluded
Epitaph on a Tyrant
Tyrants do not succeed without the support and compliance of the people. Such an idea is explored by Auden through his poem, “Epitaph of a Tyrant”, through its discussion of how politics are reflective of the people. Auden suggests that it is through complacency and ignorance that a Tyrant is allowed to rule, not just typically sheer force “the poetry he invented was easy to understand”. Auden suggests that we hear what we want to hear, not necessarily the truth – our ignorance is what makes a tyrant succeed to power. “Poetry” does suggest a sense of manipulation and invention, however, the following critical comment on the people, suggests our own ignorance and lack of higher thinking. This is reflective of the anti-fascism political perspective that is carried by Auden, in which he suggests that we ourselves are just as much as fault. This is emphasised by “when he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter”. “Burst” has a dual meaning; however Auden has made it seem that the senators, a representative body of the people, have forced their laughter, suggesting they are bowing down to his will. Auden further, through the use of “respectable” sarcastically criticises those whom are supposed to representing us cowering away and lacking the courage to defend the people. This compliance with his tyranny is what Auden suggests helps tyrants succeed to power.
O What is That Sound
Progression of the soldiers descriptions “they step lightly” to “their feet are heavy on the floor” shows the original perception vs the reality, emphasised also with “sound which so thrills the ear” compared to “splintered the door” “broken the lock”
“Were the vows you swore me deceiving, deceiving?” – betrayal of married couples for the sake of governments, shows how controlling the government is also emphasised the distrust of the cold war period, emphasised by repetition“and their eyes are burning” – anger , the military turning on their own population whom they are supposed to be protecting, tension between people and the government. Also they have “broken the lock” – emphasising that the governemtn have superseded the idea of housing being a sanctuary/private place
The Shield of Achilles
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